F9's John Cena Talking Smack About His Clash With Vin Diesel Has Us Pumped

Fans have been waiting for the next entry in the Fast & Furious franchise for a year longer than they expected to do so. However, considering everything that the ninth movie in the franchise is promising, there's little surprise there. While the triumphant return of Han may be the development that fans have the most questions about, there's also a lot of interest in John Cena's debut in the franchise as Dominic Toretto's brother. And based on the way John Cena tells it, there's going to be a lot to get excited about.

CinemaBlend was in attendance at a recent F9 press conference alongside the release of the film's newest trailer, and while there John Cena praised the opportunity he was given to join such a massive franchise, while also touting his own character as the greatest adversary that Dom had ever faced. According to Cena...

I certainly didn’t overlook the responsibility of the opportunity. I get to reap the rewards of this family who has poured the foundation and built the structure of a global delivering blockbuster. I get invited into the ninth installment to share the last name Toretto and to be Dom’s greatest adversary of all time. That is not lost. I think it has to start there. It has to start with respect.

It's difficult to argue that John Cena isn't looking like a pretty tough opponent for Dom and the family. It appears based on the trailer that he'll be teaming up with Charlize Theron's Cipher from the previous film. Based on what happen in The Fate of the Furious and whatever happened during childhood for these two brothers, it appears they both have an ax to grind.

Much like when another former professional wrestler arrived in the Fast and Furious franchise, the battle hear, just on paper, looks amazing. And when Dwayne Johnson appeared in Fast Five, that was really when the franchise found its footing and took off into the stratosphere, so the potential for this movie to be huge is certainly there. And if there happened to be a little professional rivalry making John Cena try to make his antagonist even bigger than The Rock, well, the winners there are the fans who will get to see an awesome movie.

Intensity is something that every character in Fast & Furious tends to have and we certainly see that in John Cena in the trailers for F9. The only question is if Cena's character will be ultimately defeated, or if there might be room for a redemption story that would allow him to come back and join the team. I mean, it's not like he killed Han or anything.

Dirk Libbey
Content Producer/Theme Park Beat

CinemaBlend’s resident theme park junkie and amateur Disney historian, Dirk began writing for CinemaBlend as a freelancer in 2015 before joining the site full-time in 2018. He has previously held positions as a Staff Writer and Games Editor, but has more recently transformed his true passion into his job as the head of the site's Theme Park section. He has previously done freelance work for various gaming and technology sites. Prior to starting his second career as a writer he worked for 12 years in sales for various companies within the consumer electronics industry. He has a degree in political science from the University of California, Davis.  Is an armchair Imagineer, Epcot Stan, Future Club 33 Member.