John Cena Took A Stand Against WWE Unreal; He Now Apologizes

John Cena was apparently not onboard with the concept of WWE: Unreal.

But evidently, his stance has changed, as he recently revealed filming for Season 3 of the Netflix docuseries.

Since retiring at Saturday Night’s Main Event XLII in December 2025, the 17-time world champion has not been a part of WWE programming.

He admits to having previously been approached for Unreal, but he refused, stating that he believed in keeping the workings of the industry a secret.

Other than John Cena, other popular names who have spoken against the show include Seth Rollins, Grayson Waller, and Paul Heyman, among others.

WWE: Unreal gives viewers a peek behind the scenes about how weekly shows and premium live events are produced. The show drops kayfabe, showing wrestlers as their true selves as opposed to the characters they play on screen.

John Cena Retracts Dislike For WWE: Unreal

Despite being a retired wrestler, John Cena keeps busy with media appearances and his filming commitments in Hollywood.

The 48-year-old recently appeared on the No-Contest Wrestling podcast, where he admitted to not being a fan of WWE: Unreal initially, but he has admitted that he was wrong, looking at how successful the show has been.

I just did a sit-down with Unreal for Season 3. I led with, “I’m sorry,” cuz those m*****f**kers tried to get me for Season 1 and Season 2, and I’m like, “I’m not spoiling any stories. I’m gonna be curt and short with my answers. You guys are from football. This is a business that’s way more nuanced. You don’t know what you’re doing. You’re taking a swing, and the institutional knowledge that I have says we never do this. So, you’re going against everything I believe in.”

Now they’re on Season 3. I have to admit I’m wrong, they’re right. I have to. Because it works. People wanna see it. [55:41 onwards]