John Cena has landed himself in hot water following an apology he made to China earlier this week. 

During a recent interview with Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS, the Hollywood star was promoting the newest installment of the Fast & Furious film franchise.

While speaking in Mandarin, he explained that 'Taiwan is the first country that can watch F9'.

It was this suggestion that caused some backlash in China, as they don't recognise Taiwan as a country, instead viewing the island as an integral part of its own territory. 

On Tuesday, Cena apologised for his statement on the social media platform Weibo, saying:

"I made a mistake, I must say right now. It’s so so so so so so important, I love and respect Chinese people.

"I’m very sorry for my mistakes. Sorry. Sorry. I’m really sorry. You have to understand that I love and respect China and Chinese people." 

Cena's apology quickly caught attention both in China and worldwide, with the western press picking up on his comments. 

Unsurprisingly, news of his actions soon reached WWE and according to reports, his former employers aren't too happy about it, while some members of the roster are 'disappointed'. 

Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Podcast suggested on Twitter that: 'This John Cena apology is NOT going over well at WWE right now…'  

He then followed that statement up by claiming: 'Disappointment is more the word I heard coming from some talent.'

Zarian went on to report that Cena's apology 'bothers' WWE because they weren't the ones who issued it and the company have no control over it. 

"The apology bothers [WWE] because they didn’t issue it," he wrote. 

"It was outside pressure that they have no control over... A lot of the chatter from non-executive level status was negative.

"Personally I don’t know what the boards opinion was but I have heard it’s not positive." 

If these reports are true, it's fair to say Cena has dropped himself at the centre of a political and public opinion storm.