The promotional tour for the upcoming film ‘Heads of State’ has sparked a playful rivalry between co-stars John Cena and Idris Elba, with the British actor confidently claiming he would defeat the WWE veteran in a real-world confrontation.
While speaking with ExtraTV, Elba responded to Cena’s invitation to a wrestling ring by referencing the 17-time World Champion’s ongoing retirement tour.
“I mean, come on, John (Cena), you know. You’ve already told the world. It’s over for you, retirement. You are a wrestler that became an actor. I am an actor that’s about to dominate wresting. Alright?”
The playful jabs continued during an appearance on the Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert, where Elba doubled down on his fighting prowess.
“A real fight, I would kick his a*,”* Elba stated.
Appearing on the same program, John Cena offered a more diplomatic counter to the verbal attacks. Rather than escalating the challenge, Cena suggested a different outcome for any potential conflict between the two actors.
“Man, he hurts my feelings a lot. I would call it a draw judging by audience participation. We would fight to a draw. There is no winner here,” Cena explained. “I’m not going to sit here in this very comfortable chair in a tie like this and say I would kick Idris Elba’s ass. I’m not going to do that. We would fight to a draw and would take it to a battle of wits.”
The back-and-forth is part of the promotional activities for their Amazon Prime film, highlighting a friendly dynamic between the two stars as Elba shows interest in the world of professional wrestling.