John Cena Opens up About His 2021 Taiwan Controversy That Almost Cost Him His Hollywood Career

While promoting F9 in 2021, John Cena accidentally referred to Taiwan as a country, sparking debate across both China and the United States.

John Cena Opens up About His 2021 Taiwan Controversy That Almost Cost Him His Hollywood Career

John Cena (via WWE and BBC)

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WWE fans already know that John Cena is gearing up for the final match of his legendary career, an emotional farewell clash against Gunther on December 13th. The 17-time world champion will headline Saturday Night’s Main Event at the Capital One Arena, closing the book on an extraordinary 23-year run inside the squared circle. 

Once he steps away, Cena is expected to shift fully into his fast-rising Hollywood career. Already a major presence on the big screen thanks to F9 and his acclaimed HBO series Peacemaker, Cena has followed the trail blazed by The Rock and Batista, making himself a legitimate crossover star. 

But while promoting his WWE swansong across various media outlets, the future Hall of Famer revisited one of the most controversial moments of his life outside the ring. During a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Cena opened up about the intense international backlash he faced in 2021 after unintentionally stepping into one of the world’s most politically sensitive debates. 

While promoting Fast & Furious 9, Cena referred to Taiwan as a country, sparking outrage in China, where Taiwan is viewed as a breakaway province. Speaking Mandarin during the interview, Cena said Taiwan was the “first country” to see the film. The backlash, he explained, was swift and overwhelming, and not something he had intended in the slightest.

Just because you know the language doesn’t mean you know the culture. You do a million of these things, and one of them said like, ‘Hey, Taiwan, see this,’ and it was all in Mandarin, and the Pinyin described Taiwan as a country. So, be the first country to see this. Now, over there, they look through a different lens, like geopolitics are murky waters, man.

John Cena via The Joe Rogan Experience

In an attempt to ease tensions, Cena posted a Mandarin apology video on China’s Weibo, calling his comment a mistake and stressing his respect for Chinese fans. But that apology only ignited backlash back home in the United States. The WWE legend said the entire situation quickly spiraled into what felt like a no-win scenario.

I had to apologize to China. And in apologizing to China, I pissed off my home country. I’m a patriot. I love the United States of America and everything it stands for. But it was never enough. Nobody was happy. Everybody was fed up. It was like a Ron Burgundy moment. I just read the thing, and suddenly everyone’s like, ‘What the f**k did you just say?’

John Cena via The Joe Rogan Experience

The fallout went far beyond social media. Cena admitted he genuinely feared for his acting career, especially since he was in the middle of filming Peacemaker. He even told director James Gunn he would understand if they needed to replace him.

The incident left a deep impression. Despite spending years studying Mandarin, Cena revealed that he now avoids speaking it publicly altogether. As Cena prepares to step into the ring one final time, his candid reflections show just how turbulent the transition from wrestling icon to Hollywood superstar can be.

John Cena revealed Vince McMahon’s initial disdain for his ‘Doctor of Thugonomics’ persona in 2003

When John Cena arrived on the WWE main roster in the summer of 2002, he looked every bit the generic rookie: brightly colored tights matching whatever city the company was touring and no real identity to set him apart. Cena has often admitted that during those early months, he was convinced he wouldn’t last the year and fully expected to be fired before he ever found his footing.

John Cena and Vince McMahon
John Cena and Vince McMahon (via WWE)

But everything changed on a bus ride during a European tour. After he began freestyling to pass the time, Stephanie McMahon overheard him, instantly recognizing untapped potential. As a member of WWE creative, she encouraged Cena to lean into the rap persona. 

That led to Cena dressing as rapper Vanilla Ice at the 2002 Halloween episode of SmackDown, where he surprised the entire locker room and fans with his charisma. The reaction was electric, and soon the ‘Doctor of Thuganomics’ was born. By late 2003, Cena had transformed into one of the most popular babyface acts on the roster thanks to his edgy, unapologetic freestyle promos.

Rap music was booming in mainstream culture at the time, making Cena’s gimmick feel relevant and fresh. But not everyone loved it at first, especially his boss, Vince McMahon. On The Joe Rogan Experience, Cena revealed that the former WWE CEO initially wasn’t a fan of the rapper gimmick, though his opinion eventually changed.

Hated it and then loved it. I think his perspective is, when I hear somebody’s idea for a personality, ‘Man, I want to be this sports agent guy or whatever…. So I think maybe what happened was my perspective of the white hip-hop guy from the mean streets of West Newberry, and Vince’s perspective of John Cena the rapper, we probably missed. He had an idea, and I had an idea. I got to give him respect for allowing me to run with it.

John Cena via The Joe Rogan Experience

Despite recently shutting down the possibility of McMahon ever returning to WWE, Cena has made it clear that he still respects what ‘The Genetic Jackhammer’ taught him and believes the longtime chairman had much more to contribute to the wrestling business.

Now, Cena is preparing to close the final chapter of his own iconic career. At Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13th, the 17-time world champion will step into the ring for the final time.

Over the past month, the company held a 16-man Last Time Is Now tournament across Raw and SmackDown to determine Cena’s ultimate opponent. 

In the finals, former World Heavyweight champion Gunther defeated LA Knight in a brutal, hard-hitting match, forcing Knight to tap out. That victory set the stage for an unprecedented showdown: Gunther vs. John Cena, one-on-one, for the first time, and also Cena’s last match.

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