The Popular U.S. Wrestler That Apologized To China

Much of global politics over the last 30 to 50 years has been centered on the rise of China, from its opening up to the West in the 1970s, to its economic dominance throughout much of the 1990s and 2000s. Much of this has come at the detriment of the island of Taiwan. Following the Chinese Civil War, many of the remaining Republic of China officials moved to the island, bringing with them the remnants of the capitalist government. The United Nations has recognized the ROC since 1971, and the ROC began to acknowledge the Chinese Communist Party's sovereignty over the mainland. The CCP has maintained that the ROC is not an independent country, and has maintained that the self-governing island is a part of Chinese territory, often threatening to invade the island on numerous occasions. The situation grew more tense after 1999, when the United Kingdom officially ceded Hong Kong to China.

With numerous companies doing business in China, including American entities like the NBA, American pork producers, and major film studios, recognizing Taiwan's independence can be tricky, as doing business in China often requires adhering to the Chinese government's positions on topics like Taiwan's independence, or at the very least not making dissenting opinions known. The situation has often led to executives, political officials, and even Hollywood stars having to tiptoe around the topic of Taiwan. One of those Hollywood stars who has had to deal directly with the Chinese government's strict policy on Taiwan is reigning Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena.

John Cena has always been a gung-ho goodwill ambassador for WWE at large. During a period when WWE was trying to expand globally, Cena made a very public spectacle of learning Mandarin. While WWE never gained the foothold in China that the company had hoped, the various videos of Cena speaking Mandarin and praising Chinese products like Laoganma Chili Crisp made the "Doctor of Thuganomics" synonymous with a certain corporate-tinged fondness for Mainland China. 

Then, in 2021, John Cena was promoting "Fast and Furious 9," which screened early in Taiwan. Cena mentioned in an interview with Taiwanese TV that Taiwan was "the first country to see Fast and Furious 9."

While it might look innocuous, simply referring to Taiwan as a "country" put Cena in hot water with the Chinese government. China has become a major part of the release for Hollywood blockbusters, with Fast and Furious 9 as no exception. Most modern tentpole films cannot afford to lose an audience of billions like China, currently the second largest market for films in the world, and Cena immediately went into damage control mode. Cena took to the Chinese social media app, Weibo, to apologize to the country for his perceived gaffe.

"I love and respect China and Chinese people. I'm very, very sorry for my mistake," Cena said in the video. The comments ranged from vitriolic to understanding, painting a portrait of the broad spectrum of opinions among the Chinese people. Fast and Furious 9 released in China and ended up making a gross revenue of $216,935,282, the biggest audience for the film, even beating out the film's $173,005,945 gross revenue in the United States.