Not everyone was impressed with John Cena's WWE heel turn, including his dad, John Cena Sr., who criticized Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson's role in it (or lack thereof).
During an interview with UnSKripted, Cena's dad revealed why he was underwhelmed by the involvement of the “Final Boss” in the storyline. After Cena turned heel in March 2025, The Rock disappeared, and he has not been seen in WWE since.
“With The Rock, I have no idea what that whole thing was about,” Cena Sr. said. “The whole storyline was ‘I want your soul.' That [doesn't] mean I'm God, I wanna be the devil. It means I want your everything, and if you give me your everything, I will make you champion. Okay, now we have a storyline.”
John Cena Sr criticizes The Rock for his lack of involvement after Cena’s heel turn
“Let’s take it and call it as we see it. Why not finish what we started or if we couldn’t finish what we started don’t start it all.”
(UnSKripted)pic.twitter.com/PD6xxpnvJq
— Vick (@Vick_8122) September 24, 2025
The Rock signaled for Cena to attack Cody Rhodes at Elimination Chamber, but he did not have a hand in the story after that. “In my opinion, that was poor,” Cena Sr. criticized. “Because now, it becomes a one-man show. It's not fair to the individual, and it's not fair to the fans of the WWE because look, that story's not unfinished. That story with Cody Rhodes and The Rock isn't finished.”
Cena Sr. isn't trying to be overly-critical of The Rock. He knows how big The Rock's stardom is, as he is constantly filming and promoting new movie projects. But still, he wonders why The Rock got involved in the first place if he wasn't going to fully commit to the Cena heel turn.
“Why not finish what we've started? Or if we couldn't finish what we started, don't start it at all,” he concluded on the matter.
The Rock's role in John Cena's WWE heel turn
Cena turned heel at Elimination Chamber with The Rock and Travis Scott present. The Rock wanted an answer from Rhodes regarding selling his “soul.”
Rhodes rejected the “Final Boss,” resulting in his signaling to Cena. Cena then attacked Rhodes, turning heel for the first time in over two decades.
It was a shocking moment. However, the rest of Cena's heel run did not include The Rock. This was puzzling for many fans, since the “Final Boss” was the catalyst for his turn. Cena has since turned babyface.
