John Cena’s ego and pride meant he was furious to lose to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson at WrestleMania 28, according to Mike Chioda.

Former WWE referee, Chioda, was the man-in-charge during the epic ‘Once in a Lifetime’ match between two superstars in 2012.

A clash of two generations with both men being the top dog in the industry during their respective careers in WWE, The Rock eventually put Cena away following a Rock Bottom in his first WrestleMania match since 2004.

Of course ‘The People’s Champion’ has since become a famous film star but the fact he was allowed to walk back in after eight years to headline the ‘Grandest Stage of Them All’ and pick up the victory it appears doesn’t sit well with Cena, despite beating The Rock in a rematch the following year.

Speaking on the Monday Mailbag podcast, Chioda said; “We had this match, you know, Rock wanted me to do it and everything, and I think Cena had a little bit of a problem doing the job.

“Here is Cena, carrying the torch for the last 10 years and he was busting his a** day in, day out.

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“And here comes The Rock, back after so many years of being in Hollywood, and he’s got to job out to The Rock?

“Well, of course, the show is in Miami. The Rock is a big Hollywood superstar now, and I think there was a little heat there.

“There was a little dissension. But you’ve got to go where the money goes… I mean, they put Rock over, and I was happy about that.”

Chioda predicts it may have been the same on The Rock’s end if the decision had been reversed and Cena was given the win.

After all, The Rock was dubbed ‘The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment’ and was the poster boy for WWE for many years before Cena came along. His celebrity status will undoubtably bring an arrogance and belief he should be victorious. Put simply, a clash of personalities.

Chioda continued: "Here are two guys that were making big money. And that’s why, it’s not even like, ‘Okay, I’m getting big money for this match. I’ll do the job.’ It becomes about ego and pride. It really does.

“When it comes down to it, money is not even the issue. It becomes an ego thing and a pride thing.
“It’s like, ‘I’ve been carrying this business for the last 10 years, I should go around him first, then he’ll go around me’. ‘No, no, Rock’s going to go around you first.’ I’m sure John was p***** at Vince.”