Can John Cena Reach The Rock's Level of Stardom Outside of WWE?

After over a decade of dominating WWE, piling up championships and headlining WrestleManias, John Cena finds himself looking to be a megastar in a new realm—Hollywood.

Like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson did before him, Cena is transitioning from the squared circle to the silver screen. And like the man he bested at WrestleMania 29, The Cenation Leader is charismatic and chiseled. He's funny, makes many a woman swoon and has an ample supply of "it" factor.

But will all that add up to major league box-office success? Can Cena match what The Rock has done post-WWE?

The answer is on its way. 

The Face that Runs the Place is clearly shifting toward a career outside of the ring, as he more regularly steps away from sports entertainment for outside projects.

This was inevitable. He's 40 years old. He's wrestled in over 2,000 matches, per CageMatch.net. A new generation of grapplers led by the likes of Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins is on the rise.

And The Rock is living proof of the viability of a move from the mat to the movies.

Cena dipped into that world years ago. His early forays into film saw him nab roles in straight-to-DVD flicks The Marine and 12 Rounds. Neither the movies nor Cena's roles in them were especially noteworthy.

He was clearly a novice, far more wooden on-screen than had been on the WWE stage.

Tim Robey of the Telegraph wrote of the 16-time world champ's performance in 12 Rounds: "Cena seems a pleasant enough fellow and shoulders it adequately, though his Cro-Magnon jawline doesn't yet bespeak any particular acting ability."

But that was 2009.

Cena has had a number of roles since then, piling on experience since his rookie years as an actor. He has nailed his chances in small parts in movies like Daddy's Home, Trainwreck and Sisters. These have allowed him to show off his comic timing and overall presence. 

Trainwreck director Judd Apatow came away mighty impressed when Cena read for that film.

He told Marc Graser of Variety: "I just saw him [Cena] as an actor who was riotously funny. We read a bunch of people, and he was by far the funniest. Then he came and did a table read before we shot the movie, and got more laughs than anyone."

Big Match John has since shown off those comic skills as he hosted the ESPYs and Saturday Night Live.

Chris Pizzello/Associated Press

The opportunities have been piling up of late. Cena has made a number of appearances on Good Morning America, he's hosted the reality show American Grit and been the WWE's version of Peyton Manning when it comes to being a ubiquitous presence on commercials.

He'll soon star in The Pact, Bumblebee and a buddy cop movie with Kumail Nanjiani.

It's clear Cena won't be wanting for Hollywood at-bats. But catching The Rock is a mighty task.

The Great One isn't just a movie star; he's a top-tier, billion-dollar star.

To this point, The Rock has shown himself to be a better actor than Cena. He's thrived in a variety of roles, from family fare like Moana to dramas like Gridiron Gang.

Cena's strength on-screen to this point has been his sense of humor and he's done well in supporting roles. He'll have to prove he can be the centerpiece of a blockbuster to drawing realistic comparisons to The Rock.

The Brahma Bull is far more of a household name than Cena, but that is poised to change the more the Massachusetts native digs his claws into the entertainment world.

Cena already has one victory over The Rock to boast of. When the powerhouse appeared on SNL last year, he outdid The Rock's numbers.

Bill Hanstock of Uproxx pointed out: "The live-plus-same-day rating for the episode was a 4.8, the biggest for the show since Dave Chappelle hosted on November 12." The Rock, meanwhile, pulled in a 3.7 as a host in 2015.

The Rock's star power dwarfs Cena's. While the 16-time world champ was busy battling the WWE's collection of heels, The Rock was busy becoming American's top action hero. 

Reaching that status isn't likely for Cena. The safer bet is that his career more closely mirrors Dave Bautista's, a WWE alum making waves as an actor.

But counting out Cena has never been a good idea. He's as driven an athlete as you will see. And if he works as hard at the Hollywood game as he has during his WWE career, huge things await him.

Still, in the race against The Rock, Cena will be in a position he's not accustomed to being in the ring—the clear underdog.