John Cena
John Cena | |
|---|---|
Cena dressed with his Peacemaker costume at the 2025 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | John Felix Anthony Cena April 23, 1977 West Newbury, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Springfield College (BS) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1999–present (wrestler) 2004–2005, 2014 (rapper) 2006–present (actor) |
| Works | Full list |
| Spouses | Elizabeth Huberdeau
(m. 2009; div. 2012)Shay Shariatzadeh
(m. 2020) |
| Relatives |
|
| Ring name(s) | John Cena[1] The Prototype[2] Juan Cena[2] Mr. P[3] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[4] |
| Billed weight | 251 lb (114 kg)[4] |
| Billed from | "Classified"[5] West Newbury, Massachusetts[4] Los Angeles, California |
| Trained by | Ultimate Pro Wrestling[6] Christopher Daniels[2] Mike Bell[2] Tom Howard[2] Fit Finlay[7] |
| Debut | November 5, 1999[2] |
| Signature | |
John Felix Anthony Cena (/ˈsiːnə/ SEE-nə; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. Signed to WWE since 2001, he is a record 17-time world champion, holding the most recognized world title reigns in the promotion's history,[8] and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.[9][10][11][12] Cena has also starred in numerous films and TV shows, including The Marine (2006), Bumblebee (2018), and F9 (2021), as well as currently starring in the TV series Peacemaker (2022–present) as the eponymous lead.
Originally pursuing a bodybuilding career, Cena began wrestling in 1999 and signed with WWE in 2001 to its developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). After debuting on the main roster on SmackDown! in 2002, he rose to prominence as a brash, villainous rapper[13] before becoming the company's top heroic figure from the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s.[14][15] From 2018, he began working a reduced schedule. His run as a face from 2003 to 2025 was the longest continuous portrayal of a heroic character in WWE history.[16] Cena has headlined multiple major WWE pay-per-views, including its flagship event, WrestleMania, six times (22, 23, 27, 28, 29, and 41 – Night 2). He has held numerous championships and accomplishments, including 14 WWE Championships and 3 World Heavyweight Championships. He is also a two-time Royal Rumble and one-time Money in the Bank winner. His full-time career received mixed critical and audience reception, with praise for his character work and promotional skills but criticism for his perceived over-representation and on-screen dominance relative to other wrestlers. In contrast, his later career has been more positively received.[14]
Outside of his wrestling career, Cena has acted in both comedies and action films, receiving praise for his roles in Trainwreck, Blockers, and The Suicide Squad. In 2005 he released a rap album, You Can't See Me, which peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200. Known for his charity work, Cena has granted more than 650 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the most in the organization's history.[17]
- ^ John Cena: My Life. WWE (DVD). 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f Kreikenbohm, Philip. "John Cena profile". Cagematch.net. Archived from the original on April 14, 2025. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
KreikenbohmOVWwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b c "John Cena WWE". WWE. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ "UPW: John "Prototype" Cena". Ultimate Pro Wrestling. Archived from the original on April 17, 2008. Retrieved March 13, 2008.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
slamwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Finlay". WWE. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
By 2005, Finlay had tired of teaching the likes of John Cena and Randy Orton to fight and decided that he had lots of fight left himself.
- ^ "WrestleMania 41 Night 2 results: Cena makes history, beats Rhodes for WWE Undisputed title". ESPN.com. April 20, 2025. Archived from the original on April 21, 2025. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
- ^ III, Sid Pullar (January 8, 2025). "20 Greatest WWE Wrestlers Of All Time". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
- ^ Fowler, Matt (April 5, 2024). "The Top 25 Wrestlers of All Time". IGN. Archived from the original on June 29, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
- ^ Lovine, Jamie (August 1, 2024). "The Top 50 Greatest WWE Wrestlers Of All Time". Complex. Archived from the original on December 18, 2024. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
- ^ Erik, Beaston (April 4, 2024). "B/R Wrestling's Top 50 Greatest WWE Superstars of All Time Rankings". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on January 24, 2025. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
- ^ Truitt, Brian (March 10, 2015). "'Flintstones' adds to John Cena's kid appeal". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ a b Fowler, Matt (November 2, 2012). "Top 50 Wrestlers of All Time". IGN. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ "Editors' choice: Who will be the next John Cena?". WWE. July 31, 2015. Archived from the original on October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
guinnessheelwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Punt, Dominic (September 20, 2022). "John Cena breaks Make-A-Wish record after granting hundreds of wishes". Guinness World Records. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved October 24, 2022.