Add as a preferred source on Google The Rock has again opened up about one of the most important and painful nights of his WWE career, looking back on his match against John Cena at WrestleMania 29 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In a recent interview with Esquire, Johnson said he viewed that match as his personal farewell to the ring, even though he returned years later for a tag team match at WrestleMania 40.
In the match, Rock entered as WWE Champion and lost to Cena in the main event. The win gave Cena his 11th reign with the WWE Championship in a direct rematch from WrestleMania 28.
According to Johnson, the injury happened early in the match. He tore his adductor, his quadriceps near the pelvis, and then suffered a chain reaction that affected his abdominal wall. Even so, there were still about 20 minutes left in the match, and he decided to keep going.
The former champion said the referee asked whether he could continue. Rock said yes, but later admitted he did not want to tell Cena how serious the injury was because he knew Cena would have ended the match immediately.
The Rock recalls suffering several injuries during his WWE Championship match against John Cena at WrestleMania 29:
— WrestleTalk (@WrestleTalk_TV) June 12, 2026
"So, I was champion, we went into the next WrestleMania in New York, MetLife Stadium. That night was a very special match because it was my final match.
"That… pic.twitter.com/l2SzRL5RTy
The morning after the event, Johnson had already publicly revealed that he had torn muscles in his abdomen and adductor, treating the situation as part of the job.
The most striking detail, however, was how The Rock described the end of the match. After being pinned, he stared up at the stadium lights and realized he was leaving behind a fundamental part of his life in that moment.
Despite the pain, Johnson said seeing Cena climb the ropes and raise the title was surreal, but also gratifying. To him, it was the right ending to a rivalry that defined an era in WWE.