A well-known name in the world of wrestling, John Cena is a twenty-five-time title-holding wrestler, who has been named the world champion sixteen times of the twenty-five. Cena started his wrestling career in 1999 and went on to make a cameo, although uncredited, in the 2000 comedy Ready to Rumble. However, the wrestler made his acting debut in 2006 with the action movie The Marine, which, although was WWE Studios most successful movie, was panned by the critics. Apart from being a wrestler and actor, Cena is also a rapper and also released an album titled You Cant See Me in 2005. The wrestler and actor is also actively associated with Make-A-Wish Foundation and has fulfilled as many as 500 wishes of children suffering from life-threatening diseases, which is the highest in the Make-A-Wish history.
EARLY LIFE
Born John Felix Anthony Cena Jr. on 23rd April, 1977, Cenas father, John Cena Sr., is of Italian descent, while his mother Carol has English and French Canadian ancestry. Second oldest of the five brothers, Cena attended the Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts, however, he was soon transferred to Cushing Academy, a private prep boarding school. After graduating from school, Cena went on to study at the Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he graduated from with a degree in exercise physiology. While still in college, Cena was a part of its football team, playing NCAA Division III All-American centre.
Upon graduating, Cena pursued a career in bodybuilding and made his debut as a professional wrestler in 1999 with Ultimate Pro Wrestling, winning the UPW Heavyweight Championship in 2000, holding the title for 27 days. The same year, he made his debut with the WWE network, following which he twenty-five titles, which include sixteen world championship titles.
PERSONAL LIFE
Cena married his school-time sweetheart Elizabeth Huberdeau in 2009. Despite being together for so many years before being married, the two divorced in 2012, with Huberdeau accusing Cena of cheating on her throughout their relationship. Soon after his divorce, Cena started dating fellow WWE wrestler Nikki Bella in 2012, and has since been with her. The two got engaged in 2017, when Cena proposed to her in the wrestling ring.
MOVIE CAREER
An already established wrestler, Cena then took to acting in 2006 with the action thriller The Marine, which, although was battered by the critics, went on to do reasonably well at the box office. The movie, starring Robert Patrick and Kelly Carlson, saw Cena portray the role of John Triton, a United States Marine Corps officer. Following the lukewarm response to his debut, Cena was cast as the lead in the 2009 action movie 12 Rounds, playing the role of Detective Danny Fisher. The movie ranked seventh at the box office on its opening weekend, but received mainly negative reviews. Cast alongside Ethan Embry, Michael Rispoli, Boyd Holbrook, and Amy Smart, Cena appeared in the 2011 action movie The Reunion, playing the role of a hardened cop on suspension.
Breaking his streak of only being seen in action movies, Cena was cast in the 2015 romantic comedy Trainwreck, appearing alongside an ensemble cast, consisting of Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, Tilda Swinton and LeBron James. The movie about the life of a hard-drinking, promiscuous, magazine writer, and her series of affairs, sees Cena playing the role of one of her boyfriends, a gym addict. Cena was seen in the comedy Sisters, starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in the lead, and the Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg-starrer Daddys Home, both of which released in 2015. Next, Doug Liman cast him alongside Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the 2017 war film The Wall, which explores the story of two American soldiers trapped by an Iranian sniper.
TELEVISION CAREER
Although Cena is a recognized face on television, owing to his association with WWE, he has appeared in other television shows as well. He participated in the reality television show titled Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race, where he stood third. He appeared in few episodes of Psych and the Edge & Christian Show, while he has had recurring roles in shows like Fred: The Show, Total Divas, and Total Bellas.