The Rock v John Cena: WWE's biggest feud of the last two decades

The Rock and John Cena’s two-year long feud from 2011 to 2013 was one of the biggest in WWE history, and one that was laced with real-life heat between two of the all-time greats.

The two’s rise to the top of WWE shared many similarities with both starting off as white meat babyfaces before transitioning into trash talking heels, whose elite mic skills led to fans cheering for them on their way to becoming the no.1 guy in the company.

However, The Rock had departed for Hollywood after just six years while Cena had remained loyal to WWE, something he referenced in a 2008 interview when he called The Great One a “sell-out” who claimed to love WWE but never showed up.

Prior to that, the two had maintained a friendly relationship, with The Rock even making light-hearted jokes about Cena’s own movie career (as well as his own) at the 2008 Hall of Fame, where he inducted both his father and grandfather.

As a result, Cena’s comments had caught Rocky off guard and sowed the seeds for an on-screen feud starting in 2011 that fans had been dreaming of for years.

The feud began on the February 14th, 2011 edition of Raw, where The Rock, returning after seven years away, was announced as the host of WrestleMania 27. In his return promo, he called out Cena, lambasting him as a pretender to the likes of him and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The following week, Cena responded with a rap mocking The Rock’s acting career as well as his claim to be the People’s Champion.

The back and forth went on for weeks, with Cena’s WWE Title match with The Miz becoming a side story as a result. It was slightly unfair on The Miz but he was a complete third wheel despite holding the most coveted title in the industry.

The two greats finally came face to face