"Backed out for whatever reason" - John Cena says WWE Hall of Famer was originally supposed to star in The Marine

John Cena has revealed that WWE originally wanted Stone Cold Steve Austin to star in the 2006 action film "The Marine".

The Leader of the Cenation made his acting debut in the movie, which was a financial success. It spawned five sequels, which mainly starred former Intercontinental Champion The Miz.

In a recent interview with GQ, John Cena stated that he was given the role after The Rattlesnake pulled out of the project before shooting began.

“This was originally a role that was written for Steve Austin and two weeks before shooting, Steve backed out for whatever reason,” said Cena. “That’s a conversation for him. Vince said ‘hey, I gotta send you to Australia.’ I said ‘okay, what am I doing?’ And he said ‘well, you’re gonna be in a movie.’ ‘Okay, when?’ ‘I gotta send you in 10 days.’ I pretty much left a small meeting in his office and packed my bags and went to be in the movies, which I knew nothing about. (H/T WrestlingInc.)

Austin later starred in "The Condemned", a 2007 action film produced by WWE Films.

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John Cena said he was ready to act in The Marine

When "The Marine" was filming, John Cena was the WWE Champion and was emerging as a top star in the business. By the end of his historic run with the company, he would be one of the biggest names in pro wrestling history.

The 16-time world champion said that he wasn't ready for the movies back then, and he preferred performing in front of a live audience in the ring:

“So I’m a young man in his mid-20s, I love the life I’m leading," said Cena. "I’m riding a lightning bolt of live audience every night. I’m champion at the time. As a former athlete, I get to be physical all the time. I have what I believe is a good work-life balance and then I get thrown into cinematic creativity, which is very patient. It is a very slow process and I just wasn’t ready for it.” (H/T WrestlingInc)

John Cena might not have been ready in 2006, but he's seen great success in Hollywood recently. The future WWE Hall of Famer has gone on to star in blockerbusters such as "Bumblebee", "F9" and "The Suicide Squad". Fans can also check him out in the lead role of DC's HBO Max series, "Peacemaker".