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John Cena knows how powerful wrestling fans can be when they make their voices heard. Now, as Coyote vs. Acme prepares for its long-awaited theatrical release, the WWE legend sees the movie’s comeback as a lot like wrestling underdog stories of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. During his press tour for the upcoming film, Cena spoke about the fan support that helped keep Coyote vs. Acme alive after Warner Bros. Discovery controversially shelved it in 2023. John Cena compares Coyote vs. Acme’s fan-driven comeback to Daniel Bryan and CM Punk in WWE Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Cena compared the movie’s journey to the fan-driven rise of WWE stars Bryan and Punk. “I would say audiences in general, right? That they made it happen. Again, they kept this movie in the conversation for 4 years. What I’m most excited for is like it worked. Your voice worked. This is a great reason to go see it in the theaters. You did this. You made it happen,” Cena said. Coyote vs. Acme had already been completed when Warner Bros. decided to shelve it as part of a corporate strategy. The move would have allowed the studio to take a tax write-off instead of spending more money on marketing and releasing the movie. The decision upset a lot of people but the movie did not disappear. Fans and filmmakers continued talking about Coyote vs. Acme for years. That attention helped the film to stay in the spotlight and eventually opened the door for Ketchup Entertainment to acquire the rights and bring it to theaters on August 28, 2026. For Cena, the whole situation reminded him of wrestling. “And the demand from the audience, this is again all roads lead back to wrestling. You can push a certain talent, but if the audience continues to make noise for a talent that isn’t being pushed, that talent is eventually going to get a chance,” Cena said. Cena specifically mentioned Daniel Bryan and CM Punk as examples of stars whose popularity with fans helped make them impossible to ignore. “I think back to the rise of performers like Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, for example. Like the stories are awesome of that underdog that makes it. This is that story, and the audience won,” Cena said. The comparison works especially well for Coyote vs. Acme, which is also an underdog story. Read More: John Cena Reveals Which WWE Rivalries Were Like Wile E. Coyote & the Roadrunner