John Cena Says First Thing He Did After WrestleMania 28 Loss Was Apologize to The Rock’s Mom

John Cena didn’t just lose to The Rock at WrestleMania 28—he walked away with emotional baggage. While fans remember the blockbuster main event and the finish, what happened backstage tells a whole different story.

Speaking in a Vanity Fair interview while rewatching the match, Cena revealed that his very first move after stepping through the curtain was to seek out Ata Johnson—The Rock’s mother—and apologize for everything that went down in the lead-up.

“After the show is over, the very first thing I do is apologize to Dwayne’s mother because she was the first person I saw. And I apologized and said, ‘I hope you understand I was just trying to do what was best for tonight.’”

According to Cena, she handled it like the class act she is.

“She, having the experience and wisdom — of course — she was extremely gracious and a class act like she always is, but it was important for me to get that weight off my backpack.”

This wasn’t just a quick PR move. Cena made it clear this was about respect—owning up to how far he pushed things during one of WWE’s most intense rivalries. It’s a rare look into the kind of personal toll the business can take, especially when performers blur the lines between storyline and reality.