John Cena on If The Rock Should Return to WWE

The Rock vs. Roman Reigns is unquestionably the biggest match WWE can produce right now. And while there are reports of Dwayne Johnson returning to his old stomping grounds at Survivor Series later this year (possibly to start up a feud with Reigns that carries into WrestleMania 38 next year), there’s been no confirmation that “The People’s Champ” will take a break from his busy acting career to step back inside the ring. John Cena, who just spent the last month wrestling for WWE leading up to a match with Reigns at SummerSlam, was asked about Johnson during an interview with Entertainment Tonight this past weekend.

“He’s earned the right not to be pressured into that choice. I can say he is a fan of the WWE. He is the most electrifying man in sports entertainment. So as a fan do, I want to see one of the greatest performers of all time step back in the WWE ring? Yeah. But in no way am I gonna call him and if I’m gonna talk to him about something, it’s not gonna try to be to get him back in the WWE ring. He needs to come to that conclusion by himself,” Cena said. “Because then, his performance will be, The Rock, he’ll be the best he can be. So I do hope he comes back, as a fan, and I hope it’s wonderful, and if he chooses not to, he’s earned the right to choose not to.”

Reigns, usually while in character, has been asked about a match with his relative on numerous occasions during interviews.

“That’s a dream for a lot of our fans. It ain’t a dream for [The Rock’s fans]. I get this a lot with Dwayne and John Cena as well,” Reigns told SportsNation back in June. “These guys are doing very well for themselves, there’s no question about it. I don’t know, if I were these guys, I don’t know if I would want to come back and deal with me. I’m a problem right now for everybody. So if I were them, I would stay on set. I’d keep pumping out these streaming service movies. Don’t come to my ring.”

“We can’t lie about it. Dallas is humongous. ‘Jerry World’ is giant. AT&T Stadium, I’ve already done it, over 100,000 people, main evented that spot,” Reigns told Ariel Helwani while speculating where the match should take place. “And then the following year, I’m in his backyard. Imagine me with another couple of years with this dominance going against ‘The Great One?’ In Hollywood, which God willing is the obvious next step if available, if everything happens correctly. People in my position typically end up there. So to be able to tell that story with him, if he’s down it’d be cool.”