Ex-WWE referee Mike Chioda says John Cena "was not happy" after WrestleMania 28 loss to The Rock

Former WWE referee Mike Chioda has said John Cena "was not happy about doing the job that night" after losing to The Rock at WrestleMania 28 in Miami, Chioda wrote. He made the comment in response to a fan post that shared footage of the match’s closing sequence on X.

The Rock had returned to WWE during the road to WrestleMania 27 and played a pivotal role at that event by costing Cena a potential WWE Championship victory against The Miz, setting up a year-long buildup to their WrestleMania 28 encounter. The rivalry between the two was driven by sustained verbal exchanges on television and social media, creating heavy anticipation for their Miami showdown. That buildup framed the match as a blockbuster main event for WrestleMania 28.

The contest itself produced a back-and-forth contest before a late mistake by Cena allowed The Rock to finish with a Rock Bottom. "The 17-time World Champion became overconfident in the closing moments, allowing Rocky to hit the devastating Rock Bottom for the victory," the original report noted. The Rock’s win came cleanly in what the article described as one of the biggest WrestleMania main events of the era.

Cena and The Rock met again at WrestleMania 29, where Cena defeated The Rock to capture the WWE Championship, and The Rock subsequently endorsed Cena following that loss, signaling a change in their relationship. At WrestleMania 32, Cena returned to assist The Rock against The Wyatt Family, an appearance that the report says contributed to the two stars eventually mending their relationship.

More recent storyline developments cited in the report include The Rock’s involvement in Cena’s narrative at Elimination Chamber, where he helped orchestrate Cena’s heel turn, and a subsequent on-screen alliance with Travis Scott in an attack on Cody Rhodes. The piece notes that, despite expectations that The Rock would appear at WrestleMania 41, he did not attend, and Cena ultimately defeated Rhodes with Scott’s assistance to win the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Mike Chioda served as the referee for the WrestleMania 28 match. The claim about Cena’s reaction, the report adds, contributes another layer to a bout that has remained a major talking point more than a decade later.