John Cena Weighs In On Fast & Furious Costars Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson & Vin Diesel's Feud

During a recent appearance on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, the actor -- who starred as Jakob Torretto in 2021's F9: The Fast Saga and 2023's Fast X -- weighed in on on Johnson and Diesel's known beef and rocky working relationship.

"At least it was rumored that was a rough pairing," Shepard said, to which Cena replied with a laugh, "There's certainly rumors about that. I can't deny that."

"You have two very alpha-driven people. You get two, there can only be one," he added.

Diesel -- who stars as Dominic Toretto in the action film franchise -- has, of course, starred in all 10 (and counting) Fast & Furious installments. Meanwhile, Johnson and his Fast & Furious character, Luke Hobbs, first appeared in 2011's Fast Five. He went on to reprise his role in Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015) and The Fate of the Furious (2017), before starring in the 2019 spinoff film, Hobbs & Shaw. He also made a surprise appearance in a post-credits scene of Fast X.

As it's now known, a feud was brewing between Johnson and Diesel behind the scenes of the films. The former reportedly only agreed to star in the eighth film, The Fate of the Furious, if he didn't have to shoot any scenes with Diesel. Johnson told Vanity Fair in 2021 that he "wanted to forgo drama," saying that he believed the decision "was the best thing to do" at the time.

But toward the end of the shoot for The Fate of the Furious in 2016, Johnson went on to famously blast at least one of his costars as "chicken s--t" and "candy asses" in a scathing social media post, which he later deleted.

"A candy ass is something you don't want to be," the Jumani star told Vanity Fair while opening up about the drama. "And the best way that I can describe a candy ass is: Life is so much easier, I have found, when you are not full of s--t. And a candy ass is completely full of s--t."

As for why he shared the Instagram post at the time, Johnson said, "Nothing specific happened, just the same old s---. And that just wasn't my best day." While he said that he "meant" what he wrote, Johnson admitted that to "express it publicly was not the right thing to do."

Diesel, for his part, has shared his thoughts on his relationship with Johnson in the past. At one point, per Vanity Fair, the actor expressed that Johnson "has he only has one big brother in the film world, and that's me."

"I have one big brother and it's my half brother. And that's it," Johnson told the outlet in response to that quote specifically.

Now, years later, it appears that the two have since squashed their beef as Johnson is returning to the Fast & Furious franchise. As previously mentioned, the actor made a surprise appearance at the end of Fast X, teasing his appearance in the next film.

In June, Johnson confirmed he finally got over his much-publicized beef with Diesel, and Hobbs would be coming back. The Rock shared a video on X, formerly Twitter, in which he explained that he and Diesel have been like brothers for a long time, and their resolution was inevitable.

"Despite us having our differences, me and Vin, we've been like brothers for years," he explained. "You just think about the future, you just think about plans that are much bigger than ourselves. Those bigger plans are the North Star."

"I am 100 percent confirming to you guys around the world that yes, it is true: Hobbs is back in the Fast & Furious franchise," he assured everyone.

However, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that the new film will not be a sequel to his previous spinoff Fast & Furious presents: Hobbs & Shaw or even a Hobbs specific spinoff. Rather it is a continuation of Fast X that is a bridge of sorts into Fast X: Part II.

Meanwhile, Cena -- who had his own past beef with Johnson -- reflected on his experience appearing in the Fast & Furious franchise during his conversation with Shepard, recalling how he felt when he first joined the franchise.

"I'm being invited into someone's home, into someone's family and regardless of how they look physically in comparison to another human being, this is one IP that's had nine installments and it's an action movie. That's rarified air," Cena told Shepard. "At the very least, there has to be respect for that. And I think when you look at it from that perspective, and I also know I'm a guest. I'm not trying to get into the sandbox. That's not my thing. I'm grateful for what you've given me. I just want to be the best firetruck I can."