WWE revisits one of John Cena‘s most viral memes.
The company’s social accounts are flooded with videos of John Cena ahead of his big retirement at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Cena is scheduled to wrestle Gunther in Washington, D.C., at the Peacock special this weekend.
In honor of John Cena’s retirement, the WWE account on X dropped The GOAT’s viral reaction to his roast — courtesy of The Rock — at the 2008 Hall of Fame ceremony.
During his speech, The People’s Champion layeth the verbal SmackDown on former opponents such as Triple H and Chris Jericho, but his most memorable line came at the expense of one Cena in the crowd.
What did The Rock say to John Cena at the 2008 Hall of Fame speech?
“The Hall of Fame is one of the most special nights of the year for the WWE, second only to going overseas and entertaining our great troops over in Iraq. Unfortunately, there was trouble this year. There was a big controversy with the WWE and illegal torture.
“I don’t know if you heard about it, but apparently, they would find Iraqi surgeons, and they’d sit them down, tie them up and make them watch copies of the DVD ‘The Marine.'”
Cena responded with a hilarious reaction by staring directly into the camera. The Rock then pulled out a joke at his own expense by referencing his infamous movie that was Doomed (pun very much intended) at the box office.
What started as playful banter turned into legitimate beef, as Cena later called out The Rock for choosing Hollywood over WWE. The two would ultimately bury the hatchet during their second WrestleMania program in 2013.
READ MORE: John Cena: WWE’s Original Plan For The Rock and Travis Scott Doesn’t Matter
