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{{short description|American actor and professional wrestler (born 1977)}}
{{sprotected}}
{{For|the song|John Cena (song)}}
{{Infobox Wrestler
{{pp-blp|small=yes}}
|name=John Cena
{{pp-move}}
|image=<!--Please don't replace this image with a fair use one. This image is free and free images are favored on Misplaced Pages. See "Misplaced Pages:Image use policy" for more information -->cenawwe2.jpg
{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}
|names=The Prototype<br />Mr.<!--Do not remove this, see OWW.--> P<br />'''John Cena'''
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
|height= 6 ft 1 in (186 cm)<!-- Please don't change the height or weight. These are the measures as officially stated and they should not be changed. -->
{{Infobox person
|weight= 240 lb (108 kg)
| name = John Cena
|birth_date =] ]
| image = John Cena 2024.jpg
|birth_place =]
| caption = Cena in 2024
|resides=]
| birth_name = John Felix Anthony Cena
|billed=]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1977|04|23}}
|trainer= ]<br />]
| birth_place = ], U.S.
|debut=]
| alma_mater = ]
|retired=
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Actor
* professional wrestler
* rapper
}}
| years_active = 1999–present (wrestler){{efn|Cena has announced that he will retire from wrestling in 2025.<ref name="marca.com">{{Cite web |date=2024-07-07 |title=John Cena's farewell to WWE leaves fans with many questions: Why now? |url=https://www.marca.com/en/wwe/2024/07/07/668aef0646163fb51a8b45a0.html |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=MARCA |language=en}}</ref><ref name="geo.tv">{{Cite web |title=John Cena bids farewell to WWE after legendary career |url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/553075-john-cena-bids-farewell-to-wwe-after-legendary-career |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=www.geo.tv |language=en}}</ref>}}<br>2002–2005, 2014 (rapper){{efn|Cena appeared on two songs with rapper ] in 2014}}<br>2006–present (actor)
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Elizabeth Huberdeau<br/>|July 11, 2009|July 18, 2012|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Shay Shariatzadeh<br/>|October 12, 2020}}
}}
| relatives = {{ubl|] (great-grandfather)|] (grandfather)|] (cousin)|] (cousin)}}
| signature = John Cena signature.svg
| module = {{Infobox professional wrestler|child=yes
| names = '''John Cena'''<ref name="MyLifeDVD"/><br/>The Prototype<ref name="CenaHist"/><br/>Juan Cena<br/>Mr. P<ref>br/{{cite web|url=http://wrestlingdata.com/index.php?befehl=bios&wrestler=336|title=John Cena on Wrestlingdata.com|work=Wrestlingdata|access-date=April 1, 2018|archive-date=March 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331181324/https://www.wrestlingdata.com/index.php?befehl=bios&wrestler=336|url-status=live}}</ref>
| height = 6 ft 0 in<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwkUDTc3iYo | title=John Cena Explains Why Brock Lesnar Made It to the NFL & Not Him &#124; CLUB SHAY SHAY | website=] | date=August 25, 2024 }}</ref>
| weight = 251 lb<ref name="ESPN">{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/17106486/wwe-profile-page-john-cena |title=WWE Profile - John Cena |work=] |date=August 1, 2021 |access-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612084357/https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/17106486/wwe-profile-page-john-cena |url-status=live }}</ref>
|billed = "]"<ref name="UPW">{{cite web |url=http://www.upw.com/superstars/prototype.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417201115/http://www.upw.com/superstars/prototype.htm |archive-date=April 17, 2008|title=UPW: John "Prototype" Cena|access-date=March 13, 2008|work=Ultimate Pro Wrestling}}</ref><br/>'''West Newbury, Massachusetts'''<ref name="ESPN"/><br/>]
|trainer = ]<ref name="Cagematch">{{cite web|url=https://www.cagematch.net//?id=2&nr=691|title=John Cena|work=Cagematch|access-date=June 25, 2020|archive-date=July 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711094738/https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=691|url-status=live}}</ref><br/>]<ref name="Cagematch"/><br/>]<ref name="Cagematch"/><br/>]<ref name="Finlay">{{cite web|url=https://www.essentiallysports.com/wwe-ufc-mma-news-wwe-legend-who-trained-john-cena-and-randy-orton-owns-conor-mcgregor-in-one-line/|title=WWE Legend Who Trained John Cena and Randy Orton Owns Conor McGregor in One Line|work=Essentially Sports|date=May 4, 2022|access-date=December 25, 2023|archive-date=December 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231225053300/https://www.essentiallysports.com/wwe-ufc-mma-news-wwe-legend-who-trained-john-cena-and-randy-orton-owns-conor-mcgregor-in-one-line/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|debut = November 5, 1999<ref>https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=691&page=4&s=2200</ref>
|retired =
}}
| module2 = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=John Cena voice.ogg|title=John Cena's voice|type=speech|description=John Cena on ]}}
}} }}
'''John Felix Anthony Cena, Jr.''' (born ] ]), is an ] ], ] ] and ] who wrestles on the '']'' ] of ] (WWE), where he is the reigning ].


'''John Felix Anthony Cena''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|iː|n|ə}} {{respell|SEE|nə}}; born April 23, 1977)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-cena-mn0000175329 | title=John Cena | publisher=] | access-date=May 3, 2024 | archive-date=May 23, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523002620/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/john-cena-mn0000175329 | url-status=live }}</ref> is an American actor and ]. As a wrestler, he has been signed to ] {{As of|since=y|lc=y|2001}}, but has performed part-time since 2018.<ref name="marca.com">{{Cite web |date=2024-07-07 |title=John Cena's farewell to WWE leaves fans with many questions: Why now? |url=https://www.marca.com/en/wwe/2024/07/07/668aef0646163fb51a8b45a0.html |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=MARCA |language=en}}</ref><ref name="geo.tv">{{Cite web |title=John Cena bids farewell to WWE after legendary career |url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/553075-john-cena-bids-farewell-to-wwe-after-legendary-career |access-date=2024-07-10 |website=www.geo.tv |language=en}}</ref> A record 16-time world champion as recognized by WWE alongside ],{{efn|Cena is tied with ] for the most recognized world championship reigns by WWE, with Flair having won an additional 14 world championships of disputed status unrecognized by WWE}} he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.<ref name=":13" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/723945-ranking-the-25-greatest-wrestlers-of-all-time|title=Ranking the 25 Greatest Wrestlers of All Time|first=Will J.|last=Baker|publisher=Bleacher Report|access-date=February 13, 2023|archive-date=January 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108201708/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/723945-ranking-the-25-greatest-wrestlers-of-all-time|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/883620-the-100-greatest-wrestlers-of-all-time|title=The 100 Greatest Wrestlers of All Time|first=David|last=Levin|publisher=Bleacher Report|access-date=February 13, 2023|archive-date=June 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607194629/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/883620-the-100-greatest-wrestlers-of-all-time|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Career ==
===Early career===
Cena first started training to become a wrestler in 2000 at the ]-based ] (UPW) where he created the character '''The Prototype'''. After UPW, he was signed to a ] developmental contract and assigned to "farm territory" ] (OVW).


Cena moved to ] in 1998 to pursue a bodybuilding career and switched to professional wrestling in 1999, making his debut for ] (UPW). In 2001, he signed with ] (then WWF) and was assigned to its ] ] (OVW), where he won the ] and ].<ref name="OVWTitle" /><ref name="OVWTT" /> After moving up to WWE's main roster on ] in 2002, he became a breakout success after adopting the ] of a villainous trash-talking rapper.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |last=Truitt |first=Brian |date=March 10, 2015 |title='Flintstones' adds to John Cena's kid appeal |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2015/03/10/wwe-flintstones-john-cena-exclusive/24701947/ |access-date=October 25, 2022 |newspaper=] |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025212224/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2015/03/10/wwe-flintstones-john-cena-exclusive/24701947/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=Jason |date=February 22, 2011 |title=WWE News: The story of John Cena's rap character creation recalled by a former WWE creative team member |url=https://prowrestling.net/artman/publish/WWE/article10016922.shtml |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=Pro Wrestling Dot Net |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226193859/https://prowrestling.net/artman/publish/WWE/article10016922.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> After winning his first ] in 2005, he underwent a ] into a clean-cut heroic character, which he described as a "] ]".<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Golianopoulos |first=Thomas |date=April 1, 2016 |title=A Candid Q&A With John Cena: WWE's Polarizing Company Man |url=https://www.complex.com/sports/2016/04/john-cena-interview |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=] |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025212217/https://www.complex.com/sports/2016/04/john-cena-interview |url-status=live }}</ref> He led the company as its ]<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |last=Fowler |first=Matt |date=November 2, 2012 |title=Top 50 Wrestlers of All Time |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/11/02/top-50-wrestlers-of-all-time?page=4 |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=] |archive-date=December 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202172840/https://www.ign.com/articles/2012/11/02/top-50-wrestlers-of-all-time?page=4 |url-status=live }}</ref> and public face from the mid-2000s to the late 2010s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 31, 2015 |title=Editors' choice: Who will be the next John Cena? |url=https://www.wwe.com/inside/editors-choice-who-will-be-the-next-john-cena |access-date=October 25, 2022 |publisher=WWE |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025212221/https://www.wwe.com/inside/editors-choice-who-will-be-the-next-john-cena |url-status=live }}</ref>
During his time in OVW, he also appeared on the ] ] ''Manhunt'' under the pseudonym "Big Tim Kingman", the "lead hunter" in a team "hunting" contestant with paint ball guns. The show was produced in association with WWE. It was later revealed that many of the scenes in the show were re-shot or staged to enhance the drama, contests were rigged to eliminate contestants, and other contestants read from scripts. As a result of the controversy, WWE has never referenced the show or Cena's part in it. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realitytvhallofshame.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=4&article=article1062.art&page=1|title=Article on ''Manhunt''|accessdate=June 13|accessyear=2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=2&page=page1013.php|title=''Manhunt'' overview|accessdate=June 13|accessyear=2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article1339.art&page=1|title=Article on ''Manhunt'' scandal|accessdate=June 13|accessyear=2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article1970.art&page=1|title=''Whatever Happened to Manhunt's "Big Tim"?''|accessdate=June 13|accessyear=2006}}</ref>


Cena has held the WWE Championship a record 13 times and the ] three times. He is also a five-time ], a two-time ], a two-time ], a two-time ] winner, and a one-time ] winner. He has headlined multiple major WWE pay-per-views, including its flagship event ] five times (], ], ], ] and ]). His career has been met with 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.<ref name=":10" />
===World Wrestling Entertainment===
====2002-2003====
Cena's first televised WWE match was in answer to an open challenge by ] on ], ]. Inspired by ]'s speech to WWE's rising stars, exhorting them to show "ruthless aggression" to earn a place among the legends, Cena took advantage of the opportunity and almost beat Kurt Angle kicking out of the ] and enduring the ] submission hold, but ultimately lost to a hard, amateur-style ].


Cena's first starring film role was in '']'' (2006) and he subsequently gained praise for his performances in '']'' (2015), '']'' (2017), '']'' (2018), and '']'' (2018).<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Rachel |date=March 4, 2011 |title=WWE: Why John Cena Is the Face of the WWE and Why He Shouldn't Turn Heel |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/626918-wwe-why-john-cena-is-the-face-of-the-wwe-and-why-he-shouldnt-turn-heel |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110309051608/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/626918-wwe-why-john-cena-is-the-face-of-the-wwe-and-why-he-shouldnt-turn-heel |archive-date=March 9, 2011 |access-date=October 25, 2022 |publisher=]}}</ref> He starred as Jakob Toretto in '']'' (2021) and '']'' (2023) and portrayed ] in '']'' (2021) and the ] (2022–present). He released in 2005 his only studio album, '']'', which peaked at number 15 on the ] charts. Outside of his work in entertainment, he is known for his involvement in charitable causes, most notably granting the most wishes for the ] at over 650.<ref name="Inside Nova">{{cite web |last=Adams |first=Matt |date=September 27, 2022 |title=John Cena breaks Make A Wish Foundation record with 650 wishes granted |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/09/27/1125167941/john-cena-make-a-wish-guiness-world-record |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=] |archive-date=January 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123190316/https://www.npr.org/2022/09/27/1125167941/john-cena-make-a-wish-guiness-world-record |url-status=live }}</ref>
Cena then played the role of a typical underdog ] in each match. After losing alongside ] in a tournament match for the ]s, Cena ] ], blaming Kidman for the loss. Shortly after his heel turn, on a Halloween episode of '']'', he performed a ] for ] while wearing a ] costume prompting a ] change to a white ]. At first, this gimmick got Cena heel ] from the fans, but his frequent comical "freestyles" about other wrestlers helped to gain him a following. During this time Cena adopted the classic WWF logo (without the "F") along with the slogan "Word Life" as his "signature symbol" and was joined by an ], ] (also written as B², pronounced "B-Squared"), who accompanied him to ringside.


== Early life ==
Cena eventually ] with ] over the ]. During the feud he unveiled a new signature ], the ], as a counterpart to Lesnar's similar ] (the name being derived from a combination of "F-5" and the shorthand for "'''F'''uck Yo'''u'''"). The two eventually joined forces when Lesnar also turned heel and together feuded with ] and ] before Cena turned face by betraying Lesnar and feuding with him again, establishing his signature "you can't see me" ] and hand gesture in the process.
John Felix Anthony Cena was born in ], on April 23, 1977,<ref name="slam">{{cite web |date=February 6, 2005 |title=John Cena bio |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/cena.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629080017/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/Bios/cena.html |archive-date=June 29, 2012 |access-date=May 5, 2007 |work=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> to Carol (née Lupien) and former ] ring announcer John Joseph Cena.<ref name="slam" /><ref name=yru>{{cite news|last=Albright|first=Bob|title=Heavyweight homecoming: WWE champion John Cena reflects on road to stardom|work=]|date=June 11, 2007|url=http://www.newburyportnews.com/sports/x845810493/Heavyweight-homecoming-WWE-champion-John-Cena-reflects-on-road-to-stardom|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719181842/http://www.newburyportnews.com/sports/x845810493/Heavyweight-homecoming-WWE-champion-John-Cena-reflects-on-road-to-stardom|archive-date=July 19, 2011|access-date=September 9, 2010}}</ref> His mother is of English and French-Canadian descent, while his father has Italian ancestry.<ref name=":11" /> He has one older brother named Dan and three younger brothers named Matt, Steve, and Sean.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Arce |first=Edgar |date=April 26, 2005 |title=John Cena: The Champ is Here |url=http://sports.ign.com/articles/607/607819p2.html |access-date=May 5, 2007 |work=IGN |archive-date=February 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204143838/http://sports.ign.com/articles/607/607819p2.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He was raised ]. His maternal grandfather was baseball player ],<ref>{{sabrbio|40a1236a|Charlie Bevis|July 15, 2013}}</ref> while his maternal great-grandfather was businessman ].<ref name=":11">{{cite web |last= |first= |date=April 23, 2017 |title=21 amazing facts about WWE superstar John Cena |url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/sportsphotos/21-amazing-facts-about-wwe-superstar-john-cena/ss-BBAaLVO |access-date=October 26, 2022 |publisher=] |archive-date=October 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027030610/https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/sportsphotos/21-amazing-facts-about-wwe-superstar-john-cena/ss-BBAaLVO |url-status=live }}</ref> He is also a cousin of computer scientist ]. A childhood fan of wrestling, he would create championship belts out of cardboard for himself and his brothers.<ref name="yru" /> He was teased and beaten up while in school, prompting him to ask his parents for a weightlifting bench at the age of 12.<ref name=":11" />


Cena was educated at ] in ], before transferring to the private ] boarding school ] in ]. He then attended ] in ],<ref name="Cushing">{{cite web |url=http://www.spfldcol.edu/homepage/athletics.nsf/2404afe7dd4d7ef545256bf4002a67e2/57db02504b5554ff45256c150026822c|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203090754/http://www.spfldcol.edu/homepage/athletics.nsf/2404afe7dd4d7ef545256bf4002a67e2/57db02504b5554ff45256c150026822c/|archive-date=February 3, 2014|title=1998 Football Roster|access-date=May 5, 2007|work=Springfield College}}</ref> where he was an ] ]n ] and football team captain.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=https://shopping.yahoo.com/p:John%20Cena:1927836016:page=biography|title=John Cena: biography|access-date=May 11, 2007|work=Yahoo!|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070510001053/http://shopping.yahoo.com/p%3AJohn%20Cena%3A1927836016%3Apage%3Dbiography|archive-date=May 10, 2007}}</ref><ref name="realitynews" /> He graduated in 1999 with a degree in ] and body movement,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribute.ca/people/John+Cena/17152|title=John Cena star bio|access-date=May 5, 2007|work=Tribute.ca|archive-date=July 12, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100712100908/http://www.tribute.ca/people/John+Cena/17152|url-status=live}}</ref> after which he pursued a bodybuilding career<ref name="realitynews" /> and worked as a limousine driver.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/archive/062606newmagazine|title=Inside WWE's New Magazine|access-date=May 5, 2007|work=WWE|archive-date=November 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105132056/http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/archive/062606newmagazine|url-status=live}}</ref> He also worked in the store area of ].<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Rovell |first=Darren |date=January 25, 2017 |title=John Cena a champion in the ring and in the sports business world |url=https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/18553712/john-cena-champion-ring-sports-business-world |access-date=October 26, 2022 |publisher=] |archive-date=October 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027030610/https://www.espn.com/wwe/story/_/id/18553712/john-cena-champion-ring-sports-business-world |url-status=live }}</ref>
====2004====
During ] Cena's popularity began to increase. At the start of the year, he participated in the annual January ], lasting up to the final 6 before being eliminated by ]. After the elimination Cena and Big Show began a feud, leading to Cena winning the ] from Big Show in a match at March's '']''. Cena claimed the title, his first in WWE, by distracting the ref and using his signature ] on Big Show before hitting him with the F-U. In July he was stripped of the title by ''SmackDown!'' ] ], whom he had a contentious relationship with, after "attacking" him.


== Professional wrestling career ==
He won the title back at October's ] after winning the final match of a Best-of-5 series with ]. This second reign was short-lived, however, as he lost the title to the debuting ] in the very next weeks ''SmackDown!''.
=== Ultimate Pro Wrestling (1999–2001) ===
] at an ] show in 2000]]
{{Professional wrestling sidebar}}
Cena idolized ] growing up,<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":0" /> moving to California in 1998<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Melok |first=Bobby |date=February 8, 2013 |title=The kids from OVW that changed WWE |url=https://www.wwe.com/classics/kids-from-ovw |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WWE |archive-date=September 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901115617/https://www.wwe.com/classics/kids-from-ovw |url-status=live }}</ref> to begin training for a professional wrestling career the following year at ]'s (UPW) Ultimate University, operated by ].<ref name="slam" /> He started wrestling in local flea markets,<ref name="yru" /><ref name=":12" /> and once he was placed into an in-ring role, Cena began using a semi-] character known as '''The Prototype'''.<ref name="CenaHist">{{cite web |url=http://www.upw.com/features/cenahistory.htm|title=John Cena's WWE History|access-date=July 4, 2007|work=UPW |archive-date=July 30, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070730205606/http://www.upw.com/features/cenahistory.htm}}</ref><ref name=Alumni>{{cite web |url=http://www.upw.com/uu/alumni.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070401054209/http://www.upw.com/uu/alumni.htm|archive-date=April 1, 2007 |title=Ultimate University/UPW alumni|access-date=March 29, 2007|work=UPW}}</ref> Some of this period of his career was documented in the ] program ''Inside Pro Wrestling School''.<ref name=":4" /> He held the UPW Heavyweight Championship for 27 days in April 2000,<ref name="UPWTitle" /> and wrestled for the UPW until March 2001.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kreikenbohm |first=Philip |title=John Cena's Ultimate Pro Wrestling matches |url=https://www.cagematch.net//?id=2&nr=691&page=4&promotion=237 |access-date=January 16, 2016 |work=Cagematch |archive-date=June 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626101139/https://www.cagematch.net//?id=2&nr=691&page=4&promotion=237 |url-status=live }}</ref>


=== World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE ===
This started a feud with Carlito. The storyline said Cena was attacked in a ] ] by Carlito's ], ], who stabbed him in the kidney, keeping him out of action for a month. In ], this event was set up to allow Cena time off to film '']''. Upon his return, Cena exacted revenge on Carlito in a ''SmackDown!'' match, winning back the U.S. title. During this reign he debuted a "custom made" ] style title belt.{{-}}
==== Ohio Valley Wrestling (2000–2002) ====
On October 10, 2000, Cena made his unofficial debut for ] (then WWF) on a '']'' taping in a ] against Mikey Henderson, which he lost while performing as The Prototype.<ref>{{cite web |title=2000 |url=http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/00.htm |access-date=August 3, 2014 |publisher=The History of WWE |archive-date=September 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911151900/http://www.thehistoryofwwe.com/00.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> He received another tryout at a ''SmackDown!'' taping on January 9, 2001, defeating Aaron Aguilera before wrestling again in a dark match at a ''SmackDown!'' taping on March 13.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=John Cena's Profile |url=https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/john-cena/ |access-date=October 25, 2022 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025212218/https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/profile/john-cena/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


In 2001, Cena signed a developmental contract with the WWF and was assigned to its ] ] (OVW).<ref name="slam" /><ref name=":5" /> During his time there, he continued to wrestle as The Prototype and held the ] for three months and the ] (with ])<ref name="realitynews" /><ref name=":1" /> for two months.<ref name="OVWTitle">{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ky/ovw/ovw-h.html|title=OVW Heavyweight Title|access-date=April 12, 2007|work=Wrestling-Titles|archive-date=January 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118221815/http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ky/ovw/ovw-h.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="OVWTT"/> Throughout the early months of 2002, Cena found himself competing on house shows for the WWF, where he wrestled against the likes of ] and ]. After his main roster call-up in June 2002, he continued to appear on OVW programming until September 25, when he lost to Kenny Brolin in a ]. He would later appear in a one-off appearance for the developmental farm in November under the ring name '''Mr. P''' in a ], where he teamed with ]r ] and ] in a winning effort against ], ], and ].<ref name=":5" />
====2005====
At the 2005 '']'', Cena and ] went over the top rope at the same time to end the match, prompting Vince McMahon to demand the match be restarted and go into "]".


Cena's call-up to the main roster meant that he was part of OVW's Class of 2002 alongside ], ], and ], which eventually became known as the "OVW 4".<ref name=":1" />
With Batista winning, and choosing to vie for the ('']'' exclusive) ] at '']'', ''SmackDown!'' held a tournament to determine #1 contendership for the their top title, the ]. In the tournament finals Cena pinned ] to win the ''WrestleMania'' title shot.


==== The Doctor of Thuganomics (2002–2005) ====
In the following weeks, Cena ] with champion ] (JBL) and his ], including losing his United States Championship to Cabinet member ], who (with JBL) proceeded to "blow up" the custom spinner belt. It was during this feud that Cena first began referring to his fans as "Chain Gang Soldiers" (often shorted to just "Chain Gang").
]) on ] in January 2005]]
Under his real name, Cena made his WWE television debut on the June 27 episode of ''SmackDown!'' by answering an open challenge by ].<ref name="realitynews" /> After declaring he possessed "ruthless aggression", he lost by a ] combination, but put on a good showing.<ref name="ship67">Hamilton, Ian. ''Wrestling's Sinking Ship'' (p. 67).</ref> After the match, he was congratulated by ], ], ], and ], becoming a ].<ref name="slam" /> He began ] with ], whom Cena defeated on July 21 at ].<ref name="slam" /><ref name="ship67" />


In October, Cena and Billy Kidman failed to win a ] tournament to crown the first ] of the ''SmackDown!'' ] in the first round.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SmackDown! results – October 10, 2002 |url=https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/021010.html |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072247/https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/021010.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The next week on ''SmackDown!'', Cena ] and attacked Kidman, blaming him for their loss and turning ] for the first and only time in his WWE career.<ref name="ship67" /> On the October 17 episode of ''SmackDown!'', Cena defeated Kidman,<ref>{{Cite web |title=SmackDown! results – October 17, 2002 |url=https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/021017.html |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072250/https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/021017.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but lost in a rematch the next week.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SmackDown! results – October 24, 2002 |url=https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/021024.html |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072247/https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/021024.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At ] on October 26, Cena and ] lost to Kidman and ] in a ].<ref>{{cite web |date= |title=Rebellion 2002 |url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rebel.html#2002 |access-date=May 24, 2015 |work=Pro Wrestling History |archive-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831000747/http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rebel.html#2002 |url-status=live }}</ref> Shortly after, on a ]-themed episode of ''SmackDown!'', Cena dressed as ], performing a ].<ref name="ship67" /> The following week on ''SmackDown!'', Cena received a new character: a ] who ] while rhyming.<ref name="ship67" /><ref name="slam" /> He used the nickname "The Doctor of Thuganomics" and expanded his ] to include rapping before his matches, wearing hats and sports jerseys as part of his ring gear.<ref name="slam" /> While on a bus journey with other WWE superstars, Cena was involved in a freestyle rap session with Rikishi and ], impressing ], leading to the gimmick's adoption.<ref name=":2" /> As the character evolved, Cena began adopting a variant of the 1980s WWF logo—dropping the "F"—as his "signature symbol", along with the slogan "] Life".<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Cena's variant of the 80s WWF logo |url=http://www.wweozshop.com/show_products.php?p_id=65 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829005958/http://www.wweozshop.com/show_products.php?p_id=65 |archive-date=August 29, 2007 |access-date=November 6, 2022 |publisher=WWEOzShop.com}}</ref> Moreover, he was joined by an ], ], who was rechristened to B-2 (also written B² and pronounced "B-Squared").<ref name="slam" /> Buchanan was replaced with ] until he was sent to the Raw brand in February.<ref name="slam" /><ref name="ship67" />
On ], at ''WrestleMania 21'', Cena defeated JBL to win the WWE Championship. As part of the ], he then had a custom WWE Championship belt made similar to his custom U.S. title belt, featuring a spinner-type WWE logo plate. Meanwhile, JBL took the original belt and claimed he was still the WWE Champion until Cena reclaimed that belt following an ] at '']'' in May.


Cena then sought the ], held by ]. He entered a number one contender's tournament for the title, gaining upset wins over ],<ref>{{Cite web |title=SmackDown! results – April 3, 2003 |url=https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/030403.html |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072253/https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/030403.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The Undertaker<ref>{{Cite web |title=SmackDown! results – April 10, 2003 |url=https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/030410.html |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072251/https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/030410.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=SmackDown! results – April 17, 2003 |url=https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/030417.html |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072251/https://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/030417.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At ] on April 27, Cena failed to win the title from Lesnar.<ref>{{cite web |title=Backlash 2003 results |url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/backlash.html#2003 |access-date=May 9, 2007 |work=Pro Wrestling History |archive-date=September 18, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918203417/http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/backlash.html#2003 |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 18 at ], Cena and ] (] and ]) defeated Benoit, ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/judgmentday/history/judgmentday2003/results/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061026052317/http://www.wwe.com/shows/judgmentday/history/judgmentday2003/results/|archive-date=October 26, 2006 |title=Judgment Day 2003 Results|work=]|access-date=February 8, 2017}}</ref> At ] on July 27, Cena lost to The Undertaker.<ref name="ship67" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Clevett |first=Jason |date=July 28, 2003 |title=Angle takes Vengeance on Lesnar |url=http://www.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2003/07/28/147709.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822072750/http://www.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2003/07/28/147709.html |archive-date=August 22, 2016 |access-date=July 30, 2016 |work=SLAM! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> After losing to Kurt Angle at ] on October 19,<ref>{{cite web |last=Powell |first=John |date=October 20, 2003 |title=No Mercy for WWE fans |url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2003/10/20/231323.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208233712/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2003/10/20/231323.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |access-date=February 8, 2017 |work=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> Cena became a fan-favorite when he joined Angle as a member of his team on November 16 at ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Survivor Series 2003 results |url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/survivor.html#2003 |access-date=December 29, 2007 |work=Pro Wrestling History |archive-date=December 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207083703/http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/survivor.html#2003 |url-status=live }}</ref>
On the June 6th episode of ''RAW'', John Cena became the first wrestler selected in the annual ], when ] drafted him from ''SmackDown!'' over to ''RAW''. Upon arriving on ''RAW'', Cena immediately entered a ] with ] and ], two wrestlers with strong cult followings. Taking on these two began a trend of "fan backlash" against Cena.


] belt in January 2005|308x308px]]
During this feud Cena made (kayfabe) enemies with ''RAW'' ] ], because he didn't wish to play Bischoff's political games. Bischoff vowed to make Cena's stint on ''RAW'' difficult and chose Chris Jericho to take Cena's title from him.
Cena participated in the Royal Rumble match at ] on January 25, 2004, but was eliminated by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rumble.html#2004|title=Royal Rumble 2004 results|access-date=May 10, 2007|work=Pro Wrestling History|archive-date=June 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621154539/http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/rumble.html#2004|url-status=live}}</ref> At ] on February 15, Cena faced Big Show and Kurt Angle in a ] for a WWE Championship match at ], which Cena lost by ] to Angle.<ref>{{cite web |last=Keller |first=Wade |date=February 15, 2004 |title=2/15 WWE No Way Out PPV review: Keller's ongoing "virtual time" analysis of live event |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/PPV_Reports_5/article_7177.shtml#.Y1cdnnbMKUk |access-date=October 24, 2022 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072248/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/PPV_Reports_5/article_7177.shtml#.Y1cdnnbMKUk |url-status=live }}</ref> At WrestleMania on March 14, Cena defeated Big Show to win the United States Championship, his first singles ] in WWE.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=John |date=March 15, 2004 |title=WrestleMania XX bombs |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/03/15/382634.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713163259/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/03/15/382634.html |archive-date=July 13, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> He retained the title against ] on May 16 at ],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kapur |first=Bob |date=May 17, 2004 |title=J-Day for Guerrero |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/05/17/463112.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070623032604/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/05/17/463112.html |archive-date=June 23, 2007 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> and in a fatal four-way match involving Dupree, ] and ] at ] on June 27,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sokol |first=Chris |date=June 27, 2004 |title=Bash provides surprise endings |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/06/28/517769.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719004005/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/06/28/517769.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 19, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> until he was stripped of the title on the July 8 episode of ''SmackDown!'' by Kurt Angle (the SmackDown! General Manager) after accidentally attacking him in his wheelchair.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Plummer |first=Dale |date=July 8, 2004 |title=SmackDown: Cena stripped of US title belt |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2004/07/09/533502.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120720052238/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2004/07/09/533502.html |archive-date=July 20, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> Cena won the title back by defeating Booker T in a ] series that started on August 15 at ]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clevett |first=Jason |date=August 15, 2004 |title=Orton-Benoit, Guerrero-Angle save SummerSlam |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/08/16/585826.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714214810/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/08/16/585826.html |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> and culminated on October 3 at ],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clevett |first=Jason |date=October 4, 2004 |title=Fans won't remember No Mercy |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/10/04/788800.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630181525/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/10/04/788800.html |archive-date=June 30, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> only to ] it to the débuting ] the following week on ''SmackDown!''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keller |first=Wade |date=October 7, 2004 |title=KELLER'S SMACKDOWN REPORT 10/7: Ongoing "virtual time" analysis of network broadcast |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/TV_Reports_9/article_10319.shtml#.Y1clE3bMKUk |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072251/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/TV_Reports_9/article_10319.shtml#.Y1clE3bMKUk |url-status=live }}</ref> The duo began a feud which resulted in Cena allegedly being stabbed in the ] while at a Boston-area nightclub by Carlito's bodyguard, ]; this ] "injury" was used to keep Cena out of action for a month while he was filming '']''.<ref name="slam" /><ref name=":5" /> After returning on November 14 at ], Cena won the United States Championship back from Carlito on the November 18 episode of ''SmackDown!''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/unitedstates/30445411131 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050624010358/http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/unitedstates/30445411131 |archive-date=June 24, 2005 |title=John Cena's Second Reign as US Champion |access-date=May 10, 2007 |work=WWE}}</ref> He retained the title against Jesús at ] on December 12 in a ].<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last1=Plummer |first1=Dale |last2=Tylwalk |first2=Nick |date=August 27, 2007 |title=WWE survives its own Armageddon |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/12/13/788798.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630181636/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2004/12/13/788798.html |archive-date=June 30, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref>


==== WWE Champion (2005–2007) ====
On August 22, Cena beat Jericho in a "]" match for the WWE Championship - despite interference from Bischoff which included giving Cena a low-blow and handing Jericho a pair of ]. After the match, with Jericho now off of ''RAW'' due to his loss, Kurt Angle came to the ring and attacked Cena, with Bischoff revealing that Angle was his new "hand picked" number one contender for Cena's world title. Despite Angle's best attempts to attain ] ] through their feud, the fans continued to cheer him and boo Cena.
On January 30, 2005, Cena took part in the ], making it to the final two. He and ] went over the top rope at the same time, at first ending the match but the match was restarted and won by Batista.<ref>{{cite news|title=2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts|work=Wrestling's Historical Cards|year=2007|page=117}}</ref> At ] on February 20, Cena defeated Kurt Angle to earn a spot in the SmackDown! brand's ] ],<ref>{{cite web |last=Sokol |first=Chris |date=February 21, 2005 |title=JBL finds another Way Out |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2005/02/21/937742.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630052117/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2005/02/21/937742.html |archive-date=June 30, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |work=Slam! Sports |publisher=] }}</ref> beginning a feud with then WWE Champion ] (JBL) and his ] in the process. In the early stages of the feud, Cena lost the United States Championship to Cabinet member ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=SmackDown! results – March 3, 2005 |url=http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/050303.html |access-date=November 6, 2022 |publisher=Online World of Wrestling |archive-date=November 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118132608/http://www.onlineworldofwrestling.com/results/smackdown/050303.html |url-status=live }}</ref> At WrestleMania 21 on April 3, Cena defeated JBL to win the WWE Championship, his first ].<ref>{{cite web |title=WrestleMania 21 results |url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/mania.html#21 |access-date=May 10, 2007 |work=Pro Wrestling History |archive-date=September 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910025120/http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/mania.html#21 |url-status=live }}</ref> Now with a spinner WWE Championship belt, JBL took the original ] and claimed he was still the WWE Champion,<ref name="slam" /> until Cena defeated him in an ] at ] on May 22 to retain the title.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sokol |first=Chris |date=May 23, 2005 |title=Judgment Day: Good, bad, ugly |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2005/05/23/1052354.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714081334/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2005/05/23/1052354.html |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |work=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref>


Cena was drafted to the Raw brand on the June 6 episode of ''Raw'', becoming the first wrestler selected in the annual ].<ref>{{cite news |first=Ant |last=Evans |magazine=Power Slam |title=What's going down... |publisher=SW Publishing LTD|id=132|page=4}}</ref> Cena immediately entered into a feud with Raw General Manager ], after refusing to participate in the "war" against the ] (ECW) roster at the 2005 ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 16, 2005 |title=The Betrayal |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/05162005/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=] |archive-date=September 6, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070906003749/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/05162005/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At ] on June 26, Cena retained the title against ] and Chris Jericho in a triple threat match.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sokol |first=Chris |date=June 27, 2005 |title=Batista retains with a Vengeance |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2005/06/27/1106996.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718045558/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2005/06/27/1106996.html |archive-date=July 18, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> With Bischoff vowing to make Cena's stint on ''Raw'' difficult, he hand-picked Jericho to take Cena's championship from him.<ref name="slam" /> During their feud, even though Cena was portrayed as the "face" (hero) and Jericho as the "heel" (villain), a vocal section of the live crowds, nonetheless, were cheering Jericho and booing Cena during their matches, most notably on August 21 at ], when Cena defeated Jericho to retain the title.<ref>{{cite web |last=Plummer |first=Dale |date=August 22, 2005 |title=Hogan-HBK steal SummerSlam |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2005/08/22/1183417.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718105057/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2005/08/22/1183417.html |archive-date=July 18, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |work=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> Crowds booed Cena again during his next feud with Kurt Angle, who took over as Bischoff's hand-picked #1 contender after Cena defeated Jericho in a You're Fired match on the August 22 episode of ''Raw''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jericho Fired; Angle No. 1 Contender |url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/08222005 |access-date=October 25, 2022 |publisher=WWE |archive-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005175631/https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/08222005/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="slam" /> Cena held on to the WWE Championship through his feud with Angle, losing to him by disqualification on September 18 at ],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sokol |first=Chris |date=September 19, 2005 |title=Unforgiven marred by unfortunate ending |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2005/09/19/1223557.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630080516/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2005/09/19/1223557.html |archive-date=June 30, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> pinning ] in a triple threat match involving Angle at ] on November 1,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sokol |first=Chris |date=November 2, 2005 |title=Taboo Tuesday delivers decently |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2005/11/02/1289908.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714173734/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2005/11/02/1289908.html |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> and pinning Angle on November 27 at ].<ref>{{Cite web |title=WWE Champion John Cena def. Kurt Angle |url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/history/2005/matches/13464581/results |access-date=October 25, 2022 |publisher=WWE |archive-date=April 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402162958/https://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/history/2005/matches/13464581/results |url-status=live }}</ref> The feud with Angle saw Cena add a secondary, submission based, ]—the ''STFU'' (a ], though named for a ])—when he was put into a triple threat ] match on the November 28 episode of ''Raw''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Derek |date=November 28, 2005 |title=411's WWE Raw Report 11.28.05 |url=http://411mania.com/wrestling/411s-wwe-raw-report-11-28-05/ |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=411Mania |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072302/https://411mania.com/wrestling/411s-wwe-raw-report-11-28-05/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
After several weeks, Angle and Cena main evented September's '']'', where Cena hit Angle with the WWE title belt, losing by disqualification but remaining champion (titles don't change hands on a disqualification). They met again at November's ], with Cena picking up a clean win this time.


] at a WWE ] in July 2006]]
The night after, Bischoff put Cena in the ring against Kurt Angle and ] in a triple threat submission match for the title, which Cena won by making Masters tap out for the first time to his new submission maneuver, the '''STFU''' (name derived from a combination of the ] name ]], his other move - the F-U - and the shorthand for "'''S'''hut '''T'''he '''F'''uck '''U'''p").
At ] on January 8, 2006, Cena retained the WWE Championship in the ] match after last eliminating Carlito, but immediately afterwards, Mr. McMahon announced ] was cashing in his ] contract—a "guaranteed title match against the WWE Champion at a time and place of the owner's choosing". Two quick ] allowed Edge to pin Cena and win the championship.<ref name="NYR06">{{cite news|title=2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts|work=Wrestling's Historical Cards |publisher=Kappa Publishing|year=2007|page=119}}</ref> Cena won the title back on January 29 at ].<ref name="NYR06"/> After that, Cena began feuding with ]. The crowd, which had mostly cheered Cena over the previous few months, started booing him again and cheering the villain Triple H.<ref name="slam" /> Cena beat Triple H at ] on April 2 to retain the title.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Plummer |first1=Dale |last2=Tylwalk |first2=Nick |date=April 3, 2006 |title=WrestleMania delivers big time on PPV |url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2006/04/03/1517785.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20160329055346/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2006/04/03/1517785.html |archive-date=March 29, 2016 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> The negative reaction towards him intensified when he faced Rob Van Dam at ] on June 11 which took place in front of a boisterous crowd of mostly original ECW fans at the ]. Cena was met with raucous jeering and chants of "Fuck you, Cena", "You can't wrestle", and "Same old shit". When he began performing different moves as the match progressed, the fans started chanting "You still suck".<ref name="slam" /> Cena lost the WWE Championship to Van Dam after interference from Edge.<ref name="cybersunday06"/>


]'' show in October 2006]]
When ] returned to ''RAW'' to put Bischoff "on trial" in December, Cena made his opinion of Bischoff known and eventually helped Vince McMahon remove Bischoff from the show by delivering the F-U to the former ''RAW'' GM, effectively ending the hostilities he had with Bischoff.
On the July 3 episode of ''Raw'', Edge won the championship from Van Dam in a triple threat match that also involved Cena, re-igniting their feud.<ref>{{Cite web |last=William III |first=Ed |date=July 3, 2006 |title=Stolen Championship |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/07032006/mainarticle |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=] |archive-date=November 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103045747/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/07032006/mainarticle |url-status=live }}</ref> After Edge went about retaining the title by dubious means—getting himself disqualified (for which championships do not change hands)—and using ] on August 20 at ]<ref name="cybersunday06"/> he introduced his own version of Cena's "custom" title belt, this one with his logo placed on the spinner.<ref name="slam" /> Cena eventually regained the championship in a match and an arena of Edge's choice: a ] on September 17 at ] at the ] in Edge's hometown of ], Ontario, Canada, after performing the ''FU'' on Edge through two tables off a ladder; the match had a stipulation that had Cena lost, he would have joined the SmackDown! brand.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elliott |first=Brian |date=September 18, 2006 |title=Unforgiven just averages out |url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2006/09/18/pf-1857195.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530095919/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2006/09/18/pf-1857195.html |archive-date=May 30, 2015 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> Cena returned with his version of the spinner title belt on the next night's ''Raw''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zeigler |first=Zack |date=September 18, 2006 |title=Winning the war |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/09182006/ |access-date=December 28, 2007 |website=WWE |archive-date=March 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070329130158/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/09182006/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


On the heels of his feud with Edge, Cena was placed in an inter-brand ] to determine the "Champion of Champions"—or which was the most dominant champion in WWE's three brands. Cena, ] King Booker, and ] Big Show were booked in a triple threat match at ], with the viewers voting on which of the three championships would be placed on the line.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zeigler |first=Zack |date=October 9, 2006 |title=Cyber Sunday Blockbuster |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/10092006/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WWE |archive-date=December 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209044006/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/10092006/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At the same time, Cena was involved in a storyline with non-wrestler ], who appeared on ''Raw'' with ] and ]. After getting into a ] physical altercation with Federline on ''Raw'',<ref name="slam" /> Federline appeared on November 5 at Cyber Sunday to hit Cena with the World Heavyweight Championship during the match, helping King Booker retain his title.<ref name="cybersunday06">{{cite news|title=2007 Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts|work=Wrestling's Historical Cards|publisher=Kappa Publishing |year=2007 |pages=121–122}}</ref> On the January 1 episode of ''Raw'', Cena was pinned by Federline with an assist from Umaga.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dee |first=Louie |date=January 1, 2006 |title=The Champ is ready |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/01012007/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WWE |archive-date=December 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203215545/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/01012007/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At ] on January 7, 2007, Cena defeated Umaga to end his undefeated streak and retain the WWE Championship.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Plummer |first1=Dale |last2=Tylwalk |first2=Nick |date=January 7, 2007 |title=Cena retains, Triple H injured at Revolution |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2007/01/08/3235732.html |access-date=December 31, 2007 |work=Slam! Sports |publisher=] |archive-date=July 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713164325/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2007/01/08/3235732.html |url-status=usurped }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Tello|first=Craig|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/newyearsrevolution/matches/3678150/results/|title=Champ ends the streak|work=]|date=January 7, 2007|access-date=December 31, 2007|archive-date=March 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325192203/http://www.wwe.com/shows/newyearsrevolution/matches/3678150/results/|url-status=live}}</ref> At ] on January 28, Cena retained the title against Umaga in a ].<ref>{{cite web |last=McAvennie |first=Mike |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2007/matches/3553510/results/ |title=Cena: last man outstanding |work=] |date=January 28, 2007 |access-date=December 31, 2007 |archive-date=January 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118031422/http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2007/matches/3553510/results |url-status=live }}</ref>
====2006====
Cena successfully defended his WWE Championship in an ] at the January '']'' to kick off 2006. After the match, however, Vince McMahon appeared on the stage and announced that Cena was going to have to defend the title again, this time against ], who was cashing in his previously earned ] title shot. Edge delivered two spears to a battered, bloody, and exausted Cena, pinning him in short order to win the WWE Championship. Cena's championship reign ended at ], matching that of previous champion ].


One night after the Royal Rumble, an impromptu team of Cena and Shawn Michaels defeated ] (Edge and ]) for the ], making Cena a double champion.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pro Wrestling Illustrated, May 2007|work=Arena Reports|publisher=Kappa Publishing|date=May 2007|page=134}}</ref> At ] on April 1, Cena retained the WWE Championship against Michaels.<ref>{{cite news|author=McElvaney, Kevin|title=Pro Wrestling Illustrated, July 2007|publisher=Kappa Publishing|date=June 2007 |pages=74–101}}</ref> The next night on ''Raw'', Michaels turned on Cena, costing them the tag titles in the second of two 10-team battle royals, by throwing Cena over the top rope and eliminating the team. ] (] and ]) won the match and the titles.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pro Wrestling Illustrated, July 2007|work=Arena Reports|date=June 2007|page=133|publisher=Kappa Publishing}}</ref> Cena retained the WWE Championship against Michaels, Orton, and Edge in a fatal four-way match on April 29 at ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elliot |first=Brian |date=April 29, 2007 |title=No filler makes for a consistent Backlash |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2007/04/29/4140920.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150419051211/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2007/04/29/4140920.html |archive-date=April 19, 2015 |access-date=October 24, 2007 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> ] then declared his intentions to challenge for Cena's championship, attacking and "laying out" all three of the top contenders before assaulting Cena and stealing the title belt.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Starr |first=Noah |date=April 30, 2007 |title=Khali's claim |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04302007/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WWE |archive-date=July 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709212901/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/04302007 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Difino |first=Lennie |date=May 7, 2007 |title=Gold digging |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/05072007/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WWE |archive-date=May 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170529151503/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/05072007 |url-status=live }}</ref> On May 20 at ], Cena became the first person to defeat Khali by submission<ref>{{cite web |first=Louie |last=Dee |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/judgmentday/history/2007/matches/4124402/results/ |title=Judgment Day 2007 Results: Goliath goes down |work=WWE |date=May 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501164208/http://www.wwe.com/shows/judgmentday/history/2007/matches/4124402/results/|archive-date=May 1, 2008|access-date=July 6, 2007 }}</ref> and then by pinfall on June 3 at ] in a Falls Count Anywhere match.<ref>{{cite web|title=One Night Stand 2007 Results: Crafty Cena conquers, pins Great Khali|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/shows1/onenightstand/matches/4362508/results/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070606082019/http://www.wwe.com/shows/ecw/shows1/onenightstand/matches/4362508/results/|archive-date=June 6, 2007 |first=Coret |last=Clayton |date=June 3, 2007|work=WWE|access-date=July 6, 2007}}</ref> Cena retained the WWE Championship in a ] on June 24 at ],<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Powell |first1=John |last2=Powell |first2=Justin |date=June 25, 2007 |title=Vengeance banal and badly booked |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2007/06/24/4287727.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714084146/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2007/06/24/4287727.html |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> and against ] on July 22 at ].<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Plummer |first1=Dale |last2=Tylwalk |first2=Nick |date=July 27, 2007 |title=Cena still champ after busy Bash |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2007/07/23/4361554.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629045647/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2007/07/23/4361554.html |archive-date=June 29, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> Later that summer, Randy Orton was named the #1 contender for Cena's championship.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wwe.com/article/john-cena-10-greatest-rivalries |title=John Cena's 10 greatest rivalries |work=WWE |access-date=August 31, 2021 |archive-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921185322/https://www.wwe.com/article/john-cena-10-greatest-rivalries |url-status=live }}</ref> Leading up to ] on August 26, Orton delivered a number of sneak-attacks, performing three ] to Cena, who in the actual match at SummerSlam, retained the championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam07/matches/3900088/results/|title=SummerSlam 2007 Results |work=WWE |access-date=August 26, 2007|date=August 26, 2007 |archive-date=August 29, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070829020754/http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam07/matches/3900088/results/}}</ref> A rematch took place at ] on September 16, which Orton won by disqualification after Cena ignored the referee's instructions and continued to beat on him in the corner.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Unforgiven 2007 results |url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/unforgiven/2007 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WWE |archive-date=September 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924040704/https://www.wwe.com/shows/unforgiven/2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>
Three weeks, to the day, after losing the title Cena defeated Edge at the '']'' to regain the WWE Championship. During this time WWE announcers, most notably ], were forced to acknowledge the ] Cena was getting and began to refer to him as a "controversial champion" saying that he was alienating some fans with his "unorthodox style".


During a match with ] on the October 1 episode of ''Raw'', Cena suffered a ] torn ] while executing a ].<ref name="surgvid">{{cite video| people=Dr. James Andrews |url=http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/raw/2007/october1-7/5581280 |date=October 4, 2007|title=Exclusive footage: John Cena surgery |format=WMV |work=WWE |access-date=October 4, 2007 |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011002542/http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/raw/2007/october1-7/5581280}}</ref> Though finishing the match and taking part in the scripted attack by Orton after the match, surgery the following day found that his pectoralis major muscle was torn completely from the bone. At the time, it was estimated this would require six months to a year of rehabilitation.<ref>{{cite web |last=Robinson |first=Bryan |date=December 31, 2010 |title=Cena out with pec tear, must surrender WWE title |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/10012007/articles/cenainjuryupdate |access-date=January 29, 2008 |work=WWE |archive-date=August 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817234629/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/10012007/articles/cenainjuryupdate |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/raw/2007/october8-14/5609240|title=John Cena speaks out for the first time since his surgery |date=October 8, 2007|access-date=October 29, 2007|work=WWE |archive-date=October 28, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028165642/http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/raw/2007/october8-14/5609240}}</ref> As a result, Cena was stripped of the title by Mr. McMahon on the next night's episode of '']'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nomercy/exclusives/cenamcmahonannounce |title=Mr. McMahon vacates Cena's WWE Championship|access-date=October 3, 2007|date=October 2, 2007|work=WWE |archive-date=October 11, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011001846/http://www.wwe.com/shows/nomercy/exclusives/cenamcmahonannounce}}</ref> ending the longest WWE Championship reign in over 19 years.<ref name="slam" /> Cena's surgery was performed by orthopedic surgeon ] at St. Vincent's Hospital in ], Alabama.<ref name="surgvid" /> Two weeks later in a video update on WWE.com, Dr. Andrews and Cena's physical trainer both said that he was several weeks ahead of where he was expected to be in his rehabilitation at that time.<ref>{{cite video|date=October 10, 2007|title=John Cena begins road to recovery |url=http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/none/2007/october15-21/5675400?zone=raw_index|medium=WMV|work=WWE|access-date=October 24, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026010751/http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/vms/none/2007/october15-21/5675400?zone=raw_index|archive-date=October 26, 2007}}</ref>
] would often suggest that Cena was too young, edgy and original for the older audience to appreciate. Cena continued to polarize crowds leading up to '']'', during which he was soundly jeered during his main event win over ]. Despite Triple H's best attempts to get heat, the crowd continued to favor him over Cena. ] was reportedly upset by fans' negativity, though Cena stated that the fans "obviously had a choice in deciding whom they wanted to root for".


==== World Heavyweight Champion (2008–2010) ====
The crowd began to cheer Cena once again after April's '']'', most notably when he began to side with the popular ] in matches against the ]. After Cena stopped taking part in this ] and moved on to working against Rob Van Dam there was once again a notable mixture of cheers and boos in most arena's he visited, with some being more pro-Cena and some more against him.
On January 27, 2008, at ], Cena made a surprise return as the final participant of the eponymous match, winning it and the traditional ] title shot, last eliminating Triple H.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Plummer |first1=Dale |last2=Tylwalk |first2=Nick |date=January 28, 2008 |title=Cena wins Rumble in surprise return |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2008/01/28/4797664.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629175015/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2008/01/28/4797664.html |archive-date=June 29, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> Instead of waiting until WrestleMania, the shot was cashed in against WWE Champion Randy Orton at ] on February 17, winning by disqualification, therefore not being awarded the title.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/2008/matches/6235888|title=John Cena def. WWE Champion Randy Orton (DQ, Orton retains)|work=WWE|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-date=April 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404122911/https://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/2008/matches/6235888|url-status=live}}</ref> The following night on ''Raw'', Cena was placed back into WrestleMania's WWE Championship match on March 30, defeating Orton in a non-title match with Triple H as special guest referee, making it a triple threat match,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Bryan |date=February 18, 2008 |title=Triple the Threat, Double the Gauntlet |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/02182008/articles/triplegauntlet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020164002/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/02182008/articles/triplegauntlet |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WWE}}</ref> during which he was pinned by Orton.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Plummer |first=Dale |date=March 30, 2008 |title=Mayweather, Orton survive Mania; Edge, Flair don't |url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/WrestleMania24/2008/03/31/5148416.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018055136/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/WrestleMania24/2008/03/31/5148416.html |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> On April 27 at ], Cena failed to regain the title in a ], in which he was eliminated by Orton.<ref name="SlamBacklash">{{cite web |last=Hillhouse |first=Dave |date=April 28, 2008 |title=HHH reigns again after Backlash |url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2008/04/28/5407546.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626182257/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2008/04/28/5407546.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 26, 2015 |access-date=June 23, 2008 |work=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> During the match, Cena eliminated JBL, renewing their feud from 2005.<ref name="SlamBacklash" /> Cena defeated JBL on May 18 at ]<ref>{{cite web|first=Bob|last=Kapur|work=Slam! Sports|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2008/05/18/5609326.html|title=Judgment Day spoils streak of good shows|access-date=May 1, 2009|date=May 18, 2008|publisher=]|archive-date=July 18, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718052924/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2008/05/18/5609326.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref> and at ] on June 1 in a ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sitterson |first=Aubrey |date=June 1, 2008 |title=Longhorn's Bloody Loudmouth |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/onenightstand/matches/7117514/results/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WWE |archive-date=September 21, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160921030602/http://www.wwe.com/shows/onenightstand/matches/7117514/results |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena failed to regain the WWE Championship from Triple H on June 29 at ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Keller |first=Wade |author-link=Wade Keller |date=September 29, 2008 |title=Keller's WWE Night Of The Champions PPV Report 6/29 |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/PPV_Reports_5/article_26077.shtml |access-date=September 28, 2013 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165702/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/PPV_Reports_5/article_26077.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> JBL defeated Cena in a New York City ] at ] on July 20 to end their feud.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2008/07/20/6215361.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018040623/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2008/07/20/6215361.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 18, 2015|title=The Great American Soap Opera |last=Hillhouse |first=Dave|date=July 20, 2008 |work=Slam! Sports|publisher=]|access-date=July 14, 2009}}</ref>


On the August 4 episode of ''Raw'', Cena won his second World Tag Team Championship with Batista, defeating ] and ]<ref>{{cite web|last=Sitterson|first=Aubrey|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/08042008/|access-date=August 5, 2008|date=August 5, 2008|title=Championship scramble|work=]|archive-date=June 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616071952/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/08042008|url-status=live}}</ref> but failed to retain the championship the following week against the former champions.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sitterson |first=Aubrey |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/results/ |access-date=August 12, 2008 |date=August 11, 2008 |title=Bracing for a SummerSlam|work=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514184356/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/results/|archive-date=May 14, 2008}}</ref> At ] on August 17, Batista defeated Cena.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2008/08/17/6484406.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710211048/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2008/08/17/6484406.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2015|title=SummerSlam comes close to 'blockbuster' status |last=Plummer |first=Dale|author2=Nick Tylwalk|date=August 17, 2008|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=]|access-date=August 12, 2009}}</ref> Cena was named one of four contenders for ]'s World Heavyweight Championship in the ] match at ] on September 7, but was replaced by Rey Mysterio after suffering a herniated disc in his neck in his SummerSlam match, which required surgery.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/results/|access-date=August 25, 2008|date=May 28, 2008 |last=Sitterson |first=Aubrey|title=Championship scramble|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080514184356/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/results/|archive-date=May 14, 2008}}</ref> Cena underwent successful surgery to repair the injury.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/cenaoutvowstoreturn|access-date=August 27, 2008|date=August 26, 2008|title=Cena out, vows to return|work=]|archive-date=November 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105132612/http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/cenaoutvowstoreturn|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/cenasurgeryinterview|access-date=August 27, 2008|date=August 26, 2008|title=John Cena: Post-surgery interview|work=]|archive-date=November 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105132614/http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/cenasurgeryinterview|url-status=live}}</ref>
On the May 22nd edition of ''RAW'', ] informed Cena that he intended to cash in the ] title match contract he won at ''WrestleMania'' at the upcoming ] ] pay-per-view event. The event saw Cena get his most negative reaction yet from the very pro-ECW crowd, including profanity-laced chants and anti-Cena signs (most memorably one reading, "If Cena wins, we riot," which has been used since then, with different names in place of Cena's). Although Cena was affected, it also motivated him to use moves outside of his usual moveset in order to play to the crowd. Cena lost the title at the event when ] appeared from under the ring and ] Cena through a table, setting him up for Van Dam's ]. With two referees "knocked out" (the first by Cena, the second by Edge) ] ran down the entrance aisle and counted the ], giving Van Dam the win and his first World Title. On the next nights ''RAW'' Paul Heyman announced that the title change was official, as the match was under "Extreme rules". Coincidently, both of his WWE Championship losses in 2006 were as a result of the ] title contract.


Cena made his in-ring return at ] on November 23, defeating Chris Jericho for his first World Heavyweight Championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2008/matches/8464612|title=John Cena def. World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho|date=November 23, 2008|work=]|access-date=June 5, 2012|archive-date=October 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029155713/http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2008/matches/8464612|url-status=live}}</ref> He retained the title against Jericho at ] on December 14.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/armageddon/2008/8728776|title=World Heavyweight Champion John Cena def. Chris Jericho|date=December 14, 2008|work=]|access-date=June 5, 2012|archive-date=October 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026132213/http://www.wwe.com/shows/armageddon/2008/8728776|url-status=live}}</ref> After defeating JBL at the ] on January 25, 2009,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sitterson |first=Aubrey |date=January 25, 2009 |title=Results:Beating the odds |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9029646/results/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=] |archive-date=May 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531011755/http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/history/2009/matches/9029646/results/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena lost the championship at ] on February 15 to Edge, who attacked ] and took his place in the Elimination Chamber match.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/2009/9229100|title=Edge wins World Heavyweight Title Elimination Chamber Match|work=]|access-date=June 5, 2012|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106055250/http://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/2009/9229100|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena won his rematch for the title at ] on April 5 in a triple threat match involving Big Show.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/matches/9472972/results/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090601203509/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/matches/9472972/results/|archive-date=June 1, 2009|access-date=April 6, 2009|date=April 5, 2009|last=Passero|first=Mitch|title=Cena reclaims his gold|work=]}}</ref> He lost the championship back to Edge in a ] at ] on April 26 after interference from Big Show, who ]med Cena through a spotlight.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/currentepisode/9808960|access-date=June 5, 2012|date=April 26, 2009|title=Edge def. John Cena in Last Man Standing Match (New World Heavyweight Champion)|work=]|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106034134/http://www.wwe.com/shows/backlash/currentepisode/9808960|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena defeated Big Show at ] on May 17<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/judgmentday/2009/10109268|title=John Cena def. Big Show|date=May 17, 2009|access-date=June 6, 2012|work=]|archive-date=October 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023170847/http://www.wwe.com/shows/judgmentday/2009/10109268|url-status=live}}</ref> and ] on June 7 in a ] by applying the ''STF''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/extremerules/history/2009/matches/10247542|title=John Cena def. Big Show (Submission Match)|date=June 7, 2009|access-date=June 5, 2012|work=]|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106010842/http://www.wwe.com/shows/extremerules/history/2009/matches/10247542|url-status=live}}</ref> During Cena's feud with Big Show, ] challenged him to a match on the April 27 episode of ''Raw'', but as Cena was out due to injury, The Miz claimed an unofficial win via forfeit and continued to do this over the following weeks,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2009/04/28/9271756.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702143420/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2009/04/28/9271756.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 2, 2015|title=Raw: Batista next for the Orton Era|date=April 28, 2009 |last=Plummer|first=Dale|access-date=April 29, 2009|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=]}}</ref> until Cena defeated The Miz at ] on June 28.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bishop |first=Matt |date=June 28, 2009 |title=The Bash disappointing live despite heat |url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2009/06/28/9965236.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310150943/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2009/06/28/9965236.html |archive-date=March 10, 2016 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref>
When Edge won the title from Van Dam in a Triple Threat match (also involving Cena) it re-ignited the feud between Edge and Cena. The opening stages of the feud saw Edge taking constant shortcuts in order to keep his title (losing by disqualification) while still seemingly getting positive reactions from most crowds. This lead to a Cena and Edge match at '']'' in a match where, if Edge was disqualified, he would not only lose the match but his title. Edge ultimately defeated Cena by pinfall after hitting him with a pair of ] while the referee was distracted to retain the title.


] in 2010]]
Having beaten Cena, Edge debuted a new "Rated R" version of the spinner belt, having ] toss Cena's version into the ] and declaring "the end of the era of Cena in life". The "Rated R" belt looked almost exactly like the "Spinner" belt that came before it, only with a spinning 'Rated R Superstar' logo in the center. Cena would not go quietly however, convincing Edge to give him one more match for the title with an added stipulation -- if Cena lost, he would leave ''RAW'' for '']''. Edge accepted, on the grounds that the match also be a ] at '']'' in his hometown of Toronto. In their match Cena defeated Edge, retrieving the title after hitting an F-U on Edge from the top of a ladder and through two stacked tables. He brought back his original spinner belt on the following night's ''RAW''.<!-- DO NOT ADD WEEK BY WEEK EVENTS, RUMOURS OR SPECULATION. THIS INCLUDES ANNOUNCED MATCHES THAT HAVE NOT YET OCCURRED. WIKIPEDIA IS NOT A NEWS SITE BUT AN ONLINE ENCYCLOPAEDIA. Please see the articles "Misplaced Pages:What Misplaced Pages is not" and "Misplaced Pages:Guide to writing better articles" for more information. -->
At ] on July 26, Cena challenged for the WWE Championship in a triple threat match against Triple H and defending champion Randy Orton (a rematch from ]), but was pinned by Orton after interference from Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nightofchampions/2009/matches/10729722|title=WWE Champion Randy Orton def. Triple H & John Cena|work=]|date=July 26, 2009|access-date=October 21, 2011|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106014150/http://www.wwe.com/shows/nightofchampions/2009/matches/10729722|url-status=live}}</ref> The next night on ''Raw'', Cena won a ] to earn another shot at the WWE Championship at ] on August 23,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adkins |first=Greg |date=July 27, 2009 |title=Shaq clocks in |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/07272009/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=] |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072248/https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/07272009/ |url-status=live }}</ref> where Orton used underhanded tactics to retain.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adkins |first=Greg |date=August 23, 2009 |title=Results:The Viper's Hiss-trionics |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/history/2009/matches/11025562/results/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=] |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305140347/http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/history/2009/matches/11025562/results |url-status=live }}</ref> At ] on September 13, Cena defeated Orton in an "I Quit" match to win his fourth WWE Championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwebreakingpoint/2009/11401128|title=John Cena def. Randy Orton ("I Quit" Match – New WWE Champion)|work=]|date=September 13, 2009|access-date=June 5, 2012|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106043436/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwebreakingpoint/2009/11401128|url-status=live}}</ref> He lost the title back to Orton in a ] match on October 4 at ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2009/10/05/11300786.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710194953/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2009/10/05/11300786.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2015|title=Title changes highlight Hell in a Cell|date=October 7, 2009 |last=Sokol |first=Chris |author2=Sokol, Brian|access-date=October 6, 2009|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=]}}</ref> but regained it at ] on October 25 in a sixty-minute Anything Goes ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Tello |first=Craig |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwebraggingrights/wwebraggingrightshistory/2009/exclusives/ironscorecard |title=One Hour, Anything Goes WWE Iron Man Match scorecard |date=October 25, 2009|work=]|access-date=October 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101011145252/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwebraggingrights/wwebraggingrightshistory/2009/exclusives/ironscorecard|archive-date=October 11, 2010}}</ref> Cena retained the title against both Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a triple threat match at ] on November 22<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 22, 2009 |title=WWE Champion John Cena def. Triple H & Shawn Michaels (Triple Threat Match) |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2009/matches/11399846 |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=] |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051147/http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2009/matches/11399846 |url-status=live }}</ref> but lost it to ] on December 13 at ] in a ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Josh |date=December 13, 2009 |title=Results: Tables turn on Sheamus |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwetlc/history/2009/matches/12734254/results/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WWE |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305091026/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwetlc/history/2009/matches/12734254/results |url-status=live }}</ref> The next night on ''Raw'', Cena competed in a tournament to crown the ], defeating CM Punk in the first round and Orton in the finals later that night to win the honor.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=Jason |date=December 9, 2013 |title=WWE Slammy Awards 2009 Flashback: Comedian Dennis Miller hosts, WWE Superstar of the Year tournament featuring Undertaker, C.M. Punk, John Cena, and Randy Orton |url=https://prowrestling.net/artman/publish/WWE/article10034735.shtml |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=ProWrestling.net |archive-date=November 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116031913/https://prowrestling.net/artman/publish/WWE/article10034735.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> He would get his rematch for the title against Sheamus on the December 28 episode of ''Raw'', where he won by disqualification, but did not win the championship.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Adam |date=December 29, 2009 |title=Raw Quick Results – 12/28/09 |url=https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/2692-raw-quick-results-12-28-09/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WrestleView |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072250/https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/2692-raw-quick-results-12-28-09/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


At ] on January 31, 2010, Cena competed in the titular match, making it to the final two where he was eliminated by the returning Edge.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Ryan |date=January 31, 2010 |title=Results: Opportunity shocks |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/matches/9887158/results/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |publisher=] |archive-date=February 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204093357/http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/matches/9887158/results/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena regained the title at ] on February 21 in the eponymous match, but his reign was cut short after Mr. McMahon made him defend the title immediately against Batista, who emerged victorious.<ref>{{cite web |first=Dale |last=Plummer |author2=Nick Tylwalk|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2010/02/22/12977706.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710182230/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2010/02/22/12977706.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2015|title=Batista, Jericho and Michaels capitalize on Elimination Chamber opportunities |access-date=February 22, 2010|date=February 22, 2010|publisher=]|work=Slam! Sports}}</ref> Cena defeated Batista at ] on March 28 for the title,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Passero |first=Mitch |date=February 22, 2010 |title=John Cena def. Batista (New WWE Champion) |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/matches/9887158/results/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WWE |archive-date=February 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204093357/http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/matches/9887158/results/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and successfully defended it in a rematch at ] on April 25 in a Last Man Standing match.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/extremerules/currentepisode/14041538|title=WWE Champion John Cena def. Batista (Last Man Standing Match)|work=]|access-date=June 5, 2012|date=April 25, 2010|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106010821/http://www.wwe.com/shows/extremerules/currentepisode/14041538|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena defeated Batista for a third time in an "I Quit" match at ] on May 23, ending their feud.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bishop |first=Matt |date=May 23, 2010 |title=Batista quits to end disappointing ''Over The Limit'' |url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2010/05/23/14059136.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710211000/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2010/05/23/14059136.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 10, 2015 |access-date=May 26, 2010 |work=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref>
==In wrestling==
].]]
*'''Finishing and signature moves'''
:*'''''F-U''''' (], ], or ])
:*'''''STF-U''''' (])
:*''Five Knuckle Shuffle'' (] with theatrics)
:*''Freestyle'' / ''Protoplex'' (] or ])
:*''Killswitch'' / ''Protobomb'' (])
:*''Throwback'' (])
:*]
:*]
:*]
:*]
:*]
:*]
:*]


==== Feuds with The Nexus, The Rock, and CM Punk (2010–2013) ====
*'''Signature illegal weapons'''
{{see also|The Nexus (professional wrestling)|l1=The Nexus}}
:*] ]
] while a member of ] in 2010]]
:*]
On the June 7 episode of ''Raw'', during a match against CM Punk, Cena was attacked by all eight former contestants of the ], with ] as their leader. This group later referred to itself as ].<ref>{{cite web |title=RAW: Vote early, vote often; NXT takes over |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2010/06/08/14303706.html |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630142709/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2010/06/08/14303706.html |archive-date=June 30, 2012 |access-date=March 28, 2011 |website=Slam! Wrestling |publisher=]}}</ref> The stable's interferences made him lose the WWE Championship at ] on June 20 to Sheamus<ref>{{cite web |last=Eck |first=Kevin |url=http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/wrestling/blog/2010/06/fatal_fourway_thoughts.html#more |title=Fatal Fourway thoughts |date=June 21, 2010 |access-date=June 21, 2010 |work=] |archive-date=April 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409135819/http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/wrestling/blog/2010/06/fatal_fourway_thoughts.html#more |url-status=dead }}</ref> and a steel cage match against Sheamus on July 18 at ].<ref>{{cite web|first=Greg|last=Adkins|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/moneyinthebank/currentepisode/14882700|title=WWE Champion Sheamus def. John Cena (Steel Cage Match)|access-date=June 5, 2012|date=July 18, 2010|work=]|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106010938/http://www.wwe.com/shows/moneyinthebank/currentepisode/14882700|url-status=live}}</ref> In response to The Nexus, Cena formed an alliance with Edge, Chris Jericho, John Morrison, ], The Great Khali and ], defeating The Nexus at ] on August 15 with help from the returning ], a former member of The Nexus, who replaced Khali.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/currentepisode/15092924|title=Team WWE def. The Nexus (Elimination Tag Team Match)|access-date=June 5, 2012|date=August 15, 2010|work=]|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106012755/http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/currentepisode/15092924|url-status=live}}</ref>


Cena faced Barrett at ] on October 3 with the stipulations that if he were to lose, he would join The Nexus, and if he were to win, The Nexus would disband. After Barrett defeated Cena, he reluctantly joined The Nexus.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hillhouse |first=Dave |url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2010/10/04/15570631.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701032917/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2010/10/04/15570631.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 1, 2015|title=Hell in a Cell: Betrayal, fan interference, and flying shoes|date=October 4, 2010 |access-date=October 4, 2010|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=]}}</ref> Cena and fellow Nexus member ] defeated Cody Rhodes and ] to win the WWE Tag Team Championship on October 24 at ].<ref name=BraggingRights2010>{{cite web |last=Sokol |first=Bryan |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2010/10/25/15816946.html |title=Cena central to Bragging Rights; Smackdown wins again |date=October 25, 2010 |work=Slam! Sports |publisher=] |access-date=October 26, 2010 |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120714010806/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2010/10/25/15816946.html |url-status=usurped }}</ref> Later that night, he was forced to help Barrett defeat Orton in a WWE Championship match, giving Barrett the disqualification win, but not the title.<ref name=BraggingRights2010/> The following night on ''Raw'', Cena and Otunga lost the titles to fellow Nexus members ] and ], when Barrett ordered Otunga to lie down and lose the titles.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wilkenfeld |first=Daniel |date=October 25, 2010 |title=Caldwell's WWE Raw results 10/25 |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_44793.shtml |access-date=October 26, 2010 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=October 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101027085512/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_44793.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> At ] on November 21, Cena officiated a match for the WWE Championship between Barrett and Orton. Per stipulation, if Barrett didn't win the championship, Cena ]; Orton defeated Barrett to retain the title, and Cena was fired (]).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Plummer |first1=Dale |last2=Tylwalk |first2=Nick |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2010/11/22/16256891.html |title=The fate of Cena is finally decided at so-so Survivor Series |date=November 22, 2010 |work=Slam! Sports |publisher=] |access-date=November 22, 2010 |archive-date=July 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715095439/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2010/11/22/16256891.html |url-status=usurped }}</ref>
*'''Signature taunts'''
:*Waving his hand in front of his face, horizontally, to symbolize that "You can't see me!" (2002-2005)
:*Pumping up his ] sneakers. (2004-2005)
:*Putting his hands up while spreading them and putting his thumb sideways and his pinky up, meaning "Word Life". (2002-2005, 2006)
:*Occasionally "]" on his opponents before his matches. (2002-2004)
:*Military salute to the audience. (2006-present)


The following night on ''Raw'', Cena gave a farewell speech before costing Barrett the WWE Championship by interfering in his rematch with Orton.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plummer|first=Dale|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2010/11/22/16270746.html|title=RAW: The Miz cashes in as Nexus costs Orton WWE title|date=November 22, 2010|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=]|access-date=November 23, 2010|archive-date=July 15, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715020324/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2010/11/22/16270746.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref> A week later, Cena invaded ''Raw'', first as a spectator, but then attacked members of The Nexus, explaining he would still take down The Nexus one by one despite not being employed.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plummer|first=Dale|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2010/12/07/16454056.html|title=RAW: Cena pushes Nexus, Barrett to the breaking point|date=December 7, 2010|access-date=December 7, 2010|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=]|archive-date=June 30, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630183145/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2010/12/07/16454056.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref> On the December 13 episode of ''Raw'', Cena was rehired by Barrett in exchange that he would face him on December 19 at ] in a ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2010/12/13/16539736.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710201533/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2010/12/13/16539736.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2015|title=RAW: The Slammy Awards falls flat|date=December 13, 2010 |last=Plummer |first=Dale|access-date=December 20, 2010|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=]}}</ref> which Cena won.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwetlc/matches/16558816/results/|title=Results: Man of steel|work=]|access-date=December 19, 2010|archive-date=February 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219151654/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwetlc/matches/16558816/results/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*'''Manager(s)'''
:*]


]'' in 2010]]
*'''Five Questions'''
On the January 17, 2011, episode of ''Raw'', Cena returned and faced CM Punk (who had assumed leadership of The Nexus and subsequently renamed the stable as The New Nexus) in a match which ended in a ] after Cena was attacked by the debuting ], who later joined The New Nexus.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=January 17, 2011 |title=Caldwell's WWE Raw Results 1/17: Complete "virtual time" coverage of live Raw – Cena vs. Punk, Royal Rumble hype continues |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_49726.shtml |access-date=June 20, 2016 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181826/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_49726.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena competed in the ] match on January 30, which saw Cena eliminate most of the members of The New Nexus, ending his feud with the ]. He made it to the final five before being eliminated by WWE Champion The Miz, who was not part of the match.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Plummer |first1=Dale |last2=Tylwalk |first2=Nick |url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2011/01/31/17094896.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117232951/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2011/01/31/17094896.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 17, 2016|title=Super-size Royal Rumble saves biggest surprise for last|date=January 31, 2011 |access-date=April 3, 2011|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=]}}</ref> Cena won the titular match at ] on February 20 to face The Miz at ] for the WWE Championship.<ref>{{cite web|last=Adkins|first=Greg|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/01312011/|title=It's good to be "King"|date=January 31, 2011|access-date=February 22, 2011|work=]|archive-date=November 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105132822/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/01312011/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2011/02/20/17350351.html|title=Elimination Chamber mostly eliminates dramatic intrigue|date=February 20, 2011|last=Hillhouse|first=Dave|access-date=February 21, 2011|work=Slam! Sports|publisher=]|archive-date=July 16, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716015358/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/PPVReports/2011/02/20/17350351.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref>
:Cena hosts a segment on WWE.com entitled "Five Questions with John Cena" -- "Five Questions with the Champ" when he is a champion -- every week. Five questions sent in by fans via e-mail are picked at random and answered by Cena on camera. During the segment, whenever Cena curses, an image of ] appears and the word is "replaced" with him saying "Brawler" or "Brooklyn Brawler".


] agree to face each other at ].]]
==Championships and accomplishments==
On the February 21 episode of ''Raw'', Cena replied in rap form to comments made by ] the previous week, as he returned as the announced guest host of WrestleMania. That night, Cena was placed into a WWE Tag Team Championship match, teaming with The Miz to defeat Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions. However, their rematch clause was immediately invoked, and Gabriel and Slater won the titles back after The Miz attacked Cena, making their reign the shortest in the title's history.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/results/|title=Intermitten reign|date=February 21, 2011 |last=Adkins |first=Greg |access-date=February 22, 2011|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110217081941/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/results/|archive-date=February 17, 2011}}</ref> After weeks of insults, Cena and The Rock finally met on the March 28 episode of ''Raw'', where, after a verbal confrontation, and a brief attack by The Miz and ], Cena attacked The Rock with the ''Attitude Adjustment''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Plummer |first=Dale |url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2011/03/28/17788296.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710193845/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Wrestling/2011/03/28/17788296.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2015|title=RAW: One last push toward Wrestlemania |date=March 28, 2011 |access-date=April 4, 2011 |work=Slam! Sports |publisher=]}}</ref> At WrestleMania on April 3, Cena and The Miz fought to a ], but The Rock restarted the match and performed a ''Rock Bottom'' on Cena, allowing The Miz to retain the title.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/27/miz-cena |title=Results: WWE Champion The Miz def. John Cena |work=] |access-date=April 5, 2011 |archive-date=October 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017074849/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/27/miz-cena |url-status=live }}</ref> The next night on ''Raw'', Cena, in response to The Rock "screwing" him out of the title, agreed to face him in the main event of ], the first WrestleMania match to be set up one year in advance.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=April 4, 2011 |title=Caldwell's WWE Raw results 4/4 – The Rock & Austin live, fall-out from WrestleMania 27, Sin Cara debut |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_49042.shtml |access-date=April 8, 2011 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=April 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408123358/http://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_49042.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> At ] on May 1, Cena defeated The Miz and John Morrison in a triple threat steel cage match to become WWE Champion.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=May 1, 2011 |title=Caldwell's WWE Extreme Rules PPV Results 5/1: Complete "virtual time" coverage of live PPV – three title changes and a host of gimmick matches |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_49726.shtml |access-date=May 20, 2016 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181826/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_49726.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena then successfully defended the title against The Miz on May 22 at ] in an "I Quit" match,<ref>{{cite web|title=WWE Champion John Cena vs. The Miz & Alex Riley Handicap"I Quit" match|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wweoverthelimit/2011/cena-miz-wwe-title|last=Wortman|first=James|access-date=May 14, 2011|work=]|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106011031/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wweoverthelimit/2011/cena-miz-wwe-title|url-status=live}}</ref> and ] on June 19 at ].<ref>{{cite web |first=James |last=Wortman |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/capitolpunishment/2011/25019952 |title=WWE Champion John Cena vs. R-Truth |access-date=June 9, 2011 |work=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610125238/http://www.wwe.com/shows/capitolpunishment/2011/25019952 |archive-date=June 10, 2011}}</ref>
*''']'''
:*] (])
:*] (]) - with ]


Cena began a feud with CM Punk, who was leaving the company due to his contract expiring after ]. Punk defeated Cena to win the WWE Championship on July 17 at Money in the Bank and left the company with the title.<ref name="SOP">{{cite web |last=Wonsover |first=Michael |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/wwe/story/_/id/23764929/coming-full-circle-cm-punk-money-bank-chicago |title=Coming full circle: CM Punk, Money in the Bank and Chicago |work=] |date=June 11, 2018 |access-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-date=November 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109062122/https://www.espn.co.uk/wwe/story/_/id/23764929/coming-full-circle-cm-punk-money-bank-chicago |url-status=live }}</ref> ] of the '']'' awarded the match ], Cena's first and only five star match.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sitterson |first=Aubrey |title=Straight Shoot: Was Taker Vs. HHH Better Than John Cena Vs. Punk? |url=http://www.ugo.com/tv/straight-shoot-was-taker-vs-hhh-better-than-john-cena-vs-punk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201144814/http://www.ugo.com/tv/straight-shoot-was-taker-vs-hhh-better-than-john-cena-vs-punk |archive-date=February 1, 2014 |access-date=January 18, 2014 |publisher=]}}</ref> On the July 25 episode of ''Raw'', after Rey Mysterio won the WWE Championship in a tournament, Cena challenged and defeated Mysterio later that night to become WWE Champion for a record-breaking 11th time,<ref>{{cite web |last=Coyle |first=James |url=https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/other-sports/news/14203/7063250/title-glory-for-cena |title=Title glory for Cena |work=] |date=July 26, 2011 |access-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612192846/https://www.skysports.com/more-sports/other-sports/news/14203/7063250/title-glory-for-cena |url-status=live }}</ref> only to be interrupted by Punk, who also ]. Punk again defeated Cena at ] on August 14 in a ] match, after special guest referee Triple H missed Cena's foot on the rope.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/2011/cena-punk-wwe-title|title=John Cena vs. CM Punk – Undisputed WWE Championship Match|access-date=August 1, 2011|work=]|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106013829/http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/2011/cena-punk-wwe-title|url-status=live}}</ref> After ] became WWE Champion by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase to defeat Punk, Cena became the #1 contender and beat Del Rio at ] on September 18 for his tenth WWE Championship.<ref>{{cite web |last=Murphy |first=Ryan |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nightofchampions/2011/25031154|title=John Cena def. Alberto Del Rio (New WWE Champion)|access-date=December 5, 2011 |work=] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120803030752/http://www.wwe.com/|archive-date=August 3, 2012}}</ref> He lost it back to Del Rio at ] on October 2 in a triple threat Hell in a Cell match also involving Punk.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/hellinacell/2011/wwe-title-triple-threat-match|title=WWE Championship Triple Threat Hell in a Cell Match|access-date=September 20, 2011|work=]|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106032357/http://www.wwe.com/shows/hellinacell/2011/wwe-title-triple-threat-match|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena lost his rematch to Del Rio at ] on October 23 in a Last Man Standing match due to interference by The Miz and R-Truth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/vengeance/john-cena-vs-alberto-del-rio |title=WWE Championship Last Man Standing Match |work=WWE |access-date=October 11, 2011 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304003643/http://www.wwe.com/shows/vengeance/john-cena-vs-alberto-del-rio |url-status=live }}</ref> After weeks of The Miz and R-Truth attacking Cena and employees, Cena was allowed to choose his partner to challenge The Miz and R-Truth at ] on November 20; Cena chose The Rock as his partner, and they defeated The Miz and R-Truth, though The Rock gave Cena a ''Rock Bottom'' in the ending.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2011/cena-rock-miz-truth|title=The Miz and R-Truth vs. John Cena and The Rock|work=]|access-date=October 31, 2011|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106044824/http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2011/cena-rock-miz-truth|url-status=live}}</ref>
*''']'''
:*] (2003)


] face off at ].]]
*''']'''
Cena then began a feud with Kane, who cited his disgust for Cena's "Rise Above Hate" slogan and claimed that Cena would need to embrace the hate to defeat The Rock at WrestleMania.<ref>{{cite web |last=Murphy |first=Ryan |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2011-12-26/results |title=WWE Raw SuperShow results: Kane rises to hate |work=WWE |date=December 26, 2011 |access-date=June 9, 2012 |archive-date=September 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150917064322/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2011-12-26/results |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena fought Kane to a ] at ] on January 29, 2012,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/2012/john-cena-kane|title=John Cena vs. Kane (Double Count-Out)|work=]|author=Mitch Passero|date=January 30, 2012|access-date=January 30, 2012|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106050111/http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/2012/john-cena-kane|url-status=live}}</ref> and then defeated him in an ] on February 19 at ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Giannini|first=Alex|title=John Cena vs. Kane (Ambulance Match)|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/eliminationchamber/2012/cena-kane-ambulance-match|work=WWE|access-date=February 13, 2012|date=February 6, 2012|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106050418/http://www.wwe.com/shows/eliminationchamber/2012/cena-kane-ambulance-match|url-status=live}}</ref> At WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, Cena faced The Rock in the main event; the match ended when Cena attempted the ''People's Elbow'' on The Rock, and he countered with a ''Rock Bottom'' for the pinfall.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=April 1, 2012 |title=Caldwell's WWE WrestleMania 28 PPV report 4/1 |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_59831.shtml |access-date=April 2, 2012 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617024142/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_59831.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
:*UPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
] faces off with Cena after his return in April 2012.|left]]
The following night on ''Raw SuperShow'', Cena accepted his loss and invited The Rock to the ring so that he could congratulate him. However, his call was answered instead by the returning Brock Lesnar, who attacked Cena with an '']''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=April 2, 2012 |title=Caldwell's WWE Raw results 4/2 |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_59908.shtml |access-date=April 11, 2012 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=October 18, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018055321/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_59908.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> This led to Cena feuding with Raw and SmackDown General Manager ], who revealed that he signed Lesnar to bring "legitimacy" to the WWE and for Lesnar to become its "new face".<ref>{{cite web |last=Shoemaker |first=David |url=https://grantland.com/the-triangle/wwe-battleground-ppv-brock-lesnar-divas-paige-legitimacy-john-cena-seth-rollins/ |title=The Lesnar Effect: How Brock Has Led WWE to a New Era of Wrestling Legitimacy |work=] |date=July 16, 2015 |access-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204040151/http://grantland.com/the-triangle/wwe-battleground-ppv-brock-lesnar-divas-paige-legitimacy-john-cena-seth-rollins/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At ] on April 29, Cena defeated Lesnar in an ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=April 29, 2012 |title=Caldwell's WWE Extreme Rules PPV Report 4/29 |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_60881.shtml |access-date=April 30, 2012 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=November 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106053223/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_60881.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> He lost to Laurinaitis at ] on May 20 after interference from Big Show,<ref>{{cite web |last=Slimmer |first=Scott |url=https://411mania.com/wrestling/411s-wwe-over-the-limit-2012-report/ |title=411's WWE Over The Limit 2012 Report |work=411 Mania |date=May 20, 2012 |access-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612191233/https://411mania.com/wrestling/411s-wwe-over-the-limit-2012-report/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but at ] on June 17, Laurinaitis was fired after Cena defeated Big Show in a steel cage match with both their jobs on the line.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/2012/no-way-out-2012-results|title=No Way Out 2012 results|work=WWE|access-date=January 22, 2017|archive-date=April 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416020414/https://www.wwe.com/shows/nowayout/2012/no-way-out-2012-results|url-status=live}}</ref> The following night on ''Raw SuperShow'', Laurinatis was given one final opportunity to challenge Cena. However that night Cena defeated Laurinaitis and ] in a handicap match to end his feud with Laurinaitis.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/33503-raw-results-6-18-12/ | title=Raw Results - 6/18/12 | date=June 18, 2012 | access-date=April 27, 2023 | archive-date=April 27, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427070525/https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/33503-raw-results-6-18-12/ | url-status=live }}</ref>


Cena won the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match on July 15 at ], earning a contract for a shot at the WWE Championship anytime within a year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/moneyinthebank/2012/wwe-championship-money-in-the-bank-ladder-match|title=John Cena won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match for a WWE Championship Contract|work=]|access-date=July 15, 2012|archive-date=February 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130211070459/http://www.wwe.com/shows/moneyinthebank/2012/wwe-championship-money-in-the-bank-ladder-match|url-status=live}}</ref> On July 23, on '']'', Cena cashed in his contract on CM Punk, and won by disqualification after Big Show interfered, becoming the first person to cash in a Money in the Bank contract and not win a title.<ref>{{cite web |last=Martin |first=Todd |title=Raw 1000th Episode Report |url=http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/3-news/26687-raw-1000th-episode-report-by-todd-martin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727223650/http://www.f4wonline.com/more/more-top-stories/3-news/26687-raw-1000th-episode-report-by-todd-martin|archive-date=July 27, 2012 |work=]|date=July 23, 2012|access-date=July 23, 2012}}</ref> Cena's feud with Punk continued into ] on August 19,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2012-07-30/wwe-raw-results-26041396/page-9|title=Raw results: Raw General Manager AJ Lee gets the last laugh on WWE Champion CM Punk|work=]|access-date=July 30, 2012|archive-date=October 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001084559/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2012-07-30/wwe-raw-results-26041396/page-9|url-status=live}}</ref> where Punk retained the title against Cena and Big Show in a triple threat match,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=August 19, 2012 |title=CALDWELL'S WWE SUMMERSLAM PPV REPORT 8/19: Complete "virtual time" coverage of live PPV - Lesnar vs. Triple H, Punk vs. Cena vs. Show |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_64430.shtml#.Y1d1SHbMKUk |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=March 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329040604/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_64430.shtml#.Y1d1SHbMKUk |url-status=live }}</ref> and at ] on September 16, where they fought to a draw.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nightofchampions/2012/john-cena-cm-punk-26048109|title=WWE Champion CM Punk vs. John Cena ended in a draw|work=]|access-date=September 16, 2012|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106063025/http://www.wwe.com/shows/nightofchampions/2012/john-cena-cm-punk-26048109|url-status=live}}</ref> After being sidelined with a legitimate arm injury,<ref>{{cite web|title=John Cena undergoes arm surgery|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2012-09-17/cena-undergoes-arm-surgery-26053092|work=]|date=September 18, 2012|access-date=September 13, 2012|archive-date=July 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721082222/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2012-09-17/cena-undergoes-arm-surgery-26053092|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena returned at ] on November 18, but was pinned by Punk in a triple threat match also involving ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=November 18, 2012 |title=CALDWELL'S WWE SURVIVOR SERIES PPV REPORT 11/18: Complete "virtual time" coverage of live PPV - Punk-Cena-Ryback |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_66714.shtml#.Y1d1ynbMKUk |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=March 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329040526/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_66714.shtml#.Y1d1ynbMKUk |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena then feuded with ] over an alleged relationship with ] and at ] on December 16, he lost to Ziggler in a ] for Ziggler's World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract, after AJ turned on Cena.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwetlc/2012/john-cena-dolph-ziggler-26073199|title=WWE.com: Dolph Ziggler def. John Cena (Ladder Match for the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract)|last=Styles|first=Irfan Nasir|date=December 16, 2012|work=]|access-date=December 16, 2012|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106064732/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwetlc/2012/john-cena-dolph-ziggler-26073199|url-status=live}}</ref> The following night on ''Raw'', Cena teamed with ] to face Ziggler and AJ in a mixed tag team match which ended in a disqualification after Cena was attacked by the debuting ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=December 17, 2012 |title=CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 12/17 - The strangest show of the year concludes with the debut of a new monster heel; Ric Flair returns |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_67322.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=May 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513182452/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_67322.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena defeated Ziggler on the January 7 episode of ''Raw'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=January 7, 2013 |title=Caldwell's WWE Raw Results 1/7 - WWE Title match, The Rock returns, Cena vs. Ziggler |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_67712.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=April 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404122913/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_67712.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> and again in a steel cage match the following week, despite interference from AJ and Langston in both matches, ending the feud.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=January 14, 2013 |title=Caldwell's WWE Raw Results 1/14: Live, in-person results from 20th Anniv. show - Rock Concert, off-air happenings, more |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_67856.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=November 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116105302/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_67856.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
*''']'''
:*] (]) (current)
:*] (])


On January 27, 2013, Cena won his second ] match,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/2013/royal-rumble-match-26080784/page-5 |title=Full list of Royal Rumble Match participants and eliminations |work=] |date=January 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131095418/http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/2013/royal-rumble-match-26080784/page-5 |archive-date=January 31, 2013 |access-date=January 28, 2012 }}</ref> announcing that he would pursue the WWE Championship at ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=January 28, 2013 |title=Caldwell's WWE Raw Results 1/28 - Lesnar returns, Rock's first night as champ, Heyman-McMahon |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_68224.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=March 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330170245/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_68224.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena, along with Ryback and Sheamus,<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=February 4, 2013 |title=CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 2/4 - WWE explains many things, Punk-Jericho main event, Bruno HOF Video |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_68402.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=April 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403011539/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_68402.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> began feuding with The Shield, culminating in a six-man tag team match on February 17 at ], which The Shield won.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=February 17, 2013 |title=Caldwell's WWE Elimination Chamber PPV Results 2/17: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of Rock-Punk II, Elimination Chamber match, Shield beats Team Cena |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_68713.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=March 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329074406/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_68713.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> On the February 25 episode of ''Raw'', Cena defeated CM Punk to reaffirm his status as the #1 contender for the Rock's WWE Championship.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=February 25, 2013 |title=CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 2/25 - Cena vs. Punk Instant Classic, Heyman-McMahon "fight," big returns, but did Taker return? |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_68918.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405202727/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_68918.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> At WrestleMania on April 7, Cena defeated Rock in their rematch to win his eleventh WWE Championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_69830.shtml|title=CALDWELL'S WWE WRESTLEMANIA 29 PPV Results: Rock-Cena II, Taker-Punk, Lesnar-Hunter, more|work=PW Torch|access-date=December 29, 2019|archive-date=April 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403010032/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_69830.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena then began a rivalry with Ryback, during which he suffered a legitimate ] injury.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=April 28, 2013 |title=WWE NEWS: Update - John Cena injured according to WWE |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_70269.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405202726/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_70269.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena retained his championship against Ryback in a Last Man Standing match at ] on May 19; the match ended in a no contest after both men were down for a 10 count.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=May 19, 2013 |title=Caldwell's WWE Extreme Rules PPV Results 5/19 (Hour 3): Cena vs. Ryback starts third hour, Lesnar-Hunter cage match |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_70699.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405182745/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_70699.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena then defeated Ryback in a ] on June 16 at ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=June 16, 2013 |title=Caldwell's WWE Payback PPV Results 6/16 (Hour 3): Cena vs. Ryback main event, Tag Title match |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_71318.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=September 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915202801/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_71318.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> He defeated ] via submission on July 14 at ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=July 14, 2013 |title=Caldwell's WWE MITB PPV Results 7/14 (Hour 3) - Cena vs. Henry, MITB All-Stars |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_71944.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405182739/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_71944.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> At ] on August 18, Cena lost the WWE Championship to Daniel Bryan, with Triple H as the ] ending his reign at 133 days.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=August 18, 2013 |title=Caldwell's WWE Slam PPV Results 8/18 (Hour 3): Cena vs. Bryan WWE Title main event, did Orton cash in? |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_72779.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=August 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822061736/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_72779.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> The following night on ''Raw'', Cena announced he would undergo surgery for a triceps tear and would be out for four to six months.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=August 19, 2013 |title=Raw News: Cena gone 4–6 months, Triple H explanation, WWE Title & World Title pictures, RVD, new tag team, more |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_72813.shtml |access-date=August 20, 2013 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=July 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709015640/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/WWE_News_3/article_72813.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>
==Outside of wrestling==
===Music===
]''.]]
In addition to his time in the ring, Cena is a rap music artist. He performed his fifth WWE entrance song, "Basic Thugonomics," which was featured on the WWE soundtrack album ''WWE Originals''. His track "Untouchables" was featured on ''Theme Addict'', another WWE soundtrack album. His debut album, which he recorded alongside his cousin ], '']'' features his current entrance theme "The Time is Now". The first single from the ''You Can't See Me'' album was "Bad, Bad Man", a ] of which featured a parody of 1980s culture and the television show '']''. A second video was later made for the second single, "Right Now", and premiered on the August 8 edition of ''RAW''.


==== World championship pursuits and reigns (2013–2015) ====
John Cena has worked with several personalities in the Hip-Hop industry, such as ] (Bumpy Knuckles), ], ] (including a music video), ] and ]. He and ] were also featured in ''SmackDown!'' magazine and MTV.com. Cena and Tha Trademarc are also featured on a track by ] named "Champion Scratch." Cena was also the only professional wrestler to ever perform on ]'s long running ].
Cena returned at ] on October 27, defeating Alberto Del Rio to win his third World Heavyweight Championship.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=October 27, 2013 |title=Caldwell's WWE HIAC PPV Results (Hour 2): Cena returns in World Title match, Punk vs. Ryback HIAC match |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_74179.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406020618/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_74179.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> He retained the title against ] on the October 28 episode of ''Raw'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=October 28, 2013 |title=Caldwell's WWE Raw Results 10/28 (Hour 1): Cena opens Raw, Sandow attempts MITB cash-in, Shield |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_74218.shtml |access-date=December 29, 2019 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405202725/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_74218.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> and Alberto Del Rio in a rematch on November 24 at ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Plummer |first=Dale |date=November 25, 2013 |title=Dull Survivor Series proves it isn't what it used to be |url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2013/11/25/dull-survivor-series-proves-it-isnt-what-it-used-to-be/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |work=Slam! Wrestling |archive-date=October 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014013405/https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2013/11/25/dull-survivor-series-proves-it-isnt-what-it-used-to-be/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena next challenged then-] Randy Orton to unify their respective championships, with ] agreeing and arranging for a Tables, Ladders and Chairs title unification match at ] on December 15, which Cena lost.<ref>{{cite web|last=Clapp|first=John|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwetlc/2013/john-cena-randy-orton-26166358|title=World Heavyweight Champion John Cena vs. WWE Champion Randy Orton (Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match)|work=]|date=November 25, 2013|access-date=December 3, 2013|archive-date=June 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620052021/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwetlc/2013/john-cena-randy-orton-26166358|url-status=live}}</ref> A rematch occurred at the ] for the now unified WWE World Heavyweight Championship on January 26, where Cena lost after being distracted by ].<ref>{{cite web|title=WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton def. John Cena|author=Anthony Benigno|work=]|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/2014/john-cena-randy-orton-wwe-world-heavyweight-championship-26173053/page-3|access-date=January 22, 2017|archive-date=July 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724214616/http://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/2014/john-cena-randy-orton-wwe-world-heavyweight-championship-26173053/page-3|url-status=live}}</ref> At ] on February 23, their interference caused Cena's elimination in the Elimination Chamber match.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=February 23, 2014 |title=WWE E. CHAMBER PPV RESULTS 2/23 (Hour 3): Elimination Chamber WWE Title main event |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/PPV_Reports_5/article_76568.shtml#.Y1d8NXbMKUk |access-date=October 24, 2022 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=April 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401051656/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/PPV_Reports_5/article_76568.shtml#.Y1d8NXbMKUk |url-status=live }}</ref>


{{quote box|width=30%|align=right|quote=I know how John Cena feuds tend to work. He loses one match, then wins the next two or three. Look at ] and ] as examples. These feuds don't really help talent. They're established... as definitively below Cena. This is a running theme in WWE booking. Owens]] is... worse off than he would have been if he had never had the second and third matches with Cena.|source= — ''Pro Wrestling Dot Net'' analyst Will Pruett in July 2015<ref>{{cite web|last=Pruett|first=Will|title=Pruett's Pause: WWE Battleground 2015|url=http://www.prowrestling.net/article.php?43214|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|access-date=21 July 2015|archive-date=April 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405002627/https://prowrestling.net/article.php?43214|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
===Film===
], a division of World Wrestling Entertainment which produces and finances motion pictures, produced Cena's first movie &mdash; '']'', which was distributed theatrically by ] America beginning on ], 2006.
He is also set to star in another film which is to begin production after '']''.


After Elimination Chamber, ] accepted Cena's challenge for a ] match.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=March 10, 2014 |title=Caldwell's WWE Raw results 3/10 – Bryan "hi-jacks" Raw, Taker & Hogan back on TV, Cena vs. Wyatts feud continues |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_76923.shtml |access-date=April 3, 2014 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=April 14, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140414030353/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_76923.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Wyatt wanted to prove that Cena's heroic act was a façade characteristic of "this era of lies" and to turn Cena into a "monster".<ref>{{cite web|title=John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/30/john-cena-bray-wyatt-26191422 |work=]|access-date=April 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314144145/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/30/john-cena-bray-wyatt-26191422|archive-date=March 14, 2014}}</ref> At WrestleMania on April 6, Cena defeated Wyatt despite interference from ] and ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=April 6, 2014 |title=WrestleMania 30 PPV results (Hour 2): Complete "virtual-time" coverage of Cena vs. Bray, big moment for Cesaro in the Andre Battle Royal, Shield vs. Outlaws |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/PPV_Reports_5/article_77520.shtml |access-date=April 10, 2014 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=April 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140410073537/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/PPV_Reports_5/article_77520.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> The feud continued after WrestleMania based on the story that Wyatt was capturing Cena's fanbase, exemplified by Wyatt leading a children's choir to the ring on the April 28 episode of ''Raw'', where they later donned sheep masks.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=April 28, 2014 |title=Caldwell's WWE Raw result 4/28 – final PPV hype, Bryan returns from injury, Flair, Tag Title match, Tourney Finals, more |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_78047.shtml |access-date=May 6, 2014 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=May 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502235806/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_78047.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> At ] on May 4, Wyatt defeated Cena in a ] after repeated interference from the rest of the Wyatt Family members and a demonic child.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=May 4, 2014 |title=Caldwell's Extreme Rules PPV results 5/4 – Bryan vs. Kane, Evolution vs. Shield, Cena vs. Wyatt steel cage match. |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/PPV_Reports_5/article_78185.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140506113832/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/PPV_Reports_5/article_78185.shtml |archive-date=May 6, 2014 |access-date=May 6, 2014 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch}}</ref> At ] on June 1, Cena defeated Wyatt in a well received Last Man Standing match to end their feud; Cena buried Wyatt under multiple equipment cases to win the match.<ref>{{cite web |last=Asher |first=Matthew |title=Shield gets suicidal and Cena looks for some Payback against Wyatt |url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2014/06/01/21709566.html |access-date=June 2, 2014 |work=SLAM! Wrestling |publisher=] |archive-date=June 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140602050509/http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2014/06/01/21709566.html |url-status=usurped }}</ref>
===Fashion===
Cena's attire in and out of the ring reflects the old school ] that his ] represents. He previously wore ]s, though now he generally wears WWE produced "Chain Gang" related merchandise. He has also worn a chain with a ] on it to the ring which was at times utilized as a weapon. This chain was replaced by a ] "Chain Gang" spinner medallion after his ''WrestleMania 21'' WWE Title win that was very reminiscent of the ones worn by members of ].


On the June 16 episode of ''Raw'', Cena defeated ] in a ] to qualify for the ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship at ] on June 29, where he won his 15th world championship.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=June 29, 2014 |title=CALDWELL'S WWE MITB PPV RESULTS 6/29: Ongoing "virtual-time" coverage of WWE Title ladder match, MITB match, more |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_79316.shtml#.Y1d97XbMKUm |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072251/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_79316.shtml#.Y1d97XbMKUm |url-status=live }}</ref> He retained the title at ] on July 20 in a fatal four-way match against ], Randy Orton and Kane.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 18, 2014 |title=WWE Battleground 2014 results |url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwebattleground/2014/wwe-battleground-2014-results |website=WWE |access-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072248/https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwebattleground/2014/wwe-battleground-2014-results |url-status=live }}</ref> At ] on August 17, Cena lost the championship to Brock Lesnar in a ], during which Lesnar hit Cena with sixteen ]es and two ''F-5s'', ending his reign at 49 days.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hooton |first=Christopher |title=WWE SummerSlam 2014 results: Brock Lesnar destroys John Cena while Stephanie McMahon steals the show |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/wwe-mma-wrestling/wwe-summerslam-2014-results-how-did-brock-lesnar-john-cena-and-roman-reigns-get-on-9675284.html |work=] |date=August 19, 2014 |access-date=November 5, 2014 |archive-date=November 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141120212356/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/wwe-mma-wrestling/wwe-summerslam-2014-results-how-did-brock-lesnar-john-cena-and-roman-reigns-get-on-9675284.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena invoked his title rematch clause against Lesnar for ] on September 21, nearly winning before ] attacked him to cause a disqualification. Despite this, he became the first wrestler to defeat Lesnar in two WWE pay-per-view events.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=September 21, 2014 |title=Caldwell's WWE NoC PPV Report 9/21 – Lesnar vs. Cena |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_80844.shtml |access-date=September 21, 2014 |website=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=September 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924044919/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_80844.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena then began feuding with ] for the right to face Rollins at ] on October 26, but Ambrose won the right by defeating Cena in a No Holds Barred ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tedesco |first1=Mike |date=October 14, 2014 |title=WWE RAW Results – 10/13/14 (John Cena vs. Dean Ambrose) |url=http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/51183-wwe-raw-results-10-13-14-live-results-from-atlanta |access-date=October 14, 2014 |work=WrestleView |archive-date=December 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205190302/http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/51183-wwe-raw-results-10-13-14-live-results-from-atlanta |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena faced Randy Orton instead in a Hell in a Cell match to determine the #1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, which Cena won.<ref>{{cite web|last=Burdick|first=Michael|title=WWE Hell in a Cell 2014 results|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/hellinacell/2014/john-cena-randy-orton-26725117|work=WWE|access-date=October 26, 2014|archive-date=November 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106073946/http://www.wwe.com/shows/hellinacell/2014/john-cena-randy-orton-26725117|url-status=live}}</ref>
When Cena was part of the ''SmackDown!'' brand, his apparel bearing the suggestive ] "'''R'''uck '''F'''ules" was censored when he wore it on camera. They were not censored by ], but by WWE to sell more shirts under the premise that it was "too hot for TV".


] in 2014.]]
Around the time Cena's film, '']'', was released he began wearing attire more military related, including ] shorts, ]s and a T-Shirt with the words "Chain Gang Assault Battalion", reflecting his new ] soldier gimmick.
On the October 27 episode of ''Raw'', Cena rejected The Authority's offer to join forces, resulting in a ] between Team Cena and Team Authority at ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Tedesco|first=Mike|title=WWE RAW Results – 10/27/14 (John Cena vs. Seth Rollins)|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/51368-wwe-raw-results-10-27-14-live-results-from-san-antonio|work=WrestleView|access-date=October 28, 2014|date=October 28, 2014|archive-date=October 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018025200/http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/51368-wwe-raw-results-10-27-14-live-results-from-san-antonio|url-status=live}}</ref> His team consisted of Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Erick Rowan and Ryback. At Survivor Series on November 23, Big Show turned on Cena, causing his elimination, but Ziggler eventually won the match for Team Cena with the interfering ]'s help. Per the match stipulation, The Authority were stripped from power and only Cena could bring them back.<ref>{{cite web |last=Murphy |first=Ryan |title=Team Cena def. Team Authority |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2014/team-cena-team-authority-traditional-survivor-series-elimination-match-26758255 |work=WWE |access-date=November 23, 2014 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905215130/http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2014/team-cena-team-authority-traditional-survivor-series-elimination-match-26758255 |url-status=live }}</ref> At ] on December 14, Cena defeated Rollins in a tables match to retain his WWE World Heavyweight Championship #1 contender status. It was then announced that Cena would face Lesnar for the title at the ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Murphy |first=Ryan |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwetlc/2014/john-cena-seth-rollins-tables-match-26847148 |title=John Cena def. Seth Rollins (Tables Match) |work=WWE |access-date=December 14, 2014 |archive-date=December 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213094838/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwetlc/2014/john-cena-seth-rollins-tables-match-26847148 |url-status=live }}</ref> On the December 29 episode of ''Raw'', Rollins and Big Show held guest host Edge hostage, forcing Cena to reinstate The Authority.<ref>{{cite web |last=Keller |first=Wade |date=December 29, 2014 |title=Keller's WWE Raw report 12/29: Lesnar and Heyman show up, Ziggler vs. Rusev in a champion vs. champion match, Edge & Christian host, Bryan's big announcement |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_82500.shtml |access-date=December 31, 2014 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303193134/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_82500.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> On the January 5 episode of ''Raw'', The Authority added Rollins to the title match at Royal Rumble involving Cena and Lesnar. Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan were "fired" for joining Team Cena at Survivor Series.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tedesco |first=Mike |title=WWE Raw Results – 1/5/15 (The Authority resumes power) |url=http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/52403-wwe-raw-results-1-5-15-live-results-from-corpus-christi |work=WrestleView |access-date=January 6, 2015 |date=January 6, 2015 |archive-date=June 17, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617051739/http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/52403-wwe-raw-results-1-5-15-live-results-from-corpus-christi |url-status=live }}</ref> On the January 19 episode of ''Raw'', Cena won a ] against Rollins, Big Show and Kane to retain his title shot at the Royal Rumble and win back the jobs of Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=January 19, 2015 |title=Caldwell's WWE Raw Results 1/19 – final Rumble hype, big "Legends Reunion" theme, Brock Lesnar, Bryan's Raw in-ring return, more |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_82830.shtml |access-date=July 31, 2016 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304001448/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_82830.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> At the Royal Rumble on January 25, Cena was unsuccessful in capturing the title.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=January 25, 2016 |title=Royal Rumble PPV Report 1/25: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of Lesnar vs. Cena vs. Rollins for WWE Title, Royal Rumble, post-PPV Network show |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_82945.shtml |access-date=January 26, 2015 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=January 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150127230727/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_82945.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>


] for the United States Championship at ]]]
===Guest appearances===
Prior to his WWE debut, Cena made a guest appearance on the ] show ''Go Sick'' in 2001 as '''Bruebaker''', an angry, cursing wrestler.


==== United States Champion (2015–2016) ====
During his WWE career, Cena has appeared on '']'' numerous times.
Cena then began feuding with United States Champion ], and at ] on February 22, Cena failed to win the title from Rusev after passing out from his submission, the ]. Rusev had hit Cena with a ] following a distraction by his manager ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=February 22, 2015 |title=WWE Fast Lane PPV results 2/22: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of Bryan vs. Reigns, Cena vs. Rusev, Sting-Hunter confrontation, final PPV before WM31 |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_83486.shtml |access-date=February 23, 2015 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=March 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330044633/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_83486.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena challenged Rusev to a rematch, which was declined, and Stephanie McMahon decreed that Cena would not compete at ] unless Rusev agreed to a rematch.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=March 2, 2015 |title=WWE Raw results 3/2 – Heyman speaks for Lesnar, Rollins-Daily Show angle, WM31 build continues |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_83632.shtml |access-date=March 3, 2015 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=June 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615060027/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wwerawreport/article_83632.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> On the March 9 episode of ''Raw'', Cena attacked Rusev, refusing to release the ''STF'' submission hold, causing Lana to grant Cena the match.<ref>{{cite web|last=Tedesco|first=Mike|title=WWE RAW Results – 3/9/15 (Orton gets revenge on Rollins)|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/53407-wwe-raw-results-3-9-15-live-results-from-pittsburgh|work=WrestleView|access-date=March 10, 2015|date=March 10, 2015|archive-date=July 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702185734/http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/53407-wwe-raw-results-3-9-15-live-results-from-pittsburgh|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena defeated Rusev at WrestleMania on March 29 to win his fourth United States Championship, marking Rusev's first pinfall loss in the main roster.<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Cena def. United States Champion Rusev |url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/31/rusev-john-cena |access-date=January 22, 2023 |publisher=WWE |archive-date=April 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416000813/https://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/31/rusev-john-cena |url-status=live }}</ref>
*He first appeared on the ] ] episode in order to promote his CD, ], and WWE in general.
*He appeared again on ] ] to promote '']'' and '']''.


Cena issued an open challenge each week on the program with his United States Championship on the line, successfully defending the title against the likes of Dean Ambrose,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nemer |first=Paul |date=March 31, 2015 |title=WWE RAW Results – 3/30/15 (Night after WrestleMania 31) |url=https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/53827-wwe-raw-results-3-30-15-live-results-from-san-jose/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WrestleView |archive-date=December 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204233448/https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/53827-wwe-raw-results-3-30-15-live-results-from-san-jose/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Stardust,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nemer |first=Paul |date=April 7, 2015 |title=WWE RAW Results – 4/6/15 (New No. 1 Contender) |url=https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/53916-wwe-raw-results-4-6-15-live-results-from-austin/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WrestleView |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072251/https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/53916-wwe-raw-results-4-6-15-live-results-from-austin/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Bad News Barrett,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Adam |date=April 14, 2015 |title=WWE RAW Results – 4/13/15 (Extreme Rules PPV stipulation) |url=https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/54019-wwe-raw-results-4-13-15-live-coverage-from-london/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WrestleView |archive-date=April 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415175836/https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/54019-wwe-raw-results-4-13-15-live-coverage-from-london/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Kane,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nemer |first=Paul |date=April 21, 2015 |title=WWE RAW Results - 4/20/15 (Final hype for Extreme Rules) |url=https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/54114-wwe-raw-results-4-20-15-live-results-from-albany/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WrestleView |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072256/https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/54114-wwe-raw-results-4-20-15-live-results-from-albany/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nemer |first=Paul |date=May 5, 2015 |title=WWE RAW Results – 5/4/15 (Changes to Payback main event) |url=https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/54301-wwe-raw-results-5-4-15-live-results-from-montreal/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WrestleView |archive-date=May 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505061441/https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/54301-wwe-raw-results-5-4-15-live-results-from-montreal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nemer |first=Paul |date=May 12, 2015 |title=WWE RAW Results – 5/11/15 (Final hype for WWE Payback) |url=https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/54400-wwe-raw-results-5-11-15-live-results-from-cincinnati/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WrestleView |archive-date=May 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150513131224/https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/54400-wwe-raw-results-5-11-15-live-results-from-cincinnati/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nemer |first=Paul |date=May 26, 2015 |title=WWE RAW Results – 5/25/15 (Title match is made official) |url=https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/54571-wwe-raw-results-5-25-15-live-results-from-uniondale/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WrestleView |archive-date=May 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526070411/https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/54571-wwe-raw-results-5-25-15-live-results-from-uniondale/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nemer |first=Paul |date=July 7, 2015 |title=WWE RAW Results – 7/6/15 (Brock Lesnar runs wild) |url=https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/55158-wwe-raw-results-7-6-15-live-results-from-chicago/ |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=WrestleView |archive-date=July 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708015136/https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/55158-wwe-raw-results-7-6-15-live-results-from-chicago/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena retained his title against Rusev in a ] on April 26 at ]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=April 26, 2015 |title=CALDWELL'S EXTREME RULES PPV REPORT 4/26: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live PPV - Rollins vs. Orton steel cage, Cena vs. Rusev, Last Man Standing, more |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_84687.shtml#.Y1eIo3bMKUl |access-date=October 24, 2022 |website=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072248/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_84687.shtml#.Y1eIo3bMKUl |url-status=live }}</ref> and an "I Quit" match on May 17 at ], ending their feud.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=May 17, 2015 |title=CALDWELL'S PAYBACK PPV REPORT 5/17: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of four-way WWE Title match, I Quit War, more |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_85054.shtml#.Y1eIqXbMKUl |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025072249/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_85054.shtml#.Y1eIqXbMKUl |url-status=live }}</ref> The following night on ''Raw'', Cena was attacked by then-] ], setting up a ] at ] on May 31, which Owens won.<ref>{{cite web|last=Melok|first=Bobby|title=NXT Champion Kevin Owens def. United States Champion John Cena (Champion vs. Champion Match: Non-Title)|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/eliminationchamber/2015/john-cena-vs-kevin-owens-27409543|work=WWE|access-date=May 31, 2015|archive-date=October 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022013057/http://www.wwe.com/shows/eliminationchamber/2015/john-cena-vs-kevin-owens-27409543|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena defeated Owens in a rematch at ] on June 14.<ref>{{cite web |last=Laboon |first=Jeff |title=John Cena def. Kevin Owens |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/moneyinthebank/2015/john-cena-kevin-owens-27450146 |work=WWE |access-date=June 14, 2015 |archive-date=June 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602214438/http://www.wwe.com/shows/moneyinthebank/2015/john-cena-kevin-owens-27450146 |url-status=live }}</ref> On July 4 at ], Cena and Dolph Ziggler defeated Kane and King Barrett.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=July 4, 2015 |title=CALDWELL'S WWE NETWORK SPECIAL REPORT 7/4: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of "Beast in the East" - Lesnar's in-ring return, Owens vs. Balor for NXT Title, more |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_86018.shtml#.Y1eJ6nbMKUm |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=December 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211004350/https://www.pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_86018.shtml#.Y1eJ6nbMKUm |url-status=live }}</ref> After defeating Owens again at ] on July 19 to retain the United States Championship and end their feud,<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=July 19, 2015 |title=WWE PPVs CALDWELL'S WWE BATTLEGROUND PPV REPORT 7/19 – Rollins vs. Lesnar, Cena vs. Owens III, Orton returns home, more |url=http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_86322.shtml |access-date=July 19, 2015 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=July 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722175332/http://pwtorch.com/artman2/publish/wweppvs/article_86322.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena resumed his feud with then WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, with Rollins refusing Cena's challenges for the title. On the July 27 episode of ''Raw'', The Authority forced Cena to defend the title against Rollins, which he did successfully despite suffering a legitimate ] during the match.<ref>{{cite web |last=Orr |first=James |date=July 29, 2015 |title=John Cena nose: WWE star suffers horrific broken nose in RAW main event against Seth Rollins |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/wwe-mma-wrestling/john-cena-nose-wwe-us-champion-suffers-horrific-broken-nose-in-raw-main-event-against-seth-rollins-10421497.html |access-date=June 12, 2022 |work=] |archive-date=February 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202095620/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/wwe-mma-wrestling/john-cena-nose-wwe-us-champion-suffers-horrific-broken-nose-in-raw-main-event-against-seth-rollins-10421497.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena then faced Rollins in a "Winner Takes All" match at ] on August 23, for both the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the United States Championship, which Cena lost after guest host ], appearing to side with Cena, attacked him with a steel chair, ending Cena's reign at 147 days.<ref>{{cite web |last=Artus |first=Matthew |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/2015/seth-rollins-john-cena-27759334 |title=WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins def. United States Champion John Cena in a Winner Takes All Match |work=WWE |access-date=August 23, 2015 |archive-date=October 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024035930/http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/2015/seth-rollins-john-cena-27759334 |url-status=live }}</ref>
He has also appeared on popular morning radio shows
*He appeared on the show on their Show and later their Show on ] ] contributing to their walkover.
*He appeared on the show on on ] ].


Cena defeated Rollins to win the title for the fifth time on September 20 at ], a record in the WWE ownership era of the title.<ref>{{cite web|last=Melok|first=Bobby|title=John Cena def. Seth Rollins to win the United States Championship|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nightofchampions/2015/seth-rollins-john-cena-united-states-championship-27892611|work=WWE|access-date=September 20, 2015|archive-date=October 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024233853/http://www.wwe.com/shows/nightofchampions/2015/seth-rollins-john-cena-united-states-championship-27892611|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena retained his title against Rollins in a steel cage match on October 3 at ],<ref>{{cite web|title=United States Champion John Cena def. Seth Rollins in a Steel Cage Match|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/network-live-msg-lesnar-big-show/2015-10-03/results-28001373/page-7|work=]|access-date=October 3, 2015|archive-date=October 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008160813/http://www.wwe.com/shows/network-live-msg-lesnar-big-show/2015-10-03/results-28001373/page-7|url-status=live}}</ref> while also restarting his open challenges. At ] on October 25, Cena lost the title to the returning Alberto Del Rio in an open challenge.<ref>{{cite web|last=Artus|first=Matthew|title=Alberto Del Rio def. U.S. Champion John Cena in the U.S. Open Challenge|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/hellinacell/2015/us-open-challenge-28045059|work=WWE|access-date=October 25, 2015|archive-date=November 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117025939/http://www.wwe.com/shows/hellinacell/2015/us-open-challenge-28045059|url-status=live}}</ref> After a hiatus, Cena returned on the December 28 episode of ''Raw'', defeating Del Rio by disqualification in a rematch for the title.<ref>{{cite web|last=Martin|first=Adam|title=WWE RAW Results – 12/28/15 (John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio)|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/57272-wwe-raw-results-12-28-15-live-results-from-brooklyn|work=Wrestleview|access-date=December 29, 2015|date=December 29, 2015|archive-date=January 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101121402/http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/57272-wwe-raw-results-12-28-15-live-results-from-brooklyn|url-status=live}}</ref> On January 7, he underwent surgery on a shoulder injury, which would keep him out of action for an undisclosed length of time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/john-cena-surgery-january-2016|title=John Cena undergoes shoulder surgery|last=Wortman|first=James|date=January 8, 2016|access-date=January 13, 2016|work=WWE|archive-date=February 26, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226195553/https://www.wwe.com/inside/john-cena-surgery-january-2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
Other appearances have included '']'', ] ''Daily Download'', ]'s '']'', ], ]'s ''Training Camp'' (with Shelton Benjamin) and an August 2006 appearance on MTV's ], where he was the victim of a practical joke. He's also served as a co-presenter, with ], at the 2005 ], and as a guest judge on '']''.


==== Feud with AJ Styles (2016–2017) ====
==Personal information==
Cena returned at ] on April 3, 2016, helping The Rock fend off The Wyatt Family.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=April 3, 2016 |title=4/3 WrestleMania 32 PPV Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Live Report on Main PPV |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/04/03/wm32liveresults/ |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=April 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403072551/https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/04/03/wm32liveresults/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena then made his full return on the Memorial Day edition of ''Raw'' on May 30, four months earlier than had been expected for his type of injury.<ref>{{cite web|last=Pappolla|first=Ryan|title=John Cena announces his return date on Twitter|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/article/john-cena-announces-return-twitter|work=WWE|access-date=April 27, 2016|archive-date=May 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514141522/http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/article/john-cena-announces-return-twitter|url-status=live}}</ref> He was confronted by ], only to be betrayed by Styles, who joined his former Club teammates ] in attacking Cena.<ref>{{cite web|last=Tedesco|first=Mike|title=WWE RAW Results – 5/30/16 (Live results from Green Bay, AJ Styles and The Club attack John Cena, six man tag main event)|url=http://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/62559-wwe-raw-results-53016-john-cena-returns-ziggler-vs-corbin/|work=Wrestleview|access-date=May 30, 2016|date=May 30, 2016|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209121734/https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-wrestling-results/wwe-raw-results/62559-wwe-raw-results-53016-john-cena-returns-ziggler-vs-corbin/|url-status=live}}</ref> On June 19 at ],<ref>{{cite web|last=Clapp|first=John|title=John Cena vs. AJ Styles|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/moneyinthebank/2016/john-cena-aj-styles|work=WWE|access-date=June 3, 2016|archive-date=May 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529065908/https://www.wwe.com/shows/moneyinthebank/2016/john-cena-aj-styles|url-status=live}}</ref> Styles defeated Cena with interference from Gallows and Anderson.<ref>{{cite web|last=Caldwell|first=James|title=6/19 WWE MITB PPV Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Live Report|url=http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/06/19/619-wwe-mitb-ppv-results-caldwells-ongoing-live-report/|work=PW Torch|access-date=June 19, 2016|archive-date=June 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625124902/http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/06/19/619-wwe-mitb-ppv-results-caldwells-ongoing-live-report/|url-status=live}}</ref> On the July 4 episode of ''Raw'', Cena was again attacked by The Club, but was saved by ],<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=July 4, 2016 |title=7/4 WWE Raw Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Live TV Report |url=http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/07/04/rawjuly4results/ |access-date=July 4, 2016 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=February 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212180550/https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/07/04/rawjuly4resultsfinal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> setting up a six-man tag team match on July 24 at ],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Clapp |first=John |title=John Cena, Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. The Club |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwebattleground/2016/john-cena-enzo-amore-big-cass-club |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=WWE |archive-date=July 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709170423/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwebattleground/2016/john-cena-enzo-amore-big-cass-club |url-status=live }}</ref> which Cena, Amore, and Cass won after Cena pinned Styles.<ref>{{cite web|last=Powers|first=Kevin|title=John Cena, Enzo Amore & Big Cass def. The Club|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwebattleground/2016/john-cena-enzo-amore-big-cass-the-club-result|work=WWE|access-date=July 24, 2016|archive-date=August 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806140202/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwebattleground/2016/john-cena-enzo-amore-big-cass-the-club-result|url-status=live}}</ref> On the July 19 episode of ''SmackDown'' at the ], Cena was drafted to the SmackDown brand, while also defeating Club member ] in a singles contest.<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 WWE Draft results: WWE officially ushers in New Era|url=http://www.wwe.com/2016-wwe-draft-results|work=WWE|access-date=July 19, 2016|archive-date=July 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160720044640/http://www.wwe.com/2016-wwe-draft-results|url-status=live}}</ref> At ] on August 21,<ref>{{cite web|last=Clapp|first=John|title=John Cena vs. AJ Styles|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/2016/john-cena-vs-aj-styles|work=WWE|access-date=August 2, 2016|archive-date=May 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529065906/https://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/2016/john-cena-vs-aj-styles|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena lost to Styles in a rematch.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caldwell |first=James |date=August 21, 2016 |title=8/21 WWE Summerslam Results – CALDWELL'S Complete Live Report |url=http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/08/21/summerslam2016resultsfinal/ |access-date=August 21, 2016 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=August 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160823124530/http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/08/21/summerslam2016resultsfinal/ |url-status=live }}</ref> With Styles later winning the renamed WWE World Championship, Cena challenged him and Dean Ambrose in a triple threat match for the title on October 9 at ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Benigno|first=Anthony|title=WWE World Champion AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nomercy/2016/aj-styles-vs-dean-ambrose-vs-john-cena|work=WWE|access-date=September 13, 2016|archive-date=October 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010224207/http://www.wwe.com/shows/nomercy/2016/aj-styles-vs-dean-ambrose-vs-john-cena|url-status=live}}</ref> He lost the match after being pinned by Styles, which came after Ambrose and Cena simultaneously made Styles submit, therefore restarting the match.<ref>{{cite web|last=Silverstein|first=Adam|title=WWE No Mercy 2016 results: Ziggler wins intercontinental title, Styles retains|url=http://www.cbssports.com/general/news/wwe-no-mercy-2016-results-live-updates-matches-card-start-time-highlights/|work=]|date=October 10, 2016|access-date=October 13, 2016|archive-date=July 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729200606/https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/wwe-no-mercy-2016-results-live-updates-matches-card-start-time-highlights/|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena took a sabbatical from WWE to film '']'' season 2.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pritchard |first=Bill |date=August 5, 2016 |title=John Cena Taking Off More Time For American Grit Season 2?, Nikki Bella / Return Note, Lashley Wants To Make History (Video) |url=https://www.wrestlezone.com/news/736617-john-cena-taking-off-more-time-for-american-grit-season-2-nikki-bella-return-note-lashley-wants-to-make-history-video |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=Wrestlezone |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025212219/https://www.wrestlezone.com/news/736617-john-cena-taking-off-more-time-for-american-grit-season-2-nikki-bella-return-note-lashley-wants-to-make-history-video |url-status=live }}</ref>
Cena's father, ], works in the professional wrestling business as "Johnny Fabulous", an announcer for New England based ], as well as acting as "commissioner" for East Coast Championship Wrestling.


On January 29, 2017, Cena defeated Styles at the ] to win the WWE Championship and tie ] for the most recognized world title reigns at 16.<ref>{{cite web|last=Powell|first=Jason|title=1/29 Powell's WWE Royal Rumble 2017 live review: AJ Styles vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship, Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns in a No DQ match for the WWE Universal Championship with Chris Jericho in a shark cage|url=http://prowrestling.net/site/2017/01/29/129-powells-wwe-royal-rumble-2017-live-review-aj-styles-vs-john-cena-wwe-championship-kevin-owens-vs-roman-reigns-no-dq-match-wwe-universal-championship-chris-jeri/|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|access-date=January 29, 2017|date=January 29, 2017|archive-date=July 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728084158/http://prowrestling.net/site/2017/01/29/129-powells-wwe-royal-rumble-2017-live-review-aj-styles-vs-john-cena-wwe-championship-kevin-owens-vs-roman-reigns-no-dq-match-wwe-universal-championship-chris-jeri/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|Although Ric Flair has won more world championships, several of these reigns are unrecognized by WWE, with the number 16 having been called "WWE mythology".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Meltzer |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Meltzer |date=February 6, 2017 |title=February 6, 2017 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Royal Rumble review, Ronda Rousey retired, more | magazine=] |location=] |issn=1083-9593 | pages=6–7}}</ref>}} However, Cena would lose the championship two weeks later in an Elimination Chamber match at ] on February 12 to Bray Wyatt.<ref>{{cite web|last=Powell|first=Jason|title=2/12 Powell's WWE Elimination Chamber 2017 live review: John Cena vs. AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz vs. Baron Corbin vs. Bray Wyatt in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship|url=http://prowrestling.net/site/2017/02/12/212-powells-wwe-elimination-chamber-2017-live-review-john-cena-vs-aj-styles-vs-dean-ambrose-vs-miz-vs-baron-corbin-vs-bray-wyatt-elimination-chamber-match-wwe/|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|access-date=February 12, 2017|archive-date=February 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213164217/http://prowrestling.net/site/2017/02/12/212-powells-wwe-elimination-chamber-2017-live-review-john-cena-vs-aj-styles-vs-dean-ambrose-vs-miz-vs-baron-corbin-vs-bray-wyatt-elimination-chamber-match-wwe/|url-status=live}}</ref> Two nights later on ''SmackDown Live'', Cena lost a triple threat match against Wyatt for the championship in a match also featuring Styles.<ref>{{cite web |last=Keller |first=Wade |date=February 14, 2017 |title=KELLER'S WWE Smackdown Report 2/14: Ongoing coverage of Bray defending WWE Title against Cena, Elimination Chamber follow-up |url=http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2017/02/14/kellers-wwe-smackdown-report-214-ongoing-coverage-bray-defending-wwe-title-cena-elimination-chamber-follow/ |access-date=February 14, 2017 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=February 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215214716/http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2017/02/14/kellers-wwe-smackdown-report-214-ongoing-coverage-bray-defending-wwe-title-cena-elimination-chamber-follow/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena then began a feud with The Miz,<ref>{{cite web |last=Keller |first=Wade |date=February 21, 2017 |title=Keller's WWE Smackdown Report 2/21: Results of Battle Royal to determine a new no. 1 contender for WWE Championship at WrestleMania |url=http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2017/02/21/kellers-wwe-smackdown-report-221-results-battle-royal-determine-new-no-1-contender-wwe-championship-wrestlemania/ |access-date=February 21, 2017 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=February 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222194118/http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2017/02/21/kellers-wwe-smackdown-report-221-results-battle-royal-determine-new-no-1-contender-wwe-championship-wrestlemania/ |url-status=live }}</ref> with The Miz accusing Cena of being a hypocrite because of his movie commitments, while Cena accused The Miz of stealing other wrestlers' moves and personalities. The Miz's wife ] then slapped Cena before Cena and his girlfriend ] sent The Miz and Maryse retreating.<ref>{{cite web |last=Parks |first=Greg |date=February 28, 2017 |title=2/28 WWE Smackdown LIVE – Parks's Complete, Real-Time Report, including Luke Harper vs. A.J. Styles in a #1 contender's match, Mickie James vs. Becky Lynch in two-out-of-three falls |url=http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2017/02/28/228-wwe-smackdown-live-parkss-complete-real-time-report-including-luke-harper-vs-j-styles-1-contenders-match-mickie-james-vs-becky-lynch-two-three-falls/ |access-date=February 28, 2017 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=March 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301184054/http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2017/02/28/228-wwe-smackdown-live-parkss-complete-real-time-report-including-luke-harper-vs-j-styles-1-contenders-match-mickie-james-vs-becky-lynch-two-three-falls/ |url-status=live }}</ref> SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan then set up a mixed tag team match for ] on April 2,<ref>{{cite web |last=Keller |first=Wade |date=March 14, 2017 |title=Keller's WWE Smackdown Report 3/14: Styles-Shane hype, Miz TV addresses Cena & Nikki, Orton addresses Bray Wyatt |url=http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2017/03/14/kellers-wwe-smackdown-report-314-styles-shane-hype-miz-tv-addresses-cena-nikki-orton-addresses-bray-wyatt/ |access-date=March 14, 2017 |work=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-date=March 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315175714/http://www.pwtorch.com/site/2017/03/14/kellers-wwe-smackdown-report-314-styles-shane-hype-miz-tv-addresses-cena-nikki-orton-addresses-bray-wyatt/ |url-status=live }}</ref> which Cena and Bella won. Cena proposed ] to Bella after the match and she accepted.<ref>{{cite web|last=Powell|first=Jason|title=Powell's WrestleMania 33 live review: Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns, Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship, AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon, Seth Rollins vs. Triple H in an unsanctioned match|url=http://prowrestling.net/site/2017/04/02/powells-wrestlemania-33-live-review-undertaker-vs-roman-reigns-goldberg-vs-brock-lesnar-wwe-universal-championship-aj-styles-vs-shane-mcmahon-seth-rollins-vs-triple-h/|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|access-date=April 2, 2017|date=April 2, 2017|archive-date=April 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403113529/http://prowrestling.net/site/2017/04/02/powells-wrestlemania-33-live-review-undertaker-vs-roman-reigns-goldberg-vs-brock-lesnar-wwe-universal-championship-aj-styles-vs-shane-mcmahon-seth-rollins-vs-triple-h/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Cena graduated ] in ] with a degree in ] and movement studies.


==== Free agent (2017–2019) ====
After playing ], where he achieved ] status as a ], Cena persued a career as a ]. When that didn't pan out, he followed in his father's footsteps and went into the wrestling profession.
]
In July 2017, WWE dubbed Cena a "free agent" during the ], meaning he could work for both the Raw and SmackDown brands.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/article/john-cena-free-agent-status?sf88580054=1|title=What does John Cena's Free Agent status mean?|date=June 14, 2017|last=Melok|first=Bobby|work=]|access-date=June 15, 2017|archive-date=July 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170722192443/http://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/article/john-cena-free-agent-status?sf88580054=1|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena defeated Rusev in a ] at ] on July 23,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwebattleground/2017/john-cena-rusev|title=Cena and Rusev to go to war in a Flag Match|work=WWE|access-date=July 5, 2017|archive-date=July 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708132707/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwebattleground/2017/john-cena-rusev|url-status=live}}</ref> ] at ] on August 20,<ref>{{cite web|title=John Cena def. Baron Corbin|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/2017/john-cena-baron-corbin-results|work=WWE|date=August 20, 2017|access-date=August 21, 2017|archive-date=August 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821090336/http://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/2017/john-cena-baron-corbin-results|url-status=live}}</ref> and lost to Roman Reigns on September 24 at ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Benigno|first=Anthony|title=Roman Reigns def. John Cena|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/nomercy/2017/john-cena-roman-reigns-results|work=WWE|access-date=September 24, 2017|archive-date=October 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171007203827/http://www.wwe.com/shows/nomercy/2017/john-cena-roman-reigns-results|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena returned to SmackDown the next month after Commissioner ] named him the final member of Team SmackDown for the men's 5-on-5 elimination match against Team Raw at ]; at the event on November 19, Cena was eliminated by Kurt Angle and Team SmackDown was defeated.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wortman |first=James |title=Team Raw def. Team SmackDown in a Men's 5-on-5 Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2017/men-5-on-5-traditional-survivor-series-elimination-match-results |work=WWE |access-date=November 19, 2017 |archive-date=December 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222233632/http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2017/men-5-on-5-traditional-survivor-series-elimination-match-results |url-status=live }}</ref>


Cena failed to win the ] on January 28, 2018<ref>{{cite web|last=Powell|first=Jason|title=WWE Royal Rumble 2018 live review: Men's and Women's Royal Rumble matches, Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman vs. Kane for the WWE Universal Championship, AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a handicap match for the WWE Championship|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2018/01/28/wwe-royal-rumble-2018-live-review-mens-womens-royal-rumble-matches-brock-lesnar-vs-braun-strowman-vs-kane-wwe-universal-championship-aj-styles-vs-kevin-owens-sami-zayn-han/|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|access-date=January 28, 2018|date=January 28, 2018|archive-date=January 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180129080616/https://prowrestling.net/site/2018/01/28/wwe-royal-rumble-2018-live-review-mens-womens-royal-rumble-matches-brock-lesnar-vs-braun-strowman-vs-kane-wwe-universal-championship-aj-styles-vs-kevin-owens-sami-zayn-han/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the Elimination Chamber match to determine the #1 contender for the ] on February 25 at ],<ref>{{cite web |last=Powell |first=Jason |date=February 25, 2018 |title=WWE Elimination Chamber 2018 live review: Men's and Women's Elimination Chamber matches, Ronda Rousey contract signing, Asuka vs. Nia Jax, Matt Hardy vs. Bray Wyatt, Sheamus and Cesaro vs. Titus O'Neil and Apollo for the Raw Tag Titles |url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2018/02/25/wwe-elimination-chamber-2018-live-review-mens-womens-elimination-chamber-matches-ronda-rousey-contract-signing-asuka-vs-nia-jax-matt-hardy-vs-bray-wyatt-sheamus-cesaro-vs-titus-onei/ |access-date=February 25, 2018 |work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net |archive-date=February 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226092204/https://prowrestling.net/site/2018/02/25/wwe-elimination-chamber-2018-live-review-mens-womens-elimination-chamber-matches-ronda-rousey-contract-signing-asuka-vs-nia-jax-matt-hardy-vs-bray-wyatt-sheamus-cesaro-vs-titus-onei/ |url-status=live }}</ref> as well as a six-pack challenge on March 11 at ] for the WWE Championship.<ref>{{cite news|last=Benigno|first=Anthony|title=WWE Champion AJ Styles def. John Cena, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin (Six-Pack Challenge)|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wwefastlane/2018/six-pack-challenge-match-results|work=WWE|access-date=March 11, 2018|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322154953/https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwefastlane/2018/six-pack-challenge-match-results|url-status=live}}</ref> On April 8 at ], Cena was quickly defeated by The Undertaker.<ref>{{cite web|last=Benigno|first=Anthony|title=The Undertaker def. John Cena |url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/wrestlemania-34/the-undertaker-john-cena-results|work=WWE|access-date=April 8, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180410073312/http://www.wwe.com/shows/wrestlemania/wrestlemania-34/the-undertaker-john-cena-results|archive-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref> After defeating Triple H on April 27 at the ], he thanked the crowd for sticking by him during a tough period, referencing his loss to Undertaker and his recent breakup with Nikki Bella.<ref>{{cite web|last=Benigno|first=Anthony|title=John Cena def. Triple H|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/greatest-royal-rumble/2018/john-cena-triple-h-results|work=WWE|access-date=May 1, 2018|archive-date=April 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428095519/http://www.wwe.com/shows/greatest-royal-rumble/2018/john-cena-triple-h-results|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena competed in a tag team match with ] against Elias and Kevin Owens at ] on October 6 in ], Australia, which he and Lashley won.<ref name=":7">{{cite web |last=Wortman |first=James |title=John Cena & Bobby Lashley def. Kevin Owens & Elias |url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwe-super-show-down/2018-10-06/john-cena-bobby-lashley-kevin-owens-elias-results |work=WWE |access-date=October 6, 2018 |archive-date=February 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226193943/https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwe-super-show-down/2018-10-06/john-cena-bobby-lashley-kevin-owens-elias-results |url-status=live }}</ref> He was also scheduled for a match at ] in ] on November 2, but Cena refused to work the event following ] of Saudi journalist ].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/10/30/john-cena-wont-appear-wwe-crown-jewel-show-saudi-arabia/|title=John Cena won't appear at WWE Crown Jewel show in Saudi Arabia|newspaper=]|first=Matt|last=Bonesteel|date=October 30, 2018|access-date=January 21, 2019|archive-date=October 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181030220215/https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2018/10/30/john-cena-wont-appear-wwe-crown-jewel-show-saudi-arabia/|url-status=live}}</ref>
He is second eldest of five brothers - Dan, Matt, Steve and Sean.


Cena returned to WWE television on the January 1, 2019, episode of ''SmackDown'', where he and ] defeated ] and ] in a mixed tag team match.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=Jason |date=January 2, 2019 |title=1/1 Powell's WWE Smackdown Live TV Review: Five-way match for a WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble, John Cena returns, New Day's New Year's Celebration |url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/01/01/1-1-powells-wwe-smackdown-live-tv-review-five-way-match-for-a-wwe-championship-match-at-the-royal-rumble-john-cena-returns-new-days-new-years-celebration/ |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=Pro Wrestling Dot Net |archive-date=January 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102095033/https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/01/01/1-1-powells-wwe-smackdown-live-tv-review-five-way-match-for-a-wwe-championship-match-at-the-royal-rumble-john-cena-returns-new-days-new-years-celebration/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On the January 14 episode of ''Raw'', Cena lost to ] in a fatal four-way match also involving Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin to determine the No. 1 contender for the Universal Championship at ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Powell|first=Jason|title=1/14 Powell's WWE Raw TV Review: Dean Ambrose vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins in a Triple Threat for the Intercontinental Championship, Ronda Rousey and Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax and Tamina, the Royal Rumble build continues|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/01/14/1-14-powells-wwe-raw-tv-review-dean-ambrose-vs-bobby-lashley-vs-seth-rollins-in-a-triple-threat-for-the-intercontinental-championship-ronda-rousey-and-sasha-banks-vs-nia-jax-and-tamina-the-roy/|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|date=January 14, 2019|access-date=January 15, 2019|archive-date=April 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404174012/https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/01/14/1-14-powells-wwe-raw-tv-review-dean-ambrose-vs-bobby-lashley-vs-seth-rollins-in-a-triple-threat-for-the-intercontinental-championship-ronda-rousey-and-sasha-banks-vs-nia-jax-and-tamina-the-roy/|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena was scheduled to compete in the Royal Rumble on January 27, but was taken out due to an in-storyline ankle injury supposedly suffered during the match.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/2019/article/john-cena-out-of-royal-rumble-match-due-to-injury|title=Braun Strowman to replace John Cena in Men's Royal Rumble Match due to injury|work=WWE|date=January 27, 2019|access-date=January 27, 2019|archive-date=April 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404122912/https://www.wwe.com/shows/royalrumble/2019/article/john-cena-out-of-royal-rumble-match-due-to-injury|url-status=live}}</ref>
Cena is known to be a fan of cartoons and has mentioned on "''5 Questions''" that his favorite animated movie is '']''.
<!--Please do not add the IMDb credited "Asperger's Syndrome" rumors. It's false and will be removed from there eventually-->


==== Part-time performer (2019–2024) ====
==References==
He appeared at ] on April 7 in his "Doctor of Thuganomics" persona and interrupted Elias' concert, performing his finisher on Elias (calling it by its original name of the ''F-U'') after insulting him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=Jason |date=April 7, 2019 |title=WrestleMania 35 results: Powell's live review of Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair for the Raw and Smackdown Women's Titles, Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship, Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship, Batista vs. Triple H, AJ Styles vs. Randy Orton |url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/04/07/wrestlemania-35-results-powells-live-review-of-ronda-rousey-vs-becky-lynch-vs-charlotte-flair-for-the-raw-and-smackdown-womens-titles-daniel-bryan-vs-kofi-kingston-for-the-wwe-championship-b/ |access-date=November 6, 2022 |website=Pro Wrestling Dot Net |archive-date=June 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626182534/https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/04/07/wrestlemania-35-results-powells-live-review-of-ronda-rousey-vs-becky-lynch-vs-charlotte-flair-for-the-raw-and-smackdown-womens-titles-daniel-bryan-vs-kofi-kingston-for-the-wwe-championship-b/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On the July 22 episode of ''Raw'' titled '']'', he engaged in a rap battle with ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/07/22/7-22-wwe-raw-results-powells-review-raw-reunion-featuring-steve-austin-ric-flair-dx-hulk-hogan-and-many-more-alexa-bliss-talkshow-with-becky-lynch-the-build-to-summerslam-continues/|title=7/22 WWE Raw Results: Powell's review Raw Reunion featuring Steve Austin, Ric Flair, DX, Hulk Hogan, and many more, Alexa Bliss talkshow with Becky Lynch, the build to SummerSlam continues|date=July 22, 2019|last=Powell|first=Jason|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|access-date=July 23, 2019|archive-date=July 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190723041939/https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/07/22/7-22-wwe-raw-results-powells-review-raw-reunion-featuring-steve-austin-ric-flair-dx-hulk-hogan-and-many-more-alexa-bliss-talkshow-with-becky-lynch-the-build-to-summerslam-continues/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{cite web|url=http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:John%20Cena:1927836016:page=biography|work=shopping.yahoo.com|title=College football career|accessdate=January 27|accessyear=2006}}
*{{cite web|url=http://john-cena.biography.ms/|work=biography.ms|title=College academics|accessdate=January 27|accessyear=2006}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/01302006/|work=www.wwe.com|title=Cena still the champion due to disqualification|accessdate=April 4|accessyear=2006}}


Cena returned to WWE again on the February 28, 2020, episode of ''SmackDown'', seemingly announcing his retirement before he was confronted by "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt, who challenged him to a match at ]—a sequel to their WrestleMania XXX match in 2014—which Cena accepted.<ref>{{cite web|last=Barnett|first=Jake|title=2/28 WWE Friday Night Smackdown results: Barnett's review of John Cena's return, Goldberg's first appearance since winning the WWE Universal Championship at WWE Super ShowDown|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2020/02/28/2-28-wwe-friday-night-smackdown-results-barnetts-review-of-john-cenas-return-goldbergs-first-appearance-since-winning-the-wwe-universal-championship-at-wwe-super-showdown/|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|date=February 28, 2020|access-date=February 29, 2020|archive-date=February 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229025040/https://prowrestling.net/site/2020/02/28/2-28-wwe-friday-night-smackdown-results-barnetts-review-of-john-cenas-return-goldbergs-first-appearance-since-winning-the-wwe-universal-championship-at-wwe-super-showdown/|url-status=live}}</ref> On the second night of the event on April 5, rather than a traditional wrestling match, the two squared off in a surreal ] called a Firefly Fun House match, taking the competitors on a trip through history as moments from Cena's and Wyatt's history were played out, including Cena's debut against Kurt Angle, a moment featuring his Doctor of Thuganomics character, and the pair's match at WrestleMania XXX. Wyatt ultimately defeated Cena, and following his victory Cena's motionless body vanished from the middle of the ring.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=Jason |date=April 5, 2020 |title=WrestleMania 36 results: Powell's live review of Night Two featuring Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship, John Cena vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Funhouse match, Edge vs. Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match, Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair for the NXT Women's Championship |url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2020/04/05/wrestlemania-36-results-powells-live-review-of-night-two-featuring-brock-lesnar-vs-drew-mcintyre-for-the-wwe-championship-john-cena-vs-the-fiend-bray-wyatt-in-a-firefly-funhouse-match/ |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=Pro Wrestling Dot Net |archive-date=April 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406115513/https://prowrestling.net/site/2020/04/05/wrestlemania-36-results-powells-live-review-of-night-two-featuring-brock-lesnar-vs-drew-mcintyre-for-the-wwe-championship-john-cena-vs-the-fiend-bray-wyatt-in-a-firefly-funhouse-match/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<references/>


Due to the ], Cena was unable to appear at ], marking the first time he missed a WrestleMania in nearly 20 years, as he had wrestled or at least appeared at the event every year since his first appearance at WrestleMania XIX in 2003. At the time, Cena was in Canada filming the ] series '']'', and the pandemic made it logistically impossible for him to travel to ], for WrestleMania 37, as upon his return to Canada, he would have had to quarantine for two weeks, which would have shut down production on the series.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Oestriecher |first=Blake |title=John Cena Says He Will Miss WWE WrestleMania 37 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakeoestriecher/2021/02/01/john-cena-says-he-will-miss-wwe-wrestlemania-37/?sh=50d3dbe67ef5 |magazine=] |access-date=April 19, 2021 |date=February 1, 2021 |archive-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419223845/https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakeoestriecher/2021/02/01/john-cena-says-he-will-miss-wwe-wrestlemania-37/?sh=50d3dbe67ef5 |url-status=live }}</ref> Cena did, however, appear in a WWE advertisement to help announce the location of ]. He finally made his return to WWE programming at ] on July 18, 2021, confronting Roman Reigns after the latter retained his ] against Edge in the main event.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Keller |first=Wade |date=July 18, 2021 |title=7/18 WWE Money in the Bank PPV Results: Keller's report and analysis of Reigns vs. Edge, Lashley vs. Kofi, Money in Bank matches |url=https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2021/07/18/7-18-wwe-money-in-the-bank-ppv-results-kellers-report-and-analysis-of-reigns-vs-edge-lashley-vs-kofi-money-in-bank-matches/ |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=Pro Wrestling Torch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720163343/https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2021/07/18/7-18-wwe-money-in-the-bank-ppv-results-kellers-report-and-analysis-of-reigns-vs-edge-lashley-vs-kofi-money-in-bank-matches/ |archive-date=July 20, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Following this, WWE announced the Summer of Cena tour, confirming Cena had signed a 25-appearance deal.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Summer of Cena has officially arrived |url=https://www.wwe.com/article/john-cena-summer-of-cena |work=] |access-date=July 26, 2021 |date=July 19, 2021 |archive-date=July 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210720142645/https://www.wwe.com/article/john-cena-summer-of-cena |url-status=live }}</ref> After initially being scheduled to face Finn Bálor for the title,<ref name="SmackDown07232021">{{cite web|last=Brookhouse|first=Brent|title=WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Roman Reigns rejects John Cena's challenge before accepting Finn Balor's|url=https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/news/wwe-smackdown-results-recap-grades-roman-reigns-rejects-john-cenas-challenge-before-accepting-finn-balors/live/|website=]|access-date=July 26, 2021|date=July 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724025153/https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/news/wwe-smackdown-results-recap-grades-roman-reigns-rejects-john-cenas-challenge-before-accepting-finn-balors/live/|archive-date=July 24, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Cena ultimately highjacked a contract signing on the July 30 episode of ''SmackDown'' so he would challenge Reigns at ].<ref name="SmackDown07302021">{{cite web|last=Brookhouse|first=Brent|title=WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: John Cena steals contract to face Roman Reigns at SummerSlam|url=https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/news/wwe-smackdown-results-recap-grades-john-cena-steals-contract-to-face-roman-reigns-at-summerslam/live/|work=]|date=July 30, 2021|access-date=October 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731033910/https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/news/wwe-smackdown-results-recap-grades-john-cena-steals-contract-to-face-roman-reigns-at-summerslam/live/|archive-date=July 31, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Burdick |first=Michael |date=July 31, 2021 |title=Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. John Cena |url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/2021/roman-reigns-vs-john-cena |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=WWE}}</ref> At the event on August 21, Reigns defeated Cena after a back-and-forth contest.<ref name="SSlam2021">{{cite web|last=Powell|first=Jason|title=WWE SummerSlam results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns vs. John Cena for the WWE Universal Championship, Bianca Belair vs. Sasha Banks for the Smackdown Women's Championship, Bobby Lashley vs. Goldberg for the WWE Championship, Edge vs. Seth Rollins, Nikki ASH vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley for the Raw Women's Championship|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2021/08/21/wwe-summerslam-results-powells-review-of-roman-reigns-vs-john-cena-for-the-wwe-universal-championship-bianca-belair-vs-sasha-banks-for-the-smackdown-womens-championship-bobby-lashley-vs-gold/|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|date=August 21, 2021|access-date=October 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822043250/https://prowrestling.net/site/2021/08/21/wwe-summerslam-results-powells-review-of-roman-reigns-vs-john-cena-for-the-wwe-universal-championship-bianca-belair-vs-sasha-banks-for-the-smackdown-womens-championship-bobby-lashley-vs-gold/|archive-date=August 22, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*
*
*{{imdb name|id=1078479|name=John Cena}}


] at the ] event]]
]

]
On the June 6, 2022, episode of ''Raw'', it was announced that Cena would return on the June 27 episode of ''Raw'', which marked the 20th anniversary of his main roster in-ring debut.<ref name="Raw06062022">{{cite web|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2022/06/06/6-6-wwe-raw-results-powells-live-review-of-the-hiac-fallout-edition-with-a-cody-rhodes-promo-judgment-day-adding-a-new-member-alexa-bliss-vs-rhea-ripley-vs-liv-morgan-vs-doudrop-to-become-no/|title=6/6 WWE Raw results: Powell's live review of the HIAC fallout edition with a Cody Rhodes promo, Judgment Day adding a new member, Alexa Bliss vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan vs. Doudrop to become No. 1 contender to the Raw Women's Championship, Miz TV with The Miz and Maryse|date=June 6, 2022|last=Powell|first=Jason|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|access-date=October 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614104640/https://prowrestling.net/site/2022/06/06/6-6-wwe-raw-results-powells-live-review-of-the-hiac-fallout-edition-with-a-cody-rhodes-promo-judgment-day-adding-a-new-member-alexa-bliss-vs-rhea-ripley-vs-liv-morgan-vs-doudrop-to-become-no/|archive-date=June 14, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> On that episode of ''Raw'', Cena returned and cut a promo recalling all his memories and thanking the fans for their support. He also made appearances backstage with ], ], ], Seth "Freakin" Rollins, and ].<ref name="Raw06272022">{{cite web|last=Powell|first=Jason|title=6/27 WWE Raw results: Powell's live review of John Cena's 20th Anniversary celebration, AEW wrestlers submit Cena videos, a 20-man battle royal for a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match, a six-woman elimination match for a spot in the MITB ladder match, Jey Uso vs. Montez Ford|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2022/06/27/6-27-wwe-raw-results-powells-live-review-of-john-cenas-20th-anniversary-celebration-kevin-owens-vs-ezekiel-or-elias-or-elrod-in-a-money-in-the-bank-qualifier-the-brands-final-push-for-the-mi/|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|date=June 27, 2022|access-date=October 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230123185255/https://prowrestling.net/site/2022/06/27/6-27-wwe-raw-results-powells-live-review-of-john-cenas-20th-anniversary-celebration-kevin-owens-vs-ezekiel-or-elias-or-elrod-in-a-money-in-the-bank-qualifier-the-brands-final-push-for-the-mi/|archive-date=January 23, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> On the December 30 episode of ''SmackDown'', Cena wrestled for the first time in over a year, where he and ] defeated ]'s Roman Reigns and ].<ref name="SmackDown12302022">{{cite web|last=Keller|first=Wade|title=12/30 WWE SmackDown Results: Keller's report on Cena & Owens vs. Reigns & Sami, Rousey vs. Rodriguez, Sikoa vs. Sheamus|url=https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2022/12/30/12-30-wwe-smackdown-results-kellers-report-on-cena-owens-vs-reigns-sami-rousey-vs-rodriguez-sikoa-vs-sheamus/|access-date=January 22, 2023|work=Pro Wrestling Torch|date=December 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231044151/https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2022/12/30/12-30-wwe-smackdown-results-kellers-report-on-cena-owens-vs-reigns-sami-rousey-vs-rodriguez-sikoa-vs-sheamus/|archive-date=December 31, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> On January 27, 2023, Cena was announced as the cover star for the '']'' video game, the second time for him being a cover star of a '']'' game after '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/john-cena-revealed-as-wwe-2k23-video-game-cover-star|title=John Cena revealed as WWE 2K23 cover star|date=January 23, 2023|last=Currier|first=Joseph|work=]|access-date=January 25, 2023}}</ref> Over the next two months, ] would call out Cena multiple times and challenge him to a match at ] for Theory's United States Championship, which Cena accepted on the March 6 episode of ''Raw''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 6, 2023 |last=Sam |first=Doric |title=John Cena vs. Austin Theory Set for U.S. Title Match at WWE WrestleMania 39 |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10067885-john-cena-vs-austin-theory-set-for-us-title-match-at-wwe-wrestlemania-39 |access-date=March 19, 2023 |publisher=Bleacher Report}}</ref> On the first night of WrestleMania on April 1, Cena lost to Theory.<ref name="WM39N1">{{cite web|last=Keller|first=Wade|title=4/1 WWE WrestleMania 39 – Night 1: Keller's report on Cena vs. Austin Theory, Rollins vs. Logan Paul, Usos vs. Sami & KO, Charlotte vs. Ripley, more|url=https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2023/04/01/4-1-wwe-wrestlemania-39-night-1-kellers-report-on-cena-vs-austin-theory-rollins-vs-logan-paul-usos-vs-sami-ko-charlotte-vs-ripley-more/|date=April 1, 2023|work=Pro Wrestling Torch|access-date=April 1, 2023}}</ref> At ] on July 1, Cena made a surprise appearance and was confronted by ] after Cena stated that ] should come to the United Kingdom. Waller then attacked Cena, who retaliated by hitting the Attitude Adjustment on Waller.<ref name="MITB2023">{{cite web|last=Powell|first=Jason|title=WWE Money in the Bank results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa vs. The Usos, two MITB ladder matches, Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor for the World Heavyweight Championship, Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2023/07/01/wwe-money-in-the-bank-results-powells-review-of-roman-reigns-and-solo-sikoa-vs-the-usos-two-mitb-ladder-matches-seth-rollins-vs-finn-balor-for-the-world-heavyweight-championship-cody-rhodes-vs/|date=July 1, 2023|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|access-date=July 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701230903/https://prowrestling.net/site/2023/07/01/wwe-money-in-the-bank-results-powells-review-of-roman-reigns-and-solo-sikoa-vs-the-usos-two-mitb-ladder-matches-seth-rollins-vs-finn-balor-for-the-world-heavyweight-championship-cody-rhodes-vs/|archive-date=July 1, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>
]

]
Cena returned for a brief run on ''SmackDown'' starting on the September 1 episode,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com/stories/wwe/john-cena-returning-to-wwe-on-smackdown-next-month|title=John Cena returning to WWE next month on SmackDown|date=August 21, 2023|author=]|work=]|access-date=August 21, 2023}}</ref> where he was interrupted by ] and attacked him.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahjouri |first=Shakiel |date=September 1, 2023 |title=WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: John Cena gives Jimmy Uso an Attitude Adjustment |url=https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/news/wwe-smackdown-results-recap-grades-john-cena-gives-jimmy-uso-an-attitude-adjustment/live/ |access-date=January 23, 2024 |website=]}}</ref> The next night, Cena served as the host of ],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com/articles/wwe/john-cena-is-the-host-of-wwe-payback|title=John Cena is the host of WWE Payback|date=September 1, 2023|work=]|access-date=September 1, 2023}}</ref> and was also a special guest referee for the match between ] and The Miz, which Knight won and was embraced by Cena afterwards.<ref name="Payback2023">{{cite web|last=Powell|first=Jason|title=WWE Payback results: Powell's review of Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the World Heavyweight Title, Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the Women's World Title, LA Knight vs. The Miz|url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2023/09/02/wwe-payback-results-powells-review-of-seth-rollins-vs-shinsuke-nakamura-for-the-world-heavyweight-title-rhea-ripley-vs-raquel-rodriguez-for-the-womens-world-title-la-knight-vs-the-miz/|work=Pro Wrestling Dot Net|date=September 2, 2023|access-date=September 2, 2023}}</ref> At ] on September 8, Cena and Seth "Freakin" Rollins defeated ] (] and ]).<ref name="SuperSpec2023">{{cite web |author= |date=September 8, 2023 |title=WWE Superstar Spectacle results: John Cena teams with Seth Rollins |url=https://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/results/wwe-superstar-spectacle-india-results-john-cena-teams-with-seth-rollins |access-date=September 8, 2023 |work=]}}</ref> On the September 15 episode of ''SmackDown'', Cena was attacked on Waller's talkshow "The Grayson Waller Effect" by Jimmy and his Bloodline partner ], before ] saved Cena.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barnett |first=Jake |date=September 15, 2023 |title=WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (9/15): Barnett's review of John Cena on The Grayson Waller Effect talkshow, LA Knight vs. The Miz, Bayley vs. Asuka, Finn Balor vs. AJ Styles |url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2023/09/15/wwe-friday-night-smackdown-results-9-15-barnetts-review-of-john-cena-on-the-grayson-waller-effect-talkshow-la-knight-vs-the-miz-bayley-vs-asuka-finn-balor-vs-aj-styles/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |website=Pro Wrestling Dot Net}}</ref> The following week, Cena and Styles were to sign a contract for a tag team match against them at ], but Styles was left unable to compete after a backstage assault from the Bloodline.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barnett |first=Jake |date=September 22, 2023 |title=WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (9/22): Barnett's review of Iyo Sky vs. Asuka for the WWE Women's Title, John Cena's appearance, The Street Profits vs. Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar |url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2023/09/22/wwe-friday-night-smackdown-results-9-22-barnetts-review-of-iyo-sky-vs-asuka-for-the-wwe-womens-title-john-cenas-appearance-the-street-profits-vs-rey-mysterio-and-santos-escobar/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |website=Pro Wrestling Dot Net}}</ref> Cena was set to face Jimmy and Solo in a handicap match at the event until the September 29 episode of ''SmackDown'', when LA Knight signed a contract to join Cena in the match.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barnett |first=Jake |date=September 29, 2023 |title=WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (9/29): Barnett's review of Rey Mysterio vs. Santos Escobar for the U.S. Title, Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley, John Cena's appearance, Grayson Waller Effect with Bobby Lashley |url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2023/09/29/wwe-friday-night-smackdown-results-9-29-barnetts-review-of-rey-mysterio-vs-santos-escobar-for-the-u-s-title-charlotte-flair-vs-asuka-john-cenas-appearance-grayson-waller-effect-with/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |website=Pro Wrestling Dot Net}}</ref> At Fastlane on October 8, Cena and Knight defeated Uso and Sikoa.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=Jason |date=October 8, 2023 |title=WWE Fastlane results: Powell's review of Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Title, John Cena and LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso |url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2023/10/07/wwe-fastlane-results-powells-review-of-seth-rollins-vs-shinsuke-nakamura-in-a-last-man-standing-match-for-the-world-heavyweight-title-john-cena-and-la-knight-vs-solo-sikoa-and-jimmy-uso/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |website=Pro Wrestling Dot Net}}</ref> On the October 20 episode of ''SmackDown'', Cena teased retirement after mentioning he hadn't won a singles match since 2018, before calling out anyone to face him. Sikoa came out and brawled with Cena, setting up a match between the two at ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barnett |first=Jake |date=October 20, 2023 |title=WWE Friday Night Smackdown results (10/20): Barnett's review of Iyo Sky vs. Charlotte Flair for the WWE Women's Championship, Santos Escobar vs. Montez Ford, U.S. Champion Rey Mysterio and Logan Paul |url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2023/10/20/wwe-friday-night-smackdown-results-10-20-barnetts-review-of-iyo-sky-vs-charlotte-flair-for-the-wwe-womens-championship-santos-escobar-vs-montez-ford-u-s-champion-rey-mysterio-and-loga/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |website=Pro Wrestling Dot Net}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chiari |first=Mike |date=October 27, 2023 |title=John Cena vs. Solo Sikoa Match Announced for 2023 WWE Crown Jewel PPV |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10095053-john-cena-vs-solo-sikoa-match-announced-for-2023-wwe-crown-jewel-ppv |access-date=January 24, 2024 |website=Bleacher Report}}</ref> At the event on November 4, Cena was defeated by Sikoa after nine Samoan Spikes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=Jason |date=November 4, 2023 |title=WWE Crown Jewel results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight for the WWE Universal Title, Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre for the World Heavyweight Title, Rey Mysterio vs. Logan Paul for the U.S. Title |url=https://prowrestling.net/site/2023/11/04/wwe-crown-jewel-results-powells-review-of-roman-reigns-vs-la-knight-for-the-wwe-universal-title-seth-rollins-vs-drew-mcintyre-for-the-world-heavyweight-title-rey-mysterio-vs-logan-paul-for-the/ |access-date=January 24, 2024 |website=Pro Wrestling Dot Net}}</ref>
]

]
On April 7, 2024, during the Night 2 main event of ] between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, Cena appeared to aide Cody Rhodes and take out Solo Sikoa and Roman Reigns with Attitude Adjustments. Afterwards, The Rock appeared and performed a Rock Bottom on Cena.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rathi |first=Ishaan |date=April 8, 2024 |title=Cody Rhodes Wins Undisputed WWE Championship In Match Filled with Surprises at WrestleMania 40 Sunday |url=https://www.ringsidenews.com/2024/04/07/cody-rhodes-wins-undisputed-wwe-championship-in-match-filled-with-surprises-at-wrestlemania-40-sunday/ |access-date=April 8, 2024 |website=Ringside News}}</ref> On the Raw after WrestleMania XL, Cena competed in his first match on Raw since January 2019, where he teamed up with the Raw Tag Team Champions, ], to defeat ] members ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wrestleview.com/wwe-raw-results/312169-live-wwe-raw-results-april-8-2024-philadelphia/ | title=WWE Raw Results - 4/8/24 (Raw after WrestleMania 40, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes appears) | date=April 8, 2024 }}</ref>
]

]
==== The Last Time is Now (2024–present) ====
]
Cena made his surprise return at ] to announce his future retirement from in-ring action. He declared that ] will be his final ], but he will continue to wrestle until the end of 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mendoza |first=Jordan |date=July 6, 2024 |title=John Cena announces he will retire in 2025; WrestleMania 41 will be his last |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/2024/07/06/john-cena-announces-retire-wwe/74319089007/ |access-date=July 6, 2024 |website=USA Today}}</ref>
]

== Professional wrestling style and persona ==
=== In-ring style ===
] known as the "Attitude Adjustment", on ]]]
Cena's original gimmick portrayed a white rapper who wore jerseys, backwards hats, a chain with a padlock around his neck, and was known as the "Doctor of Thuganomics".<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":4" /> First as "The Prototype", and later under his real name, Cena sometimes used underhanded tactics to score victories, such as using his chain as a weapon behind the referee's back. He often rapped before his matches, insulting his opponents, events that happened in the media and even the crowd.<ref name="slam" /> He also regularly performed "]", where he and his opponent took turns rapping on each other.<ref name=":2" /> In 2006, shortly after his debut film, ''The Marine'', his wrestling character shifted from that of a rapper to a young military upstart, wearing dog tags and cargo shorts to the ring and also performing a salute to the crowd. Cena said in a 2011 interview with WWE.com that "every night when I do that salute, it's also a sign of respect to the men and women that don the uniform of the Armed Forces."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/tributetothetroops/story-behind-cena-salute|title=The story behind John Cena's salute|work=WWE|first=Bobby|last=Melok|date=December 16, 2011|access-date=January 14, 2019}}</ref>

During ] in mid-2008, the name of Cena's finishing move, the "]", was changed to the "Attitude Adjustment" and his finishing submission move, the "STFU", was renamed the "STF" to fit with the WWE's new policies.<ref name=":8">{{cite web |last=Powell |first=Jason |date=February 5, 2009 |title=John Cena says it was his call to change his finishing move name, predicts that three wrestlers will be WWE stars |url=https://prowrestling.net/artman/publish/WWE/article1004487.shtml |access-date=July 23, 2018 |website=Pro Wrestling Dot Net}}</ref> During his career, he has been known for ending his matches with a sequence of moves, dubbed the "]". The moves typically go in the following order: two flying shoulder blocks, protobomb, "Five Knuckle Shuffle", and "Attitude Adjustment".<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=August 15, 2013 |title=Inside John Cena's 'Five Moves of Doom' |url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2013-08-12/john-cena-five-moves-of-doom |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=WWE}}</ref>

Cena has portrayed a heroic character throughout his WWE career, except for a villainous run in 2002–2003.<ref name=":9" /> His signature ring gear includes jean shorts, sneakers, wristbands, and armbands.<ref name="yru" /> He also wears a variety of T-shirts and baseball caps, which commonly include one of his catchphrases: "Never Give Up", "You Can't See Me", "Hustle, Loyalty, Respect", and "Respect. Earn it".<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":8" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/smackdown/gallery/john-cena-new-gear-photos#fid-40081561|title=John Cena's new gear: photos|work=]|access-date=August 29, 2018}}</ref> He has a history of returning from both real and scripted injuries much sooner than expected. ESPN reporter David Shoemaker said in April 2016, "Never underestimate Cena's recuperative abilities. He's somewhere on the recovery scale between German ] therapy and ]".<ref>{{cite web|last=Shoemaker|first=David|title=The highs and lows of a record-breaking WrestleMania 32 |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/15132979/the-highs-lows-wrestlemania-32|work=]|date=April 5, 2016|access-date=April 18, 2017}}</ref> Fellow wrestler Big Show said he felt most stable being lifted by Cena, despite Cena being over 200 lbs lighter and almost a foot shorter—a testament to Cena's ].<ref>{{Citation|last=WWE|title=Big Show reveals who WWE's strongest athletes are, on WWE Network's Table for 3|date=September 26, 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIn7k__fhmY| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211027/KIn7k__fhmY| archive-date=October 27, 2021 |access-date=December 11, 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

=== Fashion ===
]'s ring gear (right) in 2012]]
During his WWE career, Cena's has used his attire in an attempt to reflect the most current fashions and styling within the ] that his ] represents. Cena started out wearing "]" and ] until WWE produced specific Cena merchandise which he began wearing.<ref name=":9" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/classics/john-cenas-career-in-t-shirts|title=The history of John Cena's T-shirts|work=WWE}}</ref> While Cena was a member of the ''SmackDown'' brand, one of his WWE-produced T-shirts bore the suggestive ] "Ruck Fules". Whenever it appeared on television, the image was censored, not by the network, but by WWE to sell more shirts under the premise that it was "too hot for TV".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oowrestling.com/columns/oo/20050126.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107015531/http://www.oowrestling.com/columns/oo/20050126.shtml|archive-date=January 7, 2009|title=RAW/Rating, SD! is CANCELLED~!, Plus: ECW PPV, Importance of Maturity, and More!|access-date=February 12, 2007|url-status=usurped|work=Online Onslaught}}</ref> He also wore a chain with a large ], occasionally using it as a ],<ref name=":6" /> until WrestleMania 21, when it was replaced with a ] "Chain Gang" ] medallion matching his spinner title belt.

Around the time ''The Marine'' was released, Cena began wearing more military related attire, including ] shorts, ], a ] soldier cap, and a WWE produced shirt with the legend "Chain Gang Assault Battalion".<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Cena Studio Fathead |url=http://shopzone.wwe.com:80/product_detail.asp?productId=10-00492 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113060457/http://shopzone.wwe.com:80/product_detail.asp?productId=10-00492 |archive-date=November 13, 2007 |access-date=October 25, 2022 |publisher=Shopzone.WWE.com}}</ref> Shortly after WrestleMania 23, when promotion for ''The Marine'' ended, the military attire diminished and was replaced with apparel bearing his new slogan "American Made Muscle" along with denim shorts, not seen since he was a member of the ''SmackDown'' roster.<ref>{{Cite web |title=John Cena Youth American Made Muscle Package |url=http://shopzone.wwe.com/product_detail.asp?productId=50-02544&cartID=2007100721501321831024118 |access-date=October 26, 2022 |publisher=Shopzone.WWE.com |archive-date=November 13, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113061101/http://shopzone.wwe.com/product_detail.asp?productId=50-02544&cartID=2007100721501321831024118 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He then wore shirts that promoted Cenation and his trademark line "You Can't See Me".<ref name=":11" />

=== Legacy ===
Cena has been called the greatest professional wrestler of all time by his peers Kurt Angle,<ref>{{cite web |last=Schwartz |first=Nick |title=Kurt Angle on how WWE has changed, and why John Cena is the G.O.A.T. WWE Superstar |url=http://www.foxsports.com/wwe/gallery/wwe-kurt-angle-john-cena-hall-of-fame-interview-wizard-world |work=] |access-date=March 18, 2017}}</ref> John "Bradshaw" Layfield, and veteran industry personality ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.news.com.au/sport/sports-life/why-john-cena-is-the-best-of-all-time/news-story/c9e166b82caa2ba63e01fc3e3bd40293 |title=Why John Cena is the best of all time |last=Santarossa |first=Adam |work=News.com.au |access-date=February 8, 2017|date=January 4, 2017}}</ref> When discussing Cena's legacy on his podcast, ] (who was head booker of ] while Cena was there) stated "I think <nowiki></nowiki> the last big star in wrestling", praising his work ethic, athletic ability and microphone skills.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cornette|first=Jim|date=February 10, 2021|title=Jim Cornette on John Cena's Legacy |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOblf4DiK40 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211027/KOblf4DiK40 |archive-date=October 27, 2021 |access-date=|website=Youtube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

WWE chairman Vince McMahon said he regarded John Cena as the WWE's ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Zucker |first=Joseph |date=April 23, 2017 |title=Vince McMahon Calls John Cena the 'Babe Ruth of WWE' |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2705288-vince-mcmahon-calls-john-cena-the-babe-ruth-of-wwe.333 |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website= |publisher=]}}</ref> '']'' named Cena one of the 10 greatest WWE wrestlers of all time.<ref name=":13">{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Kerry |date=August 14, 2018 |title=Ranking the 10 Greatest WWE/WWF Wrestlers of All Time |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2788824-ranking-the-10-greatest-wwewwf-wrestlers-of-all-time |access-date=October 25, 2022 |publisher=]}}</ref> In 2012, ], headlined by the John Cena vs. The Rock main event, became the highest drawing event in WWE history with 1,217,000 buys.<ref name=wm27buy>{{cite press release|url=http://corporate.wwe.com/documents/PressRelease-Q22012-FINAL_000.pdf|title=WWE Reports 2012 Second Quarter Results|publisher=]|date=August 2, 2012|access-date=August 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019062951/http://corporate.wwe.com/documents/PressRelease-Q22012-FINAL_000.pdf|archive-date=October 19, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> The event held the record for the highest grossing live event in WWE history as of 2012; grossing $8.9 million.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mrosko |first=Geno |url=http://www.cagesideseats.com/2012/4/2/2919570/wrestlemania-28-results-wwe-breaks-gate-and-attendance-records-in |title=WrestleMania 28 results: WWE breaks gate and attendance records in Miami |publisher=Cageside Seats |date=April 2, 2012 |access-date=May 27, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://corporate.wwe.com/news/company-news/2012/08-10-2012 | title=WrestleMania® 28 – Rock vs. Cena Special on NBC }}</ref>

== Acting career ==
{{further|John Cena filmography}}

=== Film ===
] at the premiere of his film '']'', 2006]]
], a division of WWE which produces and finances motion pictures, produced Cena's first movie—''The Marine'', which was distributed theatrically by ] America beginning on October 13, 2006. In its first week, the film made approximately US$7&nbsp;million at the United States box office.<ref name=boxoffice>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/marine/numbers.php |title=The Marine: Box Office Summary |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=July 4, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070629232818/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/marine/numbers.php |archive-date=June 29, 2007}}</ref> After ten weeks in theaters, the film grossed $18.7&nbsp;million.<ref name=boxoffice/> Once the film was released on DVD, it fared better, making $30&nbsp;million in rentals in the first twelve weeks.<ref name=boxoffice/>

]'']]
His second film, also produced by WWE Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox was '']''.<ref name="mf">{{cite news |last=Millado |first=Nate |url=http://www.mensfitness.com/lifestyle/entertainment/236 |title=John Cena on Acting |date=March 2009 |work=] |access-date=March 16, 2009}}</ref> Filming began on February 25, 2008, in New Orleans;<ref name="mf"/><ref name=NOLA>{{cite news |first=Roberta |last=Carrow-Jackson |url=http://blog.nola.com/business_of_film/2007/12/state_film_office_announces_20.html|title=State Film Office announces 2007 statistics |newspaper=NOLA.com |date=December 7, 2007|access-date=January 11, 2008 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080128194854/http://blog.nola.com/business_of_film/2007/12/state_film_office_announces_20.html|archive-date=January 28, 2008}}</ref> the film was released on March 27, 2009.

Cena co-starred in his third film produced by WWE Studios, titled '']'', which was played in selected theaters beginning on September 10, 2010, for a limited time.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/legendary/details |title=Legendary (2010): Reviews |access-date=September 13, 2010 |website=]}}</ref> It was then released on DVD on September 28, 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Legendary-Blu-ray/12410/|title=Legendary Blu-ray |publisher=Blu-ray.com |access-date=March 28, 2011}}</ref> That same year, Cena starred in the children's film '']'', a film based on ]'s YouTube videos of the ], where he plays Fred's imaginary father.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 20, 2010|url=https://twitter.com/LucasCruikshank/status/18970723212|title=LucasCruikshank|work=Twitter|access-date=July 20, 2010}}</ref> The movie was first aired on ] in September 2010.<ref>{{cite news |first=Lorenzo |last=Benet |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20427194,00.html |title=5 Things to Know About Lucas Cruikshank |access-date=September 20, 2010 |date=September 18, 2010 |work=] |archive-date=September 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100921104950/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20427194,00.html }}</ref>

In 2015, Cena made appearances in the comedy films '']'',<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/judd-apatow-trainwreck-casting/ |title=Judd Apatow's 'Trainwreck' Casts Up: Tilda Swinton, Barkhad Abdi and John Cena Sign On - /Film |date=March 18, 2014 |website=slashfilm.com |access-date=December 30, 2016}}</ref> '']''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2014/07/wwe-john-cena-the-nest-tina-fey-amy-poehler-villain-798658/ |title=WWE Star John Cena To Turn Heel In Universal Comedy 'The Nest' |first=Jen |last=Yamato |date=July 1, 2014 |work=Deadline |access-date=December 30, 2016}}</ref> and a cameo in '']''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/daddys-home-review-will-ferrell-mark-wahlberg-1201665411/|title=Film Review: 'Daddy's Home' |last=Berkshire |first=Geoff |work=] |access-date=May 12, 2017 |date=December 22, 2015}}</ref> In 2017, Cena starred in the war drama '']''<ref>{{cite news |last=Lesnick |first=Silas |title=The Wall Movie Set For Distribution |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/790209-the-wall-movie|access-date=November 30, 2016 |work=ComingSoon.net|date=November 29, 2016}}</ref> and lent his voice for the animated films '']'' and ''].''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.today.com/popculture/john-cena-ferdinand-trailer-t109688|title=Watch the trailer for John Cena's new animated movie ''Ferdinand''|author=Randee Dawn|date=March 28, 2017|website=today.com| access-date=March 28, 2017}}</ref> He also appeared in '']'', reprising his role in a larger capacity than the 2015 film. In 2018, Cena starred in the comedy '']'', and had a leading role in the '']'' spin-off prequel, '']''. In 2019, he starred in '']'', playing the role of ] superintendent Jake Carson. In 2020, he voiced Yoshi, a ], in the adventure comedy film '']''.<ref name="TVGuide">{{cite web |title=John Cena |url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/john-cena/credits/214568/ |website=tvguide.com |access-date=May 18, 2020}}</ref>

In 2019, Cena was cast in ]'s '']'', playing Jakob Toretto, the brother of ]'s character ].<ref>{{cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony|url=https://deadline.com/2019/06/john-cena-officially-joins-fast-furious-9-1202629115/|title=John Cena Officially Joins ''Fast & Furious 9''|date=June 7, 2019|work=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=June 11, 2019}}</ref> During the film's promotional tour in 2021, Cena referred to ] as "a country". He subsequently posted an apology on social media as China considers ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Ni |first=Vincent |title=John Cena 'very sorry' for saying Taiwan is a country |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/may/26/john-cena-very-sorry-for-saying-taiwan-is-a-country |work=The Guardian |access-date=June 5, 2021 |date=May 25, 2021}}</ref> Comedian and political commentator ] criticized Cena for his apology to China.<ref>{{cite web |last=Haring |first=Bruce |title=Bill Maher Attacks John Cena, LeBron James, Tom Cruise, Eileen Gu For Siding With Totalitarian China |url=https://deadline.com/2022/02/bill-maher-real-time-hbo-john-cena-eileen-gu-lebron-james-tom-cruise-china-totalitarian-favors-1234956958/ |work=Deadline |access-date=February 19, 2022 |date=February 19, 2022}}</ref>

Cena also was cast as ] in ]'s '']'', a role originally intended for ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Kroll|first=Justin|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/john-cena-suicide-squad-2-1203191618/|title=John Cena Eyed for ''Suicide Squad'' Sequel (EXCLUSIVE)|date=April 17, 2019|work=Variety|access-date=June 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Galuppo |first=Mia|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/john-cena-eyed-suicide-squad-sequel-role-1202693|title=John Cena Eyed for Role in ''Suicide Squad'' Sequel|date=April 17, 2019|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=June 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Pearson |first=Ben |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/john-cena-suicide-squad/|title=John Cena in Talks to Suit Up For James Gunn's ''The Suicide Squad''|date=April 17, 2019|work=Slash Film |access-date=June 11, 2019}}</ref> In 2023, he reprised his role as Jakob Toretto in '']'', which premiered in theaters on May 19, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 21, 2023 |title=Fast X: An Updated Cast List For Fast & Furious 10, Including Vin Diesel And Jason Momoa |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/fast-x-an-updated-cast-list-for-fast-and-furious-10-including-vin-diesel-and-jason-momoa |access-date=April 10, 2023 |website=CinemaBlend}}</ref> He was also the voice of ] in '']'', which was released on August 2, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 5, 2023 |title=Seth Rogen Unveils 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Movie Cast |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-mutant-mayhem-cast-1235340739/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=J. Kim |date=March 5, 2023 |title='Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem' Unveils Full Voice Cast, Including Jackie Chan as Splinter |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-mutant-mayhem-voice-cast-announced-1235542988/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |website=Variety}}</ref>

=== Guest appearances ===
Before his WWE debut, Cena made an appearance on the ] ''Go Sick'' as Bruebaker, an angry, cursing wrestler in 2001.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atomfilms.com/film/go_sick_psycho.jsp |title=Go Sick: Psycho Auditions|access-date=April 6, 2007|publisher=AtomFilms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070410013938/http://www.atomfilms.com/film/go_sick_psycho.jsp|archive-date=April 10, 2007}}</ref>

During his WWE career, Cena has appeared on ABC's '']'' three times. He has also appeared on morning radio shows including the ] and ] versions of ] as part of their "walkover" on October 10, 2006. Other appearances have included NBC's '']'', ] ''Celebrity Playlist'', ]'s '']'', FOX's '']'', '']'' (with Shelton Benjamin), and two appearances on MTV's '']'' (August 2006 and May 2007), as the victim of a ]. He also served as a co-presenter, with ], at the 2005 ], as a guest judge during the third week of the 2006 season of '']'', and appeared at the ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Medalis |first=Kara A.|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/news/cenanickuk|title=Cena on Nick U.K. Kids' Choice Awards|access-date=October 30, 2007 |work=WWE|date=October 26, 2007}}</ref>
]
In January 2007, Cena, ], and ] appeared representing WWE on an episode of '']'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/homemakeover|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070115030617/http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/homemakeover|archive-date=January 15, 2007|title=WWE Superstars aid family's "Extreme Makeover"|last=Hunt|first=Jen|author2=Mike McAvennie|access-date=August 2, 2007|work=WWE}}</ref> giving the children of the family whose house was being renovated WWE merchandise and eight tickets to WrestleMania 23.<ref>{{cite video|title=John Cena, Batista, and Ashley on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition|url=http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/specialty_clips/wwehomemakeover|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626131807/http://www.wwe.com/content/media/video/specialty_clips/wwehomemakeover|archive-date=June 26, 2007|medium=WMV|work=WWE|access-date=August 1, 2007}}</ref> Two months later, he and Bobby Lashley appeared on the ] game show '']'' as "moral support" to longtime WWE fan and front row staple, Rick "Sign Guy" Achberger. Edge and Randy Orton also appeared, but as antagonists.<ref>{{cite web|author=Zack Zeigler |url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/dealofalifetime|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070303065644/http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/dealofalifetime|archive-date=March 3, 2007|title=Sign-ing a Deal?|access-date=May 25, 2007 |date=March 1, 2007|work=WWE}}</ref> On April 9, 2008, Cena, along with fellow wrestlers Triple H and Chris Jericho, appeared on the '']'' fund-raising special.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/show/CTVShows/20080408/presidential_idol_080408/20080408/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080412011348/http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/show/CTVShows/20080408/presidential_idol_080408/20080408/ |archive-date=April 12, 2008 |title=Presidential hopefuls among 'Idol Gives Back' stars |access-date=April 10, 2008 |work=]}}</ref> In March 2009, Cena made an appearance on '']'' during the show's cold opening sequence.<ref>{{cite episode|title=Tracy Morgan/Kelly Clarkson|series=Saturday Night Live|network=]|air-date=March 14, 2009|season=]|number=654|minutes=90–92}}</ref> On March 7, 2009, he was a guest on ]'s quiz show '']'' in a Not My Job sequence titled "Sure, pro wrestling is a good gig, but when you win, do they throw teddy bears into the ring?".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=35&prgDate=03-07-2009&view=storyview|title=Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!|access-date=June 25, 2009|work=]}}</ref>

=== Television ===
In 2001, between his training in Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling,<ref name="realitynews">{{cite web |last=Sherman |first=Dale |date=July 10, 2002 |title=''Whatever Happened to Manhunt's "Big Tim"?'' |url=http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article1970.art&page=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060118065404/http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article1970.art&page=1 |archive-date=January 18, 2006 |access-date=June 13, 2006 |publisher=Reality News Online}}</ref> Cena was involved in the ] produced reality show '']'', in which he portrayed Big Tim Kingman, leader of the group of ]s who chased down the contestants who acted as fugitives. The show, however, was mired in controversy when it was alleged that the portions of the show were rigged to eliminate certain players, scenes were re-shot or staged to enhance drama and contestants read from scripts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.realitytvhallofshame.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=4&article=article1062.art&page=1|title=UPN's 'Manhunt' a Maggot For Real|access-date=June 13, 2006 |publisher=Reality TV Hall of Shame|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060822171035/http://www.realitytvhallofshame.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=4&article=article1062.art&page=1|archive-date=August 22, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=2&page=page1013.php|title=''Manhunt'' overview|access-date=June 13, 2006|publisher=Reality News Online|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060507001951/http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=2&page=page1013.php|archive-date=May 7, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article1339.art&page=1|title=Coming Up to Date on the Manhunt Scandal|access-date=June 13, 2006 |publisher=Reality News Online|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060502132107/http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article1339.art&page=1|archive-date=May 2, 2006}}</ref>

Cena was featured on the ] reality series '']'', which aired in June 2007,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/cenarevvedup|title=Cena gets revved up|first=Kara A.|last=Medalis|date=March 12, 2007|access-date=March 20, 2007|work=WWE}}</ref> making it to the final round before being eliminated on June 24, placing third in the competition overall.<ref>{{cite web |first=Kara A. |last=Medalis|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/cenanascar5|title=Cena races into third on 'Fast Cars' finale|work=WWE|access-date=July 8, 2007 |date=June 25, 2007}}</ref>

In 2007, Cena was interviewed for the '']'' documentary ''Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling'', which focused on steroid and drug use in professional wrestling. When asked if he had taken steroids he was heard to reply, "I can't tell you that I haven't, but you will never prove that I have".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newburyportnews.com/punews/local_story_317094010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904215800/http://www.newburyportnews.com/punews/local_story_317094010|archive-date=September 4, 2012|title=WWE wrestles CNN over Cena interview response|last=Atkinson |first=Dan|date=November 13, 2007|work=]|access-date=March 24, 2009}}</ref> The day after the documentary aired, WWE accused CNN of taking Cena's comments out of context to present a biased point of view, backing up their claim by posting an unedited video of Cena answering the same question – filmed by WWE cameras from another angle – in which he is heard beginning the same statement with "absolutely not".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/cenaoncnnvideo/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071116081321/http://www.wwe.com/inside/cenaoncnnvideo/|archive-date=November 16, 2007|title=Cena: Steroids? Absolutely not|access-date=November 18, 2007|publisher=WWE}}</ref> A text interview on the website with Cena later had him saying the news outlet should apologize for misrepresenting him,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/cenarespondstocnn|title=Cena reacts to CNN|access-date=November 18, 2007|publisher=WWE}}</ref> which CNN refused, saying they felt the true answer to the question began with the phrase "my answer to that question".<ref name=noapology>{{cite news|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/noapology|title=CNN to WWE: No Apology|access-date=November 18, 2007|newspaper=WWE}}</ref> However, they did edit the documentary on subsequent airings to include the "absolutely not".<ref name=noapology/>

Cena hosted the Australian ] with ] on October 11, 2008, in Melbourne.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ganska |first=Helen |url=http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24476906-5005368,00.html |title=WWE champion John Cena to host Nickelodeon awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090728095958/http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24476906-5005368,00.html|archive-date=July 28, 2009|date=October 12, 2008 |work=]|access-date=March 2, 2009}}</ref> Cena guest starred as Ewan O'Hara, brother of ], in an episode of the fourth season of the comedy drama '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/101/1011064p1.html|title=WWE's John Cena Guests on Psych |last=Goldman |first=Eric|date=August 5, 2009|website=IGN|access-date=August 28, 2009}}</ref> He also guest starred as himself in the seventh episode of ]'s ''] Forever''.

On August 17, 2015, Cena guest co-hosted '']'' on NBC.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/2015/john-cena-today-nbc-27805647|title=John Cena guest co-hosts 'Today' |work=WWE|date=August 17, 2015}}</ref> Cena appeared on '']'' on August 21, 2015.<ref name=cohost>{{cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam/2015/john-cena-today-nbc-27805647|title=John Cena guest co-hosts 'Today'|author=WWE.com Staff|publisher=WWE|date=August 17, 2015}}</ref> Cena co-hosted ''Today'' again on March 28–30 and May 9, 10, 13 and 30, 2016.

Cena hosted two seasons of ''American Grit'' on ], a reality television series with 10 episodes. 16 men and women were split into four teams, where challenges were given. A US$1 million prize was given to the winning team.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/american-grit/904180/|title=American Grit TV Show|magazine=TV Guide|access-date=March 18, 2016}}</ref> ''American Grit'' premiered on Fox on April 14, 2016, and the finale of season 1 aired on June 9. Cena hosted the ] ]s on July 13, 2016, in ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/779560/john-cena-brings-the-funny-while-hosting-the-2016-espy-awards|title=John Cena's Best Hosting Moments at 2016 ESPYs |access-date=July 14, 2016|date=July 14, 2016}}</ref> On December 10, 2016, Cena was the guest host of ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') on NBC.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Lawrence|first=Derek|title='Saturday Night Live' recap: John Cena|url=https://ew.com/recap/saturday-night-live-season-42-episode-9/|magazine=] |access-date=December 11, 2016|date=January 13, 2017}}</ref>

On January 24, 2017, Nickelodeon announced that Cena would host the 2017 ] ceremony on March 11. On January 11, 2018, it was announced that he would be hosting the awards ceremony again on March 24, 2018, becoming the third host behind ] and ] to host the ceremony back to back years. Two days later, the game show '']'' premiered with him as an executive producer. In addition, he was cast on '']'' as the voice of the villain Baron Draxum. The series premiered in July 2018.<ref>{{cite web|title=John Cena Joins Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|url=https://www.newsarama.com/38148-john-cena-joins-rise-of-the-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles.html |website=Newsarama |date=January 11, 2018|access-date=January 11, 2018}}</ref> On February 14, 2019, it was announced that Cena would host a revival of '']'' on the network, which premiered June 10, 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Breaking News – Nickelodeon Brings Back "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader" – John Cena to Host All-New Version of the Hit Family Game Show|url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2019/02/14/nickelodeon-brings-back-are-you-smarter-than-a-5th-grader-john-cena-to-host-all-new-version-of-the-hit-family-game-show-382004/20190214nickelodeon04/ |website=www.thefutoncritic.com |access-date=February 14, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media|date=April 22, 2019|title=Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader: Spring 2019 promo commercial – Nickelodeon|medium=Video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLvX3Mm7YoQ| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211027/kLvX3Mm7YoQ| archive-date=October 27, 2021|access-date=April 24, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2021, Cena co-hosted the TV game show ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Holbrook|first=Damian|title='Wipeout' Cohost John Cena on the TBS Reboot — and Whether He's Attempted the Course|url=https://www.tvinsider.com/993139/wipeout-reboot-john-cena-cohost-course/|access-date=May 29, 2021|website=TV Insider|date=April 15, 2021 }}</ref> In 2024, an almost completely nude Cena appeared onstage at the ] to present the ] in reference to a ] interrupting the ] in 1974. Cena largely received praise for his performance during the presentation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rajagopalan |first=Rishikesh |date=March 11, 2024 |title=Nearly naked John Cena presents Oscar for best costume design at 2024 Academy Awards |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-cena-nearly-naked-oscars-2024/ |access-date=March 11, 2024 |publisher=CBS News}}</ref>

== Music career ==
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = John Cena
| background = person<!-- track if single person or group for hCard microformat: use value person or group_or_band -->
| genre = ]
| years_active = 2004–2005, 2014, 2022
| label = ], ]
}}

In addition to his wrestling career, Cena is a rapper. He performed his fifth WWE ], "Basic Thuganomics", and it was featured on the WWE soundtrack album '']''. He also recorded a song, "Untouchables", for the company's next soundtrack album '']''. He collaborated on a remix for the song ] along with ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emusic.com/album/10851/10851182.html?fref=150051|title=H-U-S-T-L-E, MP3 Album page|access-date=May 17, 2007|publisher=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926230043/http://www.emusic.com/album/10851/10851182.html?fref=150051|archive-date=September 26, 2007}}</ref>

Cena's debut album, '']'', was recorded with his cousin ]. It features, among other songs, his entrance theme, "]", and the single "Bad, Bad Man", for which a music video was made that parodied 1980s culture, including the television show '']''. A video was also made for the second single, "Right Now", that premiered on the August 8, 2005, episode of '']''. Cena and Tha Trademarc were later featured on a track by ] called "Champion Scratch". Cena was featured on ]'s postponed album, '']''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.undergroundhiphop.com/store/detail.asp?UPC=DJX11212|title=Perceptionists – 'Black Dialogue/ 5 O'Clock/ Champion Scratch'|access-date=May 17, 2007 |publisher=UndergroundHiipHop.com |archive-date=July 30, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090730060059/http://www.undergroundhiphop.com/store/detail.asp?UPC=DJX11212}}</ref>

In October 2014, Cena was featured on two songs with rapper ] for his two singles "All Day" and "Breaks" for the soundtrack to the '']'' video game.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/6281570/john-cena-wiz-khalifa-twwe-video-game-soundtrack|title=John Cena & Wiz Khalifa Team Up on 'WWE 2K15' Video Game Soundtrack|magazine=Billboard|date=October 13, 2014|access-date=December 29, 2019}}</ref>

Cena is a self-taught pianist, starting to learn the instrument in 2016.<ref name=Classic>{{cite news |title=Can John Cena play the piano? Inside the former WWE star's melancholy 'Peacemaker' solo |first=Sophia Alexandra |last=Hall |date=February 7, 2022 |work=] |url=https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/piano/john-cena-self-taught-musician/ |access-date=January 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204143940/https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/instruments/piano/john-cena-self-taught-musician/ |archive-date=February 4, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, he performed a piano rendition of ]'s "]" for the '']'' soundtrack, playing it onscreen as his Peacemaker character in a poignant scene to close the episode "]".<ref name=Classic/><ref>{{Cite tweet |author=James Gunn |user=jamesgunn |number=1489608987775574018 |title=John's piano version of "Home Sweet Home" was arranged by @John___Murphy, composer of The Suicide Squad & Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.}}</ref>

===Discography===
'''Studio albums'''
* '']'' (2005)

'''Soundtrack albums'''
* '']'' (2022)

== Other ventures ==
=== Endorsements ===
]
Before his ] career, Cena appeared in an advertisement for ]. As a wrestler, he has endorsed the ] YJ Stinger,<ref>{{cite episode|title=November 23, 2003|series=WWE Confidential|series-link=WWE Confidential|network=]}}</ref> appearing in commercials beginning in October 2003, and ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/cenasubway2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207162217/http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/cenasubway2|archive-date=December 7, 2006|title=Cena to 'Eat Fresh' with Jared Fogle|access-date=January 13, 2007|publisher=WWE}}</ref> for whom he filmed advertisements with their spokesperson ] in November 2006 that began airing the following January. For a time in 2007, he also endorsed two "signature collections" of energy drinks and ]s sold by American Body Builders.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanbodybuilding.com/v1/cenapack/|title=Cena Pak product page|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070328183219/http://www.americanbodybuilding.com/v1/cenapack/|archive-date=March 28, 2007|access-date=November 28, 2007 |publisher=American Body Builders}}</ref> In 2008, Cena filmed a commercial as part of ] "Young Guns" ] campaign.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/news/cenayoungguns|publisher=WWE|date=February 12, 2008|title=Cena gets in the ring with NASCAR's hottest drivers|access-date=February 25, 2009}}</ref>

In 2009, Cena expanded his relationship with Gillette by introducing a new online campaign called "Be A Superstar" featuring himself alongside fellow WWE wrestlers Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes. The campaign features motivational videos.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/beasuperstar|work=WWE|date=July 13, 2009 |title=WWE "Be A Superstar" featuring John Cena in "Stepping Up"|access-date=July 13, 2009 |archive-date=June 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625201140/http://beasuperstar.wwe.com/}}</ref> After ] called Cena "]" during their feud (in reference to Cena's colorful merchandise) Cena appeared on the box of Fruity Pebbles cereal in 2013.<ref name=":12" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Stampler |first=Laura |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/john-cena-replaces-fred-flintstone-on-fruity-pebbles-2013-1?r=US&IR=T |title=Fred Flintstone Will Be Replaced On The Fruity Pebbles Box By A Wrestler |work=] |date=January 7, 2013 |access-date=June 12, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Hoppes |first=Lynn |url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/index/_/id/7451098 |title=John Cena appearing on boxes of Fruity Pebbles |work=] |date=January 11, 2013 |access-date=June 12, 2022}}</ref>

He was the ] driver for the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/shake-and-bake/john-cena-daytona-500-wrestlemania-32-wwe-set-drive-pace-car-but-coy-sprint-cup-022116|title=John Cena honorary pace car driver |last=Jensen |first=Tom |date=February 21, 2016 |access-date=February 21, 2016|work=]}}</ref> On October 13, 2016, Cena made his debut as the voice of Ernie the Elephant in a new commercial campaign launched by Wonderful Pistachios. He was named to ''Adweek's'' "Creative 100" and received praise for his performance.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/john-cena-not-elephant-now-hes-playing-one-tv-wonderful-pistachios-173969|title=John Cena's not an Elephant, but now he's playing one on TV for Wonderful Pistachios|access-date=January 14, 2017|website=adweek.com|author=David Gianastasio|date=October 10, 2016}}</ref> In 2020, Cena and ] announced a partnership, with Cena becoming the new voice of Honda.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.marketingdive.com/news/honda-leans-into-rewilding-trend-with-john-cena-as-its-voice/586832/|title=Honda leans into 'rewilding' trend with John Cena as its voice|last=Baar|first=Aaron|date=October 12, 2020 |website=marketingdive.com|access-date=October 31, 2020}}</ref>

=== Philanthropy ===
]
Cena has granted over 650 wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses through the ]—the most in Make-A-Wish history,<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Traina |first=Jimmy |title=Pandemic Can't Stop John Cena From Continuing to Grant Wishes |url=https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2020/05/04/john-cena-make-a-wish-foundation-surprise |magazine=Sports Illustrated |access-date=February 12, 2021 |date=May 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Cohen |first=Sandy |url=https://apnews.com/9a2a7bc01e734295a1bc9f44b5b03619 |title=John Cena shares his love for kids and how they inspire him |date=March 19, 2018 |work=AP NEWS |access-date=April 8, 2019}}</ref> with his first wish dating back to 2002.<ref name="Inside Nova" /> The ] confirmed that not only had Cena granted this many wishes by mid-2022, but that second place was fewer than 200.<ref name="maw">{{Cite news |date=September 27, 2022 |accessdate=September 27, 2022 |newspaper=] |title=John Cena sets 'herculean' record for most wishes granted to children |last=Vargas |first=Ramon Antonio |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/sep/27/john-cena-world-record-most-wishes-granted-children}}</ref> In 2009, Cena received the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wish.org/news/news_releases/2009_cg_awards |title=Make-A-Wish Foundation: News & Events: News Release s|publisher=Wish.org |date=September 14, 2009 |access-date=March 28, 2011|archive-date=February 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219074124/http://www.wish.org/news/news_releases/2009_cg_awards}}</ref>

From late 2011 until WrestleMania XXVIII, Cena wore a black "Rise Above Hate" T-shirt promoting WWE's "Be a Star" anti-] campaign. In September and October 2012, Cena wore pink and black with the phrase "Rise Above Cancer" in partnership with ] as part of ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://community.wwe.com/hope/news/john-cena-talks-about-his-involvement-susan-g-komen-cure|title=John Cena talks about his involvement with Susan G. Komen for the Cure|publisher=WWE |access-date=December 1, 2019}}</ref>

In November 2016, Cena appeared in a public service announcement, "We Are America", sponsored by the ] as part of its "Love Has No Labels" campaign.<ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MdK8hBkR3s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211027/0MdK8hBkR3s| archive-date=October 27, 2021|title=We Are America ft. John Cena - Love Has No Labels - Ad Council|date=July 4, 2016|place=]|access-date=July 10, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Cena made a $1 million donation to ] in June 2020 as part of the #MatchAMillion initiative made popular by ] band ].<ref>{{cite news |last=Hahn |first=Jason Duaine |title=John Cena Donates $1 Million to Black Lives Matter: 'Be Brave and Open-Minded' |url=https://people.com/sports/john-cena-donates-1-million-to-black-lives-matter-matching-earlier-donation-from-bts/ |access-date=January 3, 2021 |work=] |date=June 10, 2020}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
{{see also|Unexpected John Cena}}
His catchphrase "You Can't See Me" originates from 2005 when Cena was under production for his new theme song, during which he was dared by his little brother to do the ] on TV, which consists of moving your head while looking into the palm of your hand. Cena accepted the dare, but did it in reverse by waving his hand in front of his face instead to make it look more visible to his brother.<ref name=":0" /> Over time, this evolved into his signature catchphrase "You Can't See Me".<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 15, 2016 |title=The story behind John Cena's 'You Can't See Me' taunt |url=https://www.wwe.com/article/john-cena-you-cant-see-me-story |access-date=October 25, 2022 |website=WWE}}</ref> In mid-2015, Cena was the subject of the ] "Unexpected John Cena", also known as simply "Unexpected Cena" or "IT'S JOHN CENA".<ref>{{cite web |last=Feldman |first=Brian |date=December 18, 2015|url=https://nymag.com/following/2015/12/famous-man-responds-to-meme-its-john-cena.html|title=A Famous Man Responded to a Meme Involving Him — IT'S JOHN CENA|work=]|access-date=March 5, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160122132356/http://nymag.com/following/2015/12/famous-man-responds-to-meme-its-john-cena.html|archive-date=January 22, 2016}}</ref> He has also been the subject of many memes due to his catchphrase, "You can't see me" such as being invisible in photos.<ref>{{cite web|date=July 14, 2020|title=John Cena's Hilarious "You Can't See Me" Meme Explained|url=https://screenrant.com/john-cena-you-cant-see-me-meme-explained/|access-date=December 9, 2021|work=ScreenRant}}</ref>

On May 10, 2021, Cena posted a video on his ] account, in which he sat in a car and ate ice cream while promoting the upcoming film '']''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dahiwade |first=Shrey |date=December 28, 2022 |title=What Did John Cena Really Say in Chinese in His Viral Ice Cream Video? |url=https://www.sportsmanor.com/wwe-what-did-john-cena-really-say-in-chinese-in-his-viral-ice-cream-video/ |access-date=June 18, 2023 |website=Sportsmanor}}</ref> In the video, Cena speaks ] and sings into the ice cream cone as if it were a microphone. The video was viewed by millions of users and inspired the creation of the meme "Bing Chilling", a mishearing of ''bīngqílín'' (冰淇淋), which means ice cream and is said repeatedly in the video.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lim |first1=Lisa |title=What John Cena did wrong in 'bing chilling' viral ice cream meme |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/short-reads/article/3226933/what-john-cena-did-wrong-bing-chilling-viral-meme-and-how-ice-cream-has-been-adapted-chinese |access-date=July 13, 2023 |newspaper=South China Morning Post |date=July 8, 2023}}</ref>

On May 24, 2021, a video of Cena apologizing to China was published on Twitter.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 26, 2021 |title=John Cena Apologizes on Weibo for Calling Taiwan a Country |url=https://news.yahoo.com/john-cena-apologizes-weibo-calling-182939585.html |access-date=June 18, 2023 |publisher=Yahoo! News}}</ref> While promoting ''Fast & Furious 9'' in an interview, Cena stated Taiwan would be the first country to be able to view the film. This resulted in a backlash from Chinese social media users, prompting Cena to apologize in Mandarin in the video for the slip of the tongue. His apology received mixed reactions in China,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Talmazan |first1=Yuliya |title=Actor John Cena apologizes after Taiwan comment |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/actor-john-cena-apologizes-after-taiwan-comment-n1268526 |access-date=July 13, 2023 |publisher=NBC News |date=May 26, 2021}}</ref> and was the subject of further internet memes in the west.

== Personal life ==
] in March 2018]]
Cena resides in ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Lonon |first=Sherri |date=April 9, 2013 |title=Cena Brings WWE Title Home to Land o' Lakes |url=https://www.patch.com/florida/landolakes/amp/14707895/cena-brings-wwe-title-home-to-land-o-lakes |access-date=August 15, 2019 |website=] |publisher=}}</ref> He has often said that he doesn’t want children because he wouldn’t want to be an absentee parent due to focusing on his career.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Corinthios |first=Aurelie |date=April 17, 2018 |title=Why John Cena Doesn't Want to Become a Dad — and How He Gave Nikki Bella 'False Hope,' Source Says |url=https://people.com/tv/why-john-cena-doesnt-want-kids/ |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=Peoplemag |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Glasspiegel |first=Ryan |date=April 22, 2016 |title=John Cena on Nikki Bella: "I don't want kids, I don't want marriage." |url=https://www.thebiglead.com/posts/john-cena-on-nikki-bella-i-don-t-want-kids-i-don-t-want-marriage-01dm5hb752ac |website=The Big Lead}}</ref>

While promoting his 2009 film ''12 Rounds'', Cena announced his engagement to Elizabeth Huberdeau.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jim |last=Moore |url=http://www.seattlepi.com/moore/400249_moore16.html|title=Cena works hard on his rags to riches story|access-date=February 16, 2009|date=February 16, 2009|work=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Cena, WWE score knockout in 12 Rounds|last=Varsallone|first=Jim|date=March 23, 2009|work=] |page=3}}</ref> They were married on July 11, 2009. Cena filed for divorce on May 1, 2012,<ref>{{cite news|title=Petition for Dissolution of Marriage |url=http://blogs.herald.com/files/petitionfordissolutionofmarriage-1.pdf|newspaper=]|access-date=June 20, 2012}}</ref> and the divorce was finalized on July 18 of that year.<ref>{{cite web|last=Vultaggio|first=Maria|title=John Cena And Elizabeth Huberdeau Settle Divorce War: WWE Wrestler Makes Peace With Estranged Wife |url=http://www.ibtimes.com/john-cena-and-elizabeth-huberdeau-settle-divorce-war-wwe-wrestler-makes-peace-estranged-wife-726833|work=International Business Times |date=July 18, 2012|access-date=December 1, 2012}}</ref> Later that year, he began dating fellow wrestler ].<ref name="NikkiSplit"/> They became engaged on April 2, 2017, when Cena proposed to her at ],<ref name="Engaged">{{cite web|last=Dawn|first=Randee|date=April 3, 2017|title=John Cena pops the question to Nikki Bella at WrestleMania 33 — and she said yes!|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/john-cena-pops-question-nikki-bella-wrestlemania-33-she-said-t109923 |access-date=April 8, 2018|work=]}}</ref> but ended their relationship in April 2018;<ref name="NikkiSplit">{{cite web |last=Longeretta |first=Emily |url=https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/nikki-bella-and-john-cena-break-up-end-engagement/|title=Nikki Bella and John Cena Break Up After 6 Years Together, End Engagement|date=April 15, 2018|access-date=April 18, 2018|work=]|publisher=]}}</ref> they had been planning to marry the following month, on May 5.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mizoguchi |first=Karen |date=May 5, 2018 |title=John Cena & Nikki Bella: Inside Their Canceled Nuptials on What Would Have Been Their Wedding Day |work=] |url=http://people.com/tv/john-cena-nikki-bella-split-wedding-date/ |access-date=May 10, 2018}}</ref>

Cena began dating Shay Shariatzadeh in early 2019, and they were married on October 12, 2020, in a private ceremony in ]. The two had met during the production of Cena's 2019 film '']'', which was filmed in ], where Shariatzadeh was working.<ref>{{cite web|author=Jennifer Drysdale|title=John Cena Quietly Marries Girlfriend Shay Shariatzadeh|url=https://www.etonline.com/john-cena-quietly-marries-girlfriend-shay-shariatzadeh-154824|website=etonline.com|date=October 14, 2020|access-date=October 14, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Mauch|first=Ally|title=John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh's Whirlwind Romance: From Meeting on Set to Marrying the Next Year|url=https://people.com/movies/inside-john-cena-and-shay-shariatzadehs-whirlwind-romance/|date=October 15, 2020|access-date=November 4, 2020|work=]}}</ref>

Cena started learning ] in 2016 to help the WWE expand its reach, and he spoke in Mandarin at a press conference in China.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://au.news.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/watch/39589782/exclusive-john-cena-stars-in-hilarious-new-comedy-blockers/|title=EXCLUSIVE: John Cena stars in hilarious new comedy 'Blockers'|work=Yahoo Sunrise|access-date=March 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322143033/https://au.news.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/watch/39589782/exclusive-john-cena-stars-in-hilarious-new-comedy-blockers/ |archive-date=March 22, 2018}}</ref> In April 2018, he said that he had also learned to play the ].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnYGcx4EmN8| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211027/GnYGcx4EmN8| archive-date=October 27, 2021 |title=Everything John Cena Does in a Day – Vanity Fair|last=Vanity Fair|date=April 5, 2018|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In December 2017, the ] sued Cena for breach of the contract under which he had bought his 2017 ]. Ford alleged that he had sold it for a profit shortly after receiving it, instead of keeping the car for at least two years as agreed.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2017/12/02/ford-sues-actor-wwe-superstar-john-cena-over-his-car/915846001/ |title=John Cena sued by Ford for selling GT supercar |author=Woodyard, Chris |newspaper=] |date=December 2, 2017 |access-date=December 4, 2017}}</ref> Ford and Cena settled the dispute on June 19, 2018. While most of the settlement’s details were not disclosed, it was reported that Cena had agreed to apologize to Ford, and that Ford had agreed to donate the amount they had received in the settlement to charity.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Markovich |first1=Tony |title=The Flip That Flopped: John Cena and Ford Settle GT Resale Lawsuit |url=https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a21622751/the-flip-that-flopped-john-cena-and-ford-settle-gt-resale-lawsuit/ |website=CarAndDriver.com |date=June 19, 2018 |publisher=Car and Driver |access-date=July 28, 2023}}</ref>

From July to November 2018, Cena lived in ], China, in order to work with ] on the film '']''. While there, he also created a show on WWE's YouTube channel in which he highlighted his trips to local markets and other stores.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lawrence |first=Gregory |date=January 15, 2020 |title=John Cena Talks Filming 'Project X-Traction' with Living Legend Jackie Chan |url=https://collider.com/john-cena-jackie-chan-project-xtraction/ |access-date=February 24, 2020 |work=]}}</ref>

== Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable
|-
! Year !! Award !! Category !! Nominated work !! Result !! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}}
|-
| 2017
| ]
| ]
| {{n/a}}
| {{won}}
|
|-
| ]
| ]
| ]
| {{n/a}}
| {{nom}}
|
|-
| ]
| ]
| ]
| '']''
| {{nom}}
|
|-
| ]
| ]
| ]
| '']''
| {{nom}}
|
|-
| ]
| ]
| ]
| '']''
| {{nom}}
|
|-
| ]
| ]
| Best Actor in a Superhero Movie
| '']''
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web |last=Davis |first=Clayton |title=Critics Choice Super Awards: 'Spider-Man,' 'Justice League' Among Film Nominees; 'Evil,' 'Midnight Mass' Lead TV |url=https://variety.com/2022/awards/news/critics-choice-super-awards-spider-man-1235187084/ |work=] |access-date=May 10, 2022 |date=February 22, 2022}}</ref>
|-
| ]
| ]
| ]
|'']''
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web |last=Haring |first=Bruce |date=April 9, 2022 |title=Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards Sets Sliming Record — Winners List |url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/nickelodean-kids-choice-awards-winners-list-1234998189/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220410031044/https://deadline.com/2022/04/nickelodean-kids-choice-awards-winners-list-1234998189/ |archive-date=April 10, 2022 |access-date=April 9, 2022 |work=]}}</ref>
|-
| ]
| ]
| ]
| rowspan="3"|'']''
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{cite web |last=Hipes |first=Patrick |title=MTV Movie & TV Awards Unveil Scripted And Unscripted Nominations: 'Spider-Man: No Way Home', 'Euphoria' Lead Way For Now-Combined Event |url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/2022-mtv-movie-and-tv-awards-nominations-scripted-unscripted-1235020825/ |work=] |access-date=May 13, 2022 |date=May 11, 2022}}</ref>
|-
| ]
| ]
| Best Actor in a Streaming Series, Comedy
| {{nom}}
|
|-
| ]
| ]
| Best Actor in a Superhero Series
| {{nom}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vlessing |first=Etan |date=March 16, 2023 |title=''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' Wins Big at 2023 Critics Choice Super Awards |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/critics-choice-super-awards-2023-winners-list-1235354402/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316190851/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/critics-choice-super-awards-2023-winners-list-1235354402/ |archive-date=March 16, 2023 |access-date=January 3, 2024 |website=]}}</ref>
|}

== Video games ==
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+Video game credits
! Year
! Title
! Notes
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2003
| '']''
| Video game debut
|-
| '']''
|
|-
| '']''
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| 2004
| '']''
|
|-
| '']''
| Cover athlete
|-
| '']''
|
|-
| rowspan="4"| 2005
| '']''
|
|-
| '']''
|
|-
| '']''
| rowspan="2"| Cover athlete
|-
| '']''
|-
| 2006
| '']''
| Cover athlete
|-
| 2007
| '']''
| Cover athlete
|-
| 2008
| '']''
|
|-
| 2009
| '']''
| Cover athlete
|-
| 2010
| '']''
| Cover athlete
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2011
| '']''
| Cover athlete
|-
| '']''
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2012
| '']''
|
|-
| '']''
|
|-
| 2013
| '']''
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2014
| '']''
| Cover athlete
|-
| '']''
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2015
| '']''
|
|-
| '']''
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|2016
| '']''
|
|-
| '']''
| ]
|-
| rowspan="4"| 2017
| ''WWE Champions''
|
|-
| ''WWE Tap Mania''
|
|-
| '']''
|
|-
| ''WWE Mayhem''
|
|-
| 2018
| '']''
|
|-
| 2019
| '']''
|
|-
| 2020
| '']''
| Cover athlete
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2022
| '']''
|
|-
| '']''
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 2023
| '']''
| Cover athlete
|-
| '']''
| ]
|-
| 2024
| '']''
|
|-
|}

== Championships and accomplishments ==
] record 13 times.]]
] bring Cena's total to 16 world championships.]]
], Cena has the most reigns under the WWE banner.]]
].]]

=== Professional wrestling ===
* ''''']'''''
** Best Feud of the Decade (2010) {{small|vs. ]}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Eck|first=Kevin|title=Best of the Decade awards|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/bs-mtblog-2010-01-best_of_the_decade_awards-story.html|work=]|date=January 11, 2010|access-date=December 20, 2020|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204084558/https://www.baltimoresun.com/bs-mtblog-2010-01-best_of_the_decade_awards-story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
** Match of the Year (2007) {{small|vs. ] on April 23 at '']''}}<ref name="Baltimore2007">{{cite web|last=Eck|first=Kevin|title=2007 Awards|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/bs-mtblog-2007-12-2007_awards-story.html|work=]|date=December 30, 2007|access-date=September 25, 2020|archive-date=October 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026135318/https://www.baltimoresun.com/bs-mtblog-2007-12-2007_awards-story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
** Wrestler of the Year (2007, 2010)<ref name="Baltimore2007"/><ref name="Baltimore2010">{{cite web|last=Eck|first=Kevin|title=2010 Awards|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/bs-mtblog-2011-02-2010_awards-story.html|work=]|date=February 14, 2011|access-date=September 25, 2020|archive-date=June 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605095538/https://www.baltimoresun.com/bs-mtblog-2011-02-2010_awards-story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
** Feud of the Year (2010) {{small|vs. ]}}<ref name="Baltimore2010"/>
* ''']'''
** ] (])<ref name="OVWTitle" />
** ] (]) – with ]<ref name="OVWTT">{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ky/ovw/ovw-t.html|title=OVW Southern Tag Team Title|access-date=April 12, 2007|publisher=Wrestling-Titles}}</ref>
* ''''']'''''
** ] (2006) {{small|vs. Edge}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwim/pwifoty.htm|title=Feud of the Year|access-date=April 12, 2007|publisher=Wrestling Information Archive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403015617/http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwifoty.htm |archive-date=April 3, 2007}}</ref>
** Feud of the Year (2011) {{small|vs. ]}}<ref>{{cite magazine|year=2012|magazine=Pro Wrestling Illustrated|volume=33|issue=3|pages=74–75|title=PWI Awards: Feud of the year}}</ref>
** ] (2007) {{small|vs. Shawn Michaels on ''Raw''}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwimoty.htm|title=Match of the Year|access-date=April 17, 2008|publisher=Wrestling Information Archive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415152012/http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwimoty.htm |archive-date=April 15, 2008}}</ref>
** Match of the Year (2011) {{small|vs. CM Punk at ]}}<ref>{{cite magazine |year=2012|magazine=Pro Wrestling Illustrated|volume=33|issue=3|pages=80–81|title=PWI Awards: Match of the year}}</ref>
** Match of the Year (2013) {{small|vs. ] at ]}}<ref>{{cite magazine|year=2014|magazine=]|volume=34|issue=2|pages=40–4|title=PWI Awards: Match of the year1}}</ref>
** Match of the Year (2014) {{small|vs. ] in a ] at ]}}<ref>{{cite magazine|year=2015|magazine=]|volume=36|issue=2|pages=30–31|title=PWI Awards: Match of the year}}</ref>
** Match of the Year (2016) {{small|vs. ] at ]}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oneindia.com/sports/wwe-pwi-declares-achievement-awards-2016-winners-names-2317138.html|title=WWE: PWI declares Achievement Awards 2016 winners' names|date=January 13, 2017|work=Oneindia|access-date=January 16, 2017}}</ref>
** ] (2003)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwiimp.htm|title=Most Improved Wrestler of the Year|access-date=April 12, 2007|publisher=Wrestling Information Archive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210194911/http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwiimp.htm |archive-date=February 10, 2007}}</ref>
** ] (2000–2009)<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Triple H: Wrestler of the Decade|date=February 2010|journal=Pro Wrestling Illustrated|volume=31|issue=2}}</ref>
** ] (2004, 2005, 2007, 2012)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwimpoty.htm|title=Most Popular Wrestler of the Year|access-date=April 12, 2007|publisher=Wrestling Information Archive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210195543/http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwimpoty.htm |archive-date=February 10, 2007}}</ref>
** ] (2006, 2007)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwiwoty.htm|title=Wrestler of the Year|access-date=April 12, 2007|publisher=Wrestling Information Archive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210195351/http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwiwoty.htm |archive-date=February 10, 2007}}</ref>
** Ranked No. 1 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the '']'' in 2006, 2007 and 2013<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi50006.htm |title=Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 – 2006|access-date=April 12, 2007|publisher=Wrestling Information Archive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312171359/http://www.100megsfree4.com/wiawrestling/pages/pwi/pwi50006.htm |archive-date=March 12, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://pwi-online.com/art/PWD9107S.jpg|title=2007 PWI 500 edition of Pro Wrestling Illustrated – cover|access-date=September 3, 2007 |magazine=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005172548/http://pwi-online.com/art/PWD9107S.jpg|archive-date=October 5, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.profightdb.com/pwi-500/2013.html|title=Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2013|access-date=August 22, 2013|work=The Internet Wrestling Database}}</ref>
* ''''']'''''
** Best Promos (2015) {{small|tied with ]}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Herzog|first=Kenny|title=WWE Wrestler of the Year (So Far): Kevin Owens |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-sports/wwe-wrestler-of-the-year-so-far-kevin-owens-75404/|magazine=]|date=July 1, 2015|access-date=December 20, 2020}}</ref>
** Best Storyline (2015) {{small|vs. ]}}<ref name="RollingStone2015">{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/sports/features/wwe-wrestler-s-of-the-year-the-new-day-20151214|title=WWE Wrestler(s) of the Year|date=December 14, 2015|access-date=December 14, 2015|publisher=Rolling Stone|archive-date=December 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151215022533/http://www.rollingstone.com/sports/features/wwe-wrestler-s-of-the-year-the-new-day-20151214|url-status=dead}}</ref>
** WWE Match of the Year (2015) {{small|vs. Kevin Owens at ]}}<ref name="RollingStone2015"/>
* ''''']'''''
** ] (2018)<ref name="wwe.com">{{cite web |date=November 29, 2018 |title=John Cena to receive prestigious Muhammad Ali Legacy Award |url=https://www.wwe.com/article/john-cena-sports-illustrated-muhammad-ali-legacy-award |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115030124/https://www.wwe.com/article/john-cena-sports-illustrated-muhammad-ali-legacy-award |archive-date=January 15, 2019 |access-date=January 23, 2024 |publisher=WWE}}</ref>
** Ranked No. 4 of the ] in 2017<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/wrestling/2017/12/29/top-10-wrestlers-2017|title=Top 10 Wrestlers of the Year|last=Barrasso|first=Justin|date=December 29, 2017|access-date=December 30, 2017|magazine=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171229202856/https://www.si.com/wrestling/2017/12/29/top-10-wrestlers-2017|archive-date=December 29, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
**Ranked No. 4 of the 20 Greatest WWE Wrestlers Of All Time <ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Pullar III |first1=Sid |title=20 Greatest WWE Wrestlers Of All Time |url=https://www.si.com/fannation/wrestling/features/10-greatest-wwe-wrestlers-of-all-time |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=September 30, 2024 |access-date=26 November 2024}}</ref>
* ''']'''
** UPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)<ref name="UPWTitle">{{cite web|url=http://www.wrestling-titles.com/us/ca/la/upw/upw-h.html|title=UPW Heavyweight Title|access-date=April 12, 2007|publisher=Wrestling-Titles}}</ref>
* ''']'''
** ]{{efn|Both the WWE Championship and the now defunct World Heavyweight Championship were considered world titles in WWE.}} (])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/classics/titlehistory/wwechampionship/|title=History of WWE Championship|access-date=April 3, 2005|work=]}}</ref>
** ] (])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldheavyweight/20081103JohnCena|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204061448/http://www.wwe.com/inside/titlehistory/worldheavyweight/20081103JohnCena|archive-date=December 4, 2008|access-date=December 12, 2008|title=World Heavyweight Championship title history|work=]}}</ref>
** ] (])<ref name="ESPN"/>
** ] (]) – with ] (1) and ] (1)<ref name="ESPN"/>
** ] (]) – with ] (1) and ] (1)<ref name="ESPN"/>
** ] (] – WWE Championship contract)<ref name="ESPN"/>
** ] (], ])<ref name="ESPN"/>
** WWE Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament (], ])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/contender.html|title=WWE Contender Tournaments|publisher=Pro Wrestling History|access-date=December 30, 2016}}</ref>
** ] (2009)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brisbane Cup Tournament |url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=26&nr=8315 |website=Cagematch}}</ref>
** ] (10 times)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/whatsaslammy|title=What is a Slammy?|work=]|date=February 23, 2008|access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref>
*** Game Changer of the Year (]) – {{small|with ]}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2011-12-12/2011-slammy-award-winners|title=2011 Slammy Award Winners|work=]|date=December 12, 2011|access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref>
*** Hero in All of Us (])<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2015-12-21/2015-slammy-award-winners|title=2015 Slammy Award winners |work=]|date=December 21, 2015|access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref>
*** Holy $#!+ Move of the Year (]) – {{small|Sending Batista through the stage with an '']''}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/archive/12132010/photos/slammywinners|title=2010 Slammy Award Winners|work=]|date=December 14, 2010|access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref>
*** Insult of the Year (]) – {{small|To Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero: "You're the exact opposite. One enjoys eating a lot of nuts and the other is still trying to find his"}}<ref name="2012Slammy">{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2012-12-17/slammy-award-winners|title=2012 WWE Slammy Awards and WWE.com Slammy Awards winners|work=]|date=December 17, 2012|access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref>
*** Kiss of the Year (2012) – with ]<ref name="2012Slammy" />
*** Match of the Year (], ]) – {{small|vs. The Rock for the WWE Championship at ]}}, {{small|Team Cena vs. Team Authority at ]}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2013-12-09/full-slammy-award-winners-2013-26168790/page-6|title=2013 Slammy Award winners|work=]|date=December 8, 2013|access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/shows/raw/2014-12-08/2014-slammy-award-winners|title=2014 Slammy Award winners|work=]|date=December 8, 2014|access-date=April 17, 2016}}</ref>
*** Superstar of the Year (], 2010, 2012)<ref name="ESPN"/>
* ''''']'''''
** ] (2007)<ref name=WON2010 />
** ] (2003)<ref name=WON2010 />
** ] (2007)<ref name=WON2010 />
** ] (2011) {{small|vs. CM Punk}}<ref name="WON11">{{cite magazine|last=Meltzer|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Meltzer|date=January 30, 2012|title=January 30 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Gigantic year-end awards issue, best and worst in all categories plus UFC on FX 1, death of Savannah Jack, ratings, tons and tons of news|magazine=]|location=Campbell, CA|issn=1083-9593}}</ref>
** ] (2011) {{small|vs. CM Punk at Money in the Bank on July 17}}<ref name="WON11" />
** ] (2006–2010)<ref name=WON2010 />
** ] (2000–2009)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://superluchas.net/2010/08/03/segun-el-wrestling-observer%E2%80%A6-%C2%BFquienes-son-los-mejores-los-mejores-de-la-decada/ |title=Según el Wrestling Observer... ¿Quiénes son los mejores los mejores de la década?|last=Beltrán|first=William|date=August 3, 2010|access-date=August 5, 2010|work=SuperLuchas Magazine|language=es|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100806184558/http://superluchas.net/2010/08/03/segun-el-wrestling-observer%E2%80%A6-%C2%BFquienes-son-los-mejores-los-mejores-de-la-decada/|archive-date=August 6, 2010}}</ref>
** ] (2007, 2010)<ref name=WON2010>{{cite magazine|last=Meltzer|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Meltzer|date=January 26, 2011|title=Biggest issue of the year: The 2011 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards Issue|magazine=]|location=Campbell, CA|pages=1–40|issn=1083-9593}}</ref>
** ] (2012) <small>vs. ]</small><ref name="WON12">{{cite magazine|last=Meltzer|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Meltzer|date=January 23, 2013|title=The 2012 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Annual Awards Issue|magazine=]|location=]|issn=1083-9593|url=http://www.f4wonline.com/component/content/article/110-wrestling-observer-newsletter/29425-the-2012-wrestling-observer-newsletter-annual-awards-issue|access-date=January 24, 2013|archive-date=April 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425050241/https://www.f4wonline.com/}}</ref>
** ] (2012) <small>vs. ] at ]</small><ref name="WON12" />
** Worst Worked Match of the Year (2014) <small>vs. Bray Wyatt at ]</small><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Meltzer|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Meltzer|date=January 26, 2015|title=Jan. 26, 2015 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 2014 awards issue w/ results & Dave's commentary, Conor McGregor, and much more|magazine=]|location=]|issn=1083-9593|page=30|url=http://www.f4wonline.com/component/content/article/110-wrestling-observer-newsletter/40865-jan-26-2015-wrestling-observer-newsletter-2014-awards-issue-w-results-a-daves-commentary-conor-mcgregor-and-much-more|access-date=February 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215081415/http://www.f4wonline.com/component/content/article/110-wrestling-observer-newsletter/40865-jan-26-2015-wrestling-observer-newsletter-2014-awards-issue-w-results-a-daves-commentary-conor-mcgregor-and-much-more|archive-date=February 15, 2015}}</ref>
** ] (Class of 2012)<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Meltzer|first=Dave|author-link=Dave Meltzer|date=November 12, 2012|title=Nov. 12, 2012 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: WON Hall of Fame 2012 double issue, six men inducted, all the news and info from around the world and more!|magazine=]|location=]|issn=1083-9593|page=8}}</ref>

=== Other awards and honors ===
* ] ]<ref name="auto"/><ref name="realitynews" />
* ] Athletic Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 2015)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/john-cena-to-be-inducted-into-the-springfield-college-athletic-hall-of-fame/|title=Cena inducted into Springfield College Athletic HOF|publisher=411 Mania|access-date=March 6, 2015}}</ref>
* ] Chris Greicius Celebrity Award<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wwe.com/inside/overtheropes/wweinyourcorner/photos/cenamawgreiciusaward#fid-11636700|title=Make-A-Wish Foundation names John Cena a recipient of its 20th annual Chris Greicius Celebrity Awards|publisher=]|date=September 14, 2009}}</ref>
* Make-A-Wish Foundation Special Recognition Award (for being the first to grant 300 wishes)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wish.org/about-us/media-blogger-center/news-releases/2012/make-a-wish-announces-wish-granter-awards|title=2012 Wish Granter Awards|publisher=]|access-date=October 28, 2012|archive-date=September 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923094610/http://wish.org/about-us/media-blogger-center/news-releases/2012/make-a-wish-announces-wish-granter-awards}}</ref>
* 2014 Sports Social TV Entertainer of the Year<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.socialtvawards.com/2014-sports-social-tv-awards-winners/|title=2014 Sports Social TV Awards winners|publisher=Sports Social TV|access-date=July 16, 2014|archive-date=March 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311142257/http://www.socialtvawards.com/2014-sports-social-tv-awards-winners/}}</ref>
* 2014 Rumble Royalty ]
* 2014 ] ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/videos/john-cena-is-grand-marshal-for-the-2014-susan-g-komen-global-race-for-the-cure-i-26303060|title=Cena named Grand Marshal|work=]|access-date=March 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403012725/http://www.wwe.com/videos/john-cena-is-grand-marshal-for-the-2014-susan-g-komen-global-race-for-the-cure-i-26303060|archive-date=April 3, 2015}}</ref>
* 2016 ] Legacy of Achievement Award<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/john-cena-receives-the-uso-legacy-of-achievement-award|title=Cena Receives USO Award|publisher=411Mania|access-date=April 20, 2016}}</ref>
* 2018 ] ] Legacy Award
* 2024 NCAA Silver Anniversary Award<ref>{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Jeffery |title=John Cena to Receive Silver Anniversary Award From NCAA |url=https://411mania.com/wrestling/john-cena-receive-silver-anniversary-award-ncaa/ |website=411 Mania |access-date=December 25, 2023}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist|
* <ref name="MyLifeDVD">{{cite video|date=2007|title=John Cena: My Life |medium=DVD |work=WWE}}</ref>}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|John Cena}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{WWE superstar}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{Twitter}}
* {{ProfessionalWrestlingProfiles}}

{{s-start}}
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Latest revision as of 02:12, 21 December 2024

American actor and professional wrestler (born 1977) For the song, see John Cena (song).

John Cena
Cena in 2024
BornJohn Felix Anthony Cena
(1977-04-23) April 23, 1977 (age 47)
West Newbury, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materSpringfield College
Occupations
  • Actor
  • professional wrestler
  • rapper
Years active1999–present (wrestler)
2002–2005, 2014 (rapper)
2006–present (actor)
Spouses
Elizabeth Huberdeau
​ ​(m. 2009; div. 2012)
Shay Shariatzadeh
​ ​(m. 2020)
Relatives
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)John Cena
The Prototype
Juan Cena
Mr. P
Billed height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Billed weight251 lb (114 kg)
Billed from"Classified"
West Newbury, Massachusetts
Los Angeles, California
Trained byChristopher Daniels
Mike Bell
Tom Howard
Fit Finlay
DebutNovember 5, 1999
John Cena's voice John Cena on Mortal Kombat 1
Signature

John Felix Anthony Cena (/ˈsiːnə/ SEE-nə; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE since 2001, but has performed part-time since 2018. A record 16-time world champion as recognized by WWE alongside Ric Flair, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.

Cena moved to California in 1998 to pursue a bodybuilding career and switched to professional wrestling in 1999, making his debut for Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW). In 2001, he signed with WWE (then WWF) and was assigned to its developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), where he won the OVW Heavyweight Championship and OVW Southern Tag Team Championship. After moving up to WWE's main roster on SmackDown in 2002, he became a breakout success after adopting the character of a villainous trash-talking rapper. After winning his first WWE Championship in 2005, he underwent a face turn into a clean-cut heroic character, which he described as a "goody-two shoes Superman". He led the company as its franchise player and public face from the mid-2000s to the late 2010s.

Cena has held the WWE Championship a record 13 times and the World Heavyweight Championship three times. He is also a five-time WWE United States Champion, a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, a two-time World Tag Team Champion, a two-time Royal Rumble winner, and a one-time Money in the Bank winner. He has headlined multiple major WWE pay-per-views, including its flagship event WrestleMania five times (22, 23, 27, 28 and 29). His career has been met with 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.

Cena's first starring film role was in The Marine (2006) and he subsequently gained praise for his performances in Trainwreck (2015), Ferdinand (2017), Blockers (2018), and Bumblebee (2018). He starred as Jakob Toretto in F9 (2021) and Fast X (2023) and portrayed Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad (2021) and the eponymous television series (2022–present). He released in 2005 his only studio album, You Can't See Me, which peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 charts. Outside of his work in entertainment, he is known for his involvement in charitable causes, most notably granting the most wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation at over 650.

Early life

John Felix Anthony Cena was born in West Newbury, Massachusetts, on April 23, 1977, to Carol (née Lupien) and former Chaotic Wrestling ring announcer John Joseph Cena. His mother is of English and French-Canadian descent, while his father has Italian ancestry. He has one older brother named Dan and three younger brothers named Matt, Steve, and Sean. He was raised Roman Catholic. His maternal grandfather was baseball player Tony Lupien, while his maternal great-grandfather was businessman Ulysses J. Lupien. He is also a cousin of computer scientist Natalie Enright Jerger. A childhood fan of wrestling, he would create championship belts out of cardboard for himself and his brothers. He was teased and beaten up while in school, prompting him to ask his parents for a weightlifting bench at the age of 12.

Cena was educated at Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts, before transferring to the private prep boarding school Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. He then attended Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he was an NCAA Division III All-American center and football team captain. He graduated in 1999 with a degree in exercise physiology and body movement, after which he pursued a bodybuilding career and worked as a limousine driver. He also worked in the store area of Gold's Gym.

Professional wrestling career

Ultimate Pro Wrestling (1999–2001)

Cena facing Crash Holly at an Ultimate Pro Wrestling show in 2000
Part of a series on
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Cena idolized Hulk Hogan growing up, moving to California in 1998 to begin training for a professional wrestling career the following year at Ultimate Pro Wrestling's (UPW) Ultimate University, operated by Rick Bassman. He started wrestling in local flea markets, and once he was placed into an in-ring role, Cena began using a semi-robotic character known as The Prototype. Some of this period of his career was documented in the Discovery Channel program Inside Pro Wrestling School. He held the UPW Heavyweight Championship for 27 days in April 2000, and wrestled for the UPW until March 2001.

World Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE

Ohio Valley Wrestling (2000–2002)

On October 10, 2000, Cena made his unofficial debut for WWE (then WWF) on a SmackDown! taping in a dark match against Mikey Henderson, which he lost while performing as The Prototype. He received another tryout at a SmackDown! taping on January 9, 2001, defeating Aaron Aguilera before wrestling again in a dark match at a SmackDown! taping on March 13.

In 2001, Cena signed a developmental contract with the WWF and was assigned to its developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). During his time there, he continued to wrestle as The Prototype and held the OVW Heavyweight Championship for three months and the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (with Rico Constantino) for two months. Throughout the early months of 2002, Cena found himself competing on house shows for the WWF, where he wrestled against the likes of Shelton Benjamin and Tommy Dreamer. After his main roster call-up in June 2002, he continued to appear on OVW programming until September 25, when he lost to Kenny Brolin in a Loser Leaves OVW match. He would later appear in a one-off appearance for the developmental farm in November under the ring name Mr. P in a six-man tag team match, where he teamed with Hall of Famer Big Boss Man and Charlie Haas in a winning effort against Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, and Sean O'Haire.

Cena's call-up to the main roster meant that he was part of OVW's Class of 2002 alongside Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Dave Bautista, which eventually became known as the "OVW 4".

The Doctor of Thuganomics (2002–2005)

Cena performing an "FU" (standing fireman's carry takeover) on Kurt Angle in January 2005

Under his real name, Cena made his WWE television debut on the June 27 episode of SmackDown! by answering an open challenge by Kurt Angle. After declaring he possessed "ruthless aggression", he lost by a pinning combination, but put on a good showing. After the match, he was congratulated by Billy Kidman, Faarooq, Rikishi, and The Undertaker, becoming a fan favorite. He began feuding with Chris Jericho, whom Cena defeated on July 21 at Vengeance.

In October, Cena and Billy Kidman failed to win a tag team tournament to crown the first WWE Tag Team Champions of the SmackDown! brand in the first round. The next week on SmackDown!, Cena turned on and attacked Kidman, blaming him for their loss and turning heel for the first and only time in his WWE career. On the October 17 episode of SmackDown!, Cena defeated Kidman, but lost in a rematch the next week. At Rebellion on October 26, Cena and Dawn Marie lost to Kidman and Torrie Wilson in a mixed tag team match. Shortly after, on a Halloween-themed episode of SmackDown!, Cena dressed as Vanilla Ice, performing a freestyle rap. The following week on SmackDown!, Cena received a new character: a rapper who cut promos while rhyming. He used the nickname "The Doctor of Thuganomics" and expanded his gimmick to include rapping before his matches, wearing hats and sports jerseys as part of his ring gear. While on a bus journey with other WWE superstars, Cena was involved in a freestyle rap session with Rikishi and Rey Mysterio, impressing Stephanie McMahon, leading to the gimmick's adoption. As the character evolved, Cena began adopting a variant of the 1980s WWF logo—dropping the "F"—as his "signature symbol", along with the slogan "Word Life". Moreover, he was joined by an enforcer, Bull Buchanan, who was rechristened to B-2 (also written B² and pronounced "B-Squared"). Buchanan was replaced with Red Dogg until he was sent to the Raw brand in February.

Cena then sought the WWE Championship, held by Brock Lesnar. He entered a number one contender's tournament for the title, gaining upset wins over Eddie Guerrero, The Undertaker and Chris Benoit. At Backlash on April 27, Cena failed to win the title from Lesnar. On May 18 at Judgment Day, Cena and The F.B.I. (Chuck Palumbo and Johnny Stamboli) defeated Benoit, Rhyno and Spanky. At Vengeance on July 27, Cena lost to The Undertaker. After losing to Kurt Angle at No Mercy on October 19, Cena became a fan-favorite when he joined Angle as a member of his team on November 16 at Survivor Series.

Cena with his customized United States Championship belt in January 2005

Cena participated in the Royal Rumble match at Royal Rumble on January 25, 2004, but was eliminated by Big Show. At No Way Out on February 15, Cena faced Big Show and Kurt Angle in a triple threat match for a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania XX, which Cena lost by submission to Angle. At WrestleMania on March 14, Cena defeated Big Show to win the United States Championship, his first singles championship in WWE. He retained the title against Rene Dupree on May 16 at Judgment Day, and in a fatal four-way match involving Dupree, Rob Van Dam and Booker T at The Great American Bash on June 27, until he was stripped of the title on the July 8 episode of SmackDown! by Kurt Angle (the SmackDown! General Manager) after accidentally attacking him in his wheelchair. Cena won the title back by defeating Booker T in a best of five series that started on August 15 at SummerSlam and culminated on October 3 at No Mercy, only to drop it to the débuting Carlito Caribbean Cool the following week on SmackDown!. The duo began a feud which resulted in Cena allegedly being stabbed in the kidney while at a Boston-area nightclub by Carlito's bodyguard, Jesús; this worked "injury" was used to keep Cena out of action for a month while he was filming The Marine. After returning on November 14 at Survivor Series, Cena won the United States Championship back from Carlito on the November 18 episode of SmackDown!. He retained the title against Jesús at Armageddon on December 12 in a street fight.

WWE Champion (2005–2007)

On January 30, 2005, Cena took part in the Royal Rumble match, making it to the final two. He and Batista went over the top rope at the same time, at first ending the match but the match was restarted and won by Batista. At No Way Out on February 20, Cena defeated Kurt Angle to earn a spot in the SmackDown! brand's WrestleMania 21 main event match, beginning a feud with then WWE Champion John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) and his Cabinet in the process. In the early stages of the feud, Cena lost the United States Championship to Cabinet member Orlando Jordan. At WrestleMania 21 on April 3, Cena defeated JBL to win the WWE Championship, his first world championship. Now with a spinner WWE Championship belt, JBL took the original title belt and claimed he was still the WWE Champion, until Cena defeated him in an "I Quit" match at Judgment Day on May 22 to retain the title.

Cena was drafted to the Raw brand on the June 6 episode of Raw, becoming the first wrestler selected in the annual draft lottery. Cena immediately entered into a feud with Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff, after refusing to participate in the "war" against the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) roster at the 2005 ECW One Night Stand. At Vengeance on June 26, Cena retained the title against Christian and Chris Jericho in a triple threat match. With Bischoff vowing to make Cena's stint on Raw difficult, he hand-picked Jericho to take Cena's championship from him. During their feud, even though Cena was portrayed as the "face" (hero) and Jericho as the "heel" (villain), a vocal section of the live crowds, nonetheless, were cheering Jericho and booing Cena during their matches, most notably on August 21 at SummerSlam, when Cena defeated Jericho to retain the title. Crowds booed Cena again during his next feud with Kurt Angle, who took over as Bischoff's hand-picked #1 contender after Cena defeated Jericho in a You're Fired match on the August 22 episode of Raw. Cena held on to the WWE Championship through his feud with Angle, losing to him by disqualification on September 18 at Unforgiven, pinning Shawn Michaels in a triple threat match involving Angle at Taboo Tuesday on November 1, and pinning Angle on November 27 at Survivor Series. The feud with Angle saw Cena add a secondary, submission based, finishing maneuver—the STFU (a stepover toehold sleeper, though named for a stepover toehold facelock)—when he was put into a triple threat submissions only match on the November 28 episode of Raw.

Cena facing off against Edge at a WWE house show in July 2006

At New Year's Revolution on January 8, 2006, Cena retained the WWE Championship in the Elimination Chamber match after last eliminating Carlito, but immediately afterwards, Mr. McMahon announced Edge was cashing in his Money in the Bank contract—a "guaranteed title match against the WWE Champion at a time and place of the owner's choosing". Two quick spears allowed Edge to pin Cena and win the championship. Cena won the title back on January 29 at Royal Rumble. After that, Cena began feuding with Triple H. The crowd, which had mostly cheered Cena over the previous few months, started booing him again and cheering the villain Triple H. Cena beat Triple H at WrestleMania 22 on April 2 to retain the title. The negative reaction towards him intensified when he faced Rob Van Dam at ECW One Night Stand on June 11 which took place in front of a boisterous crowd of mostly original ECW fans at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Cena was met with raucous jeering and chants of "Fuck you, Cena", "You can't wrestle", and "Same old shit". When he began performing different moves as the match progressed, the fans started chanting "You still suck". Cena lost the WWE Championship to Van Dam after interference from Edge.

Cena addressing fans at a Raw show in October 2006

On the July 3 episode of Raw, Edge won the championship from Van Dam in a triple threat match that also involved Cena, re-igniting their feud. After Edge went about retaining the title by dubious means—getting himself disqualified (for which championships do not change hands)—and using brass knuckles on August 20 at SummerSlam he introduced his own version of Cena's "custom" title belt, this one with his logo placed on the spinner. Cena eventually regained the championship in a match and an arena of Edge's choice: a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match on September 17 at Unforgiven at the Air Canada Centre in Edge's hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, after performing the FU on Edge through two tables off a ladder; the match had a stipulation that had Cena lost, he would have joined the SmackDown! brand. Cena returned with his version of the spinner title belt on the next night's Raw.

On the heels of his feud with Edge, Cena was placed in an inter-brand angle to determine the "Champion of Champions"—or which was the most dominant champion in WWE's three brands. Cena, World Heavyweight Champion King Booker, and ECW World Champion Big Show were booked in a triple threat match at Cyber Sunday, with the viewers voting on which of the three championships would be placed on the line. At the same time, Cena was involved in a storyline with non-wrestler Kevin Federline, who appeared on Raw with Johnny Nitro and Melina. After getting into a worked physical altercation with Federline on Raw, Federline appeared on November 5 at Cyber Sunday to hit Cena with the World Heavyweight Championship during the match, helping King Booker retain his title. On the January 1 episode of Raw, Cena was pinned by Federline with an assist from Umaga. At New Year's Revolution on January 7, 2007, Cena defeated Umaga to end his undefeated streak and retain the WWE Championship. At Royal Rumble on January 28, Cena retained the title against Umaga in a Last Man Standing match.

One night after the Royal Rumble, an impromptu team of Cena and Shawn Michaels defeated Rated-RKO (Edge and Randy Orton) for the World Tag Team Championship, making Cena a double champion. At WrestleMania 23 on April 1, Cena retained the WWE Championship against Michaels. The next night on Raw, Michaels turned on Cena, costing them the tag titles in the second of two 10-team battle royals, by throwing Cena over the top rope and eliminating the team. The Hardys (Matt and Jeff) won the match and the titles. Cena retained the WWE Championship against Michaels, Orton, and Edge in a fatal four-way match on April 29 at Backlash. The Great Khali then declared his intentions to challenge for Cena's championship, attacking and "laying out" all three of the top contenders before assaulting Cena and stealing the title belt. On May 20 at Judgment Day, Cena became the first person to defeat Khali by submission and then by pinfall on June 3 at One Night Stand in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Cena retained the WWE Championship in a five-pack challenge on June 24 at Vengeance: Night of Champions, and against Bobby Lashley on July 22 at The Great American Bash. Later that summer, Randy Orton was named the #1 contender for Cena's championship. Leading up to SummerSlam on August 26, Orton delivered a number of sneak-attacks, performing three RKOs to Cena, who in the actual match at SummerSlam, retained the championship. A rematch took place at Unforgiven on September 16, which Orton won by disqualification after Cena ignored the referee's instructions and continued to beat on him in the corner.

During a match with Mr. Kennedy on the October 1 episode of Raw, Cena suffered a legitimate torn pectoral muscle while executing a hip toss. Though finishing the match and taking part in the scripted attack by Orton after the match, surgery the following day found that his pectoralis major muscle was torn completely from the bone. At the time, it was estimated this would require six months to a year of rehabilitation. As a result, Cena was stripped of the title by Mr. McMahon on the next night's episode of ECW, ending the longest WWE Championship reign in over 19 years. Cena's surgery was performed by orthopedic surgeon James Andrews at St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama. Two weeks later in a video update on WWE.com, Dr. Andrews and Cena's physical trainer both said that he was several weeks ahead of where he was expected to be in his rehabilitation at that time.

World Heavyweight Champion (2008–2010)

On January 27, 2008, at Royal Rumble, Cena made a surprise return as the final participant of the eponymous match, winning it and the traditional WrestleMania XXIV title shot, last eliminating Triple H. Instead of waiting until WrestleMania, the shot was cashed in against WWE Champion Randy Orton at No Way Out on February 17, winning by disqualification, therefore not being awarded the title. The following night on Raw, Cena was placed back into WrestleMania's WWE Championship match on March 30, defeating Orton in a non-title match with Triple H as special guest referee, making it a triple threat match, during which he was pinned by Orton. On April 27 at Backlash, Cena failed to regain the title in a fatal four-way elimination match, in which he was eliminated by Orton. During the match, Cena eliminated JBL, renewing their feud from 2005. Cena defeated JBL on May 18 at Judgment Day and at One Night Stand on June 1 in a First Blood match. Cena failed to regain the WWE Championship from Triple H on June 29 at Night of Champions. JBL defeated Cena in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl at The Great American Bash on July 20 to end their feud.

On the August 4 episode of Raw, Cena won his second World Tag Team Championship with Batista, defeating Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase but failed to retain the championship the following week against the former champions. At SummerSlam on August 17, Batista defeated Cena. Cena was named one of four contenders for CM Punk's World Heavyweight Championship in the Championship Scramble match at Unforgiven on September 7, but was replaced by Rey Mysterio after suffering a herniated disc in his neck in his SummerSlam match, which required surgery. Cena underwent successful surgery to repair the injury.

Cena made his in-ring return at Survivor Series on November 23, defeating Chris Jericho for his first World Heavyweight Championship. He retained the title against Jericho at Armageddon on December 14. After defeating JBL at the Royal Rumble on January 25, 2009, Cena lost the championship at No Way Out on February 15 to Edge, who attacked Kofi Kingston and took his place in the Elimination Chamber match. Cena won his rematch for the title at WrestleMania 25 on April 5 in a triple threat match involving Big Show. He lost the championship back to Edge in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash on April 26 after interference from Big Show, who chokeslammed Cena through a spotlight. Cena defeated Big Show at Judgment Day on May 17 and Extreme Rules on June 7 in a submission match by applying the STF. During Cena's feud with Big Show, The Miz challenged him to a match on the April 27 episode of Raw, but as Cena was out due to injury, The Miz claimed an unofficial win via forfeit and continued to do this over the following weeks, until Cena defeated The Miz at The Bash on June 28.

Cena as WWE Champion in 2010

At Night of Champions on July 26, Cena challenged for the WWE Championship in a triple threat match against Triple H and defending champion Randy Orton (a rematch from WrestleMania XXIV), but was pinned by Orton after interference from Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. The next night on Raw, Cena won a beat the clock challenge to earn another shot at the WWE Championship at SummerSlam on August 23, where Orton used underhanded tactics to retain. At Breaking Point on September 13, Cena defeated Orton in an "I Quit" match to win his fourth WWE Championship. He lost the title back to Orton in a Hell in a Cell match on October 4 at Hell in a Cell, but regained it at Bragging Rights on October 25 in a sixty-minute Anything Goes Iron Man match. Cena retained the title against both Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a triple threat match at Survivor Series on November 22 but lost it to Sheamus on December 13 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in a tables match. The next night on Raw, Cena competed in a tournament to crown the 2009 Superstar of the Year, defeating CM Punk in the first round and Orton in the finals later that night to win the honor. He would get his rematch for the title against Sheamus on the December 28 episode of Raw, where he won by disqualification, but did not win the championship.

At Royal Rumble on January 31, 2010, Cena competed in the titular match, making it to the final two where he was eliminated by the returning Edge. Cena regained the title at Elimination Chamber on February 21 in the eponymous match, but his reign was cut short after Mr. McMahon made him defend the title immediately against Batista, who emerged victorious. Cena defeated Batista at WrestleMania XXVI on March 28 for the title, and successfully defended it in a rematch at Extreme Rules on April 25 in a Last Man Standing match. Cena defeated Batista for a third time in an "I Quit" match at Over the Limit on May 23, ending their feud.

Feuds with The Nexus, The Rock, and CM Punk (2010–2013)

See also: The Nexus
Cena being forced to read a public address by Wade Barrett while a member of The Nexus in 2010

On the June 7 episode of Raw, during a match against CM Punk, Cena was attacked by all eight former contestants of the first season of NXT, with Wade Barrett as their leader. This group later referred to itself as The Nexus. The stable's interferences made him lose the WWE Championship at Fatal 4-Way on June 20 to Sheamus and a steel cage match against Sheamus on July 18 at Money in the Bank. In response to The Nexus, Cena formed an alliance with Edge, Chris Jericho, John Morrison, R-Truth, The Great Khali and Bret Hart, defeating The Nexus at SummerSlam on August 15 with help from the returning Daniel Bryan, a former member of The Nexus, who replaced Khali.

Cena faced Barrett at Hell in a Cell on October 3 with the stipulations that if he were to lose, he would join The Nexus, and if he were to win, The Nexus would disband. After Barrett defeated Cena, he reluctantly joined The Nexus. Cena and fellow Nexus member David Otunga defeated Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre to win the WWE Tag Team Championship on October 24 at Bragging Rights. Later that night, he was forced to help Barrett defeat Orton in a WWE Championship match, giving Barrett the disqualification win, but not the title. The following night on Raw, Cena and Otunga lost the titles to fellow Nexus members Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel, when Barrett ordered Otunga to lie down and lose the titles. At Survivor Series on November 21, Cena officiated a match for the WWE Championship between Barrett and Orton. Per stipulation, if Barrett didn't win the championship, Cena would be "fired" from the WWE; Orton defeated Barrett to retain the title, and Cena was fired (kayfabe).

The following night on Raw, Cena gave a farewell speech before costing Barrett the WWE Championship by interfering in his rematch with Orton. A week later, Cena invaded Raw, first as a spectator, but then attacked members of The Nexus, explaining he would still take down The Nexus one by one despite not being employed. On the December 13 episode of Raw, Cena was rehired by Barrett in exchange that he would face him on December 19 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in a chairs match, which Cena won.

Cena at WWE Tribute to the Troops in 2010

On the January 17, 2011, episode of Raw, Cena returned and faced CM Punk (who had assumed leadership of The Nexus and subsequently renamed the stable as The New Nexus) in a match which ended in a no contest after Cena was attacked by the debuting Mason Ryan, who later joined The New Nexus. Cena competed in the Royal Rumble match on January 30, which saw Cena eliminate most of the members of The New Nexus, ending his feud with the stable. He made it to the final five before being eliminated by WWE Champion The Miz, who was not part of the match. Cena won the titular match at Elimination Chamber on February 20 to face The Miz at WrestleMania XXVII for the WWE Championship.

Cena and The Rock agree to face each other at WrestleMania XXVIII.

On the February 21 episode of Raw, Cena replied in rap form to comments made by The Rock the previous week, as he returned as the announced guest host of WrestleMania. That night, Cena was placed into a WWE Tag Team Championship match, teaming with The Miz to defeat Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions. However, their rematch clause was immediately invoked, and Gabriel and Slater won the titles back after The Miz attacked Cena, making their reign the shortest in the title's history. After weeks of insults, Cena and The Rock finally met on the March 28 episode of Raw, where, after a verbal confrontation, and a brief attack by The Miz and Alex Riley, Cena attacked The Rock with the Attitude Adjustment. At WrestleMania on April 3, Cena and The Miz fought to a double countout, but The Rock restarted the match and performed a Rock Bottom on Cena, allowing The Miz to retain the title. The next night on Raw, Cena, in response to The Rock "screwing" him out of the title, agreed to face him in the main event of WrestleMania XXVIII, the first WrestleMania match to be set up one year in advance. At Extreme Rules on May 1, Cena defeated The Miz and John Morrison in a triple threat steel cage match to become WWE Champion. Cena then successfully defended the title against The Miz on May 22 at Over the Limit in an "I Quit" match, and R-Truth on June 19 at Capitol Punishment.

Cena began a feud with CM Punk, who was leaving the company due to his contract expiring after Money in the Bank. Punk defeated Cena to win the WWE Championship on July 17 at Money in the Bank and left the company with the title. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awarded the match five stars, Cena's first and only five star match. On the July 25 episode of Raw, after Rey Mysterio won the WWE Championship in a tournament, Cena challenged and defeated Mysterio later that night to become WWE Champion for a record-breaking 11th time, only to be interrupted by Punk, who also claimed to be champion. Punk again defeated Cena at SummerSlam on August 14 in a championship unification match, after special guest referee Triple H missed Cena's foot on the rope. After Alberto Del Rio became WWE Champion by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase to defeat Punk, Cena became the #1 contender and beat Del Rio at Night of Champions on September 18 for his tenth WWE Championship. He lost it back to Del Rio at Hell in a Cell on October 2 in a triple threat Hell in a Cell match also involving Punk. Cena lost his rematch to Del Rio at Vengeance on October 23 in a Last Man Standing match due to interference by The Miz and R-Truth. After weeks of The Miz and R-Truth attacking Cena and employees, Cena was allowed to choose his partner to challenge The Miz and R-Truth at Survivor Series on November 20; Cena chose The Rock as his partner, and they defeated The Miz and R-Truth, though The Rock gave Cena a Rock Bottom in the ending.

Cena and The Rock face off at WrestleMania XXVIII.

Cena then began a feud with Kane, who cited his disgust for Cena's "Rise Above Hate" slogan and claimed that Cena would need to embrace the hate to defeat The Rock at WrestleMania. Cena fought Kane to a double countout at Royal Rumble on January 29, 2012, and then defeated him in an Ambulance match on February 19 at Elimination Chamber. At WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1, Cena faced The Rock in the main event; the match ended when Cena attempted the People's Elbow on The Rock, and he countered with a Rock Bottom for the pinfall.

Brock Lesnar faces off with Cena after his return in April 2012.

The following night on Raw SuperShow, Cena accepted his loss and invited The Rock to the ring so that he could congratulate him. However, his call was answered instead by the returning Brock Lesnar, who attacked Cena with an F-5. This led to Cena feuding with Raw and SmackDown General Manager John Laurinaitis, who revealed that he signed Lesnar to bring "legitimacy" to the WWE and for Lesnar to become its "new face". At Extreme Rules on April 29, Cena defeated Lesnar in an Extreme Rules match. He lost to Laurinaitis at Over the Limit on May 20 after interference from Big Show, but at No Way Out on June 17, Laurinaitis was fired after Cena defeated Big Show in a steel cage match with both their jobs on the line. The following night on Raw SuperShow, Laurinatis was given one final opportunity to challenge Cena. However that night Cena defeated Laurinaitis and David Otunga in a handicap match to end his feud with Laurinaitis.

Cena won the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match on July 15 at Money in the Bank, earning a contract for a shot at the WWE Championship anytime within a year. On July 23, on Raw 1000, Cena cashed in his contract on CM Punk, and won by disqualification after Big Show interfered, becoming the first person to cash in a Money in the Bank contract and not win a title. Cena's feud with Punk continued into SummerSlam on August 19, where Punk retained the title against Cena and Big Show in a triple threat match, and at Night of Champions on September 16, where they fought to a draw. After being sidelined with a legitimate arm injury, Cena returned at Survivor Series on November 18, but was pinned by Punk in a triple threat match also involving Ryback. Cena then feuded with Dolph Ziggler over an alleged relationship with AJ Lee and at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 16, he lost to Ziggler in a ladder match for Ziggler's World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract, after AJ turned on Cena. The following night on Raw, Cena teamed with Vickie Guerrero to face Ziggler and AJ in a mixed tag team match which ended in a disqualification after Cena was attacked by the debuting Big E Langston. Cena defeated Ziggler on the January 7 episode of Raw, and again in a steel cage match the following week, despite interference from AJ and Langston in both matches, ending the feud.

On January 27, 2013, Cena won his second Royal Rumble match, announcing that he would pursue the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29. Cena, along with Ryback and Sheamus, began feuding with The Shield, culminating in a six-man tag team match on February 17 at Elimination Chamber, which The Shield won. On the February 25 episode of Raw, Cena defeated CM Punk to reaffirm his status as the #1 contender for the Rock's WWE Championship. At WrestleMania on April 7, Cena defeated Rock in their rematch to win his eleventh WWE Championship. Cena then began a rivalry with Ryback, during which he suffered a legitimate achilles tendon injury. Cena retained his championship against Ryback in a Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules on May 19; the match ended in a no contest after both men were down for a 10 count. Cena then defeated Ryback in a Three Stages of Hell match on June 16 at Payback. He defeated Mark Henry via submission on July 14 at Money in the Bank. At SummerSlam on August 18, Cena lost the WWE Championship to Daniel Bryan, with Triple H as the special guest referee ending his reign at 133 days. The following night on Raw, Cena announced he would undergo surgery for a triceps tear and would be out for four to six months.

World championship pursuits and reigns (2013–2015)

Cena returned at Hell in a Cell on October 27, defeating Alberto Del Rio to win his third World Heavyweight Championship. He retained the title against Damien Sandow on the October 28 episode of Raw, and Alberto Del Rio in a rematch on November 24 at Survivor Series. Cena next challenged then-WWE Champion Randy Orton to unify their respective championships, with The Authority agreeing and arranging for a Tables, Ladders and Chairs title unification match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15, which Cena lost. A rematch occurred at the Royal Rumble for the now unified WWE World Heavyweight Championship on January 26, where Cena lost after being distracted by The Wyatt Family. At Elimination Chamber on February 23, their interference caused Cena's elimination in the Elimination Chamber match.

I know how John Cena feuds tend to work. He loses one match, then wins the next two or three. Look at Rusev and Bray Wyatt as examples. These feuds don't really help talent. They're established... as definitively below Cena. This is a running theme in WWE booking. Owens is... worse off than he would have been if he had never had the second and third matches with Cena.

Pro Wrestling Dot Net analyst Will Pruett in July 2015

After Elimination Chamber, Bray Wyatt accepted Cena's challenge for a WrestleMania XXX match. Wyatt wanted to prove that Cena's heroic act was a façade characteristic of "this era of lies" and to turn Cena into a "monster". At WrestleMania on April 6, Cena defeated Wyatt despite interference from Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. The feud continued after WrestleMania based on the story that Wyatt was capturing Cena's fanbase, exemplified by Wyatt leading a children's choir to the ring on the April 28 episode of Raw, where they later donned sheep masks. At Extreme Rules on May 4, Wyatt defeated Cena in a steel cage match after repeated interference from the rest of the Wyatt Family members and a demonic child. At Payback on June 1, Cena defeated Wyatt in a well received Last Man Standing match to end their feud; Cena buried Wyatt under multiple equipment cases to win the match.

On the June 16 episode of Raw, Cena defeated Kane in a stretcher match to qualify for the ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Money in the Bank on June 29, where he won his 15th world championship. He retained the title at Battleground on July 20 in a fatal four-way match against Roman Reigns, Randy Orton and Kane. At SummerSlam on August 17, Cena lost the championship to Brock Lesnar in a squash match, during which Lesnar hit Cena with sixteen suplexes and two F-5s, ending his reign at 49 days. Cena invoked his title rematch clause against Lesnar for Night of Champions on September 21, nearly winning before Seth Rollins attacked him to cause a disqualification. Despite this, he became the first wrestler to defeat Lesnar in two WWE pay-per-view events. Cena then began feuding with Dean Ambrose for the right to face Rollins at Hell in a Cell on October 26, but Ambrose won the right by defeating Cena in a No Holds Barred Contract on a Pole match. Cena faced Randy Orton instead in a Hell in a Cell match to determine the #1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, which Cena won.

Cena became a record 13-time WWE Champion in 2014.

On the October 27 episode of Raw, Cena rejected The Authority's offer to join forces, resulting in a 5-on-5 Survivor Series elimination tag match between Team Cena and Team Authority at Survivor Series. His team consisted of Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Erick Rowan and Ryback. At Survivor Series on November 23, Big Show turned on Cena, causing his elimination, but Ziggler eventually won the match for Team Cena with the interfering Sting's help. Per the match stipulation, The Authority were stripped from power and only Cena could bring them back. At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 14, Cena defeated Rollins in a tables match to retain his WWE World Heavyweight Championship #1 contender status. It was then announced that Cena would face Lesnar for the title at the Royal Rumble. On the December 29 episode of Raw, Rollins and Big Show held guest host Edge hostage, forcing Cena to reinstate The Authority. On the January 5 episode of Raw, The Authority added Rollins to the title match at Royal Rumble involving Cena and Lesnar. Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan were "fired" for joining Team Cena at Survivor Series. On the January 19 episode of Raw, Cena won a handicap match against Rollins, Big Show and Kane to retain his title shot at the Royal Rumble and win back the jobs of Ziggler, Ryback and Rowan. At the Royal Rumble on January 25, Cena was unsuccessful in capturing the title.

Cena after defeating Rusev for the United States Championship at WrestleMania 31

United States Champion (2015–2016)

Cena then began feuding with United States Champion Rusev, and at Fastlane on February 22, Cena failed to win the title from Rusev after passing out from his submission, the Accolade. Rusev had hit Cena with a low blow following a distraction by his manager Lana. Cena challenged Rusev to a rematch, which was declined, and Stephanie McMahon decreed that Cena would not compete at WrestleMania 31 unless Rusev agreed to a rematch. On the March 9 episode of Raw, Cena attacked Rusev, refusing to release the STF submission hold, causing Lana to grant Cena the match. Cena defeated Rusev at WrestleMania on March 29 to win his fourth United States Championship, marking Rusev's first pinfall loss in the main roster.

Cena issued an open challenge each week on the program with his United States Championship on the line, successfully defending the title against the likes of Dean Ambrose, Stardust, Bad News Barrett, Kane, Sami Zayn, Neville, Zack Ryder and Cesaro. Cena retained his title against Rusev in a Russian Chain match on April 26 at Extreme Rules and an "I Quit" match on May 17 at Payback, ending their feud. The following night on Raw, Cena was attacked by then-NXT Champion Kevin Owens, setting up a Champion vs. Champion match at Elimination Chamber on May 31, which Owens won. Cena defeated Owens in a rematch at Money in the Bank on June 14. On July 4 at The Beast in the East, Cena and Dolph Ziggler defeated Kane and King Barrett. After defeating Owens again at Battleground on July 19 to retain the United States Championship and end their feud, Cena resumed his feud with then WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, with Rollins refusing Cena's challenges for the title. On the July 27 episode of Raw, The Authority forced Cena to defend the title against Rollins, which he did successfully despite suffering a legitimate broken nose during the match. Cena then faced Rollins in a "Winner Takes All" match at SummerSlam on August 23, for both the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the United States Championship, which Cena lost after guest host Jon Stewart, appearing to side with Cena, attacked him with a steel chair, ending Cena's reign at 147 days.

Cena defeated Rollins to win the title for the fifth time on September 20 at Night of Champions, a record in the WWE ownership era of the title. Cena retained his title against Rollins in a steel cage match on October 3 at WWE Live from Madison Square Garden, while also restarting his open challenges. At Hell in a Cell on October 25, Cena lost the title to the returning Alberto Del Rio in an open challenge. After a hiatus, Cena returned on the December 28 episode of Raw, defeating Del Rio by disqualification in a rematch for the title. On January 7, he underwent surgery on a shoulder injury, which would keep him out of action for an undisclosed length of time.

Feud with AJ Styles (2016–2017)

Cena returned at WrestleMania 32 on April 3, 2016, helping The Rock fend off The Wyatt Family. Cena then made his full return on the Memorial Day edition of Raw on May 30, four months earlier than had been expected for his type of injury. He was confronted by AJ Styles, only to be betrayed by Styles, who joined his former Club teammates Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in attacking Cena. On June 19 at Money in the Bank, Styles defeated Cena with interference from Gallows and Anderson. On the July 4 episode of Raw, Cena was again attacked by The Club, but was saved by Enzo Amore and Big Cass, setting up a six-man tag team match on July 24 at Battleground, which Cena, Amore, and Cass won after Cena pinned Styles. On the July 19 episode of SmackDown at the 2016 WWE draft, Cena was drafted to the SmackDown brand, while also defeating Club member Luke Gallows in a singles contest. At SummerSlam on August 21, Cena lost to Styles in a rematch. With Styles later winning the renamed WWE World Championship, Cena challenged him and Dean Ambrose in a triple threat match for the title on October 9 at No Mercy. He lost the match after being pinned by Styles, which came after Ambrose and Cena simultaneously made Styles submit, therefore restarting the match. Cena took a sabbatical from WWE to film American Grit season 2.

On January 29, 2017, Cena defeated Styles at the Royal Rumble to win the WWE Championship and tie Ric Flair for the most recognized world title reigns at 16. However, Cena would lose the championship two weeks later in an Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber on February 12 to Bray Wyatt. Two nights later on SmackDown Live, Cena lost a triple threat match against Wyatt for the championship in a match also featuring Styles. Cena then began a feud with The Miz, with The Miz accusing Cena of being a hypocrite because of his movie commitments, while Cena accused The Miz of stealing other wrestlers' moves and personalities. The Miz's wife Maryse then slapped Cena before Cena and his girlfriend Nikki Bella sent The Miz and Maryse retreating. SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan then set up a mixed tag team match for WrestleMania 33 on April 2, which Cena and Bella won. Cena proposed marriage to Bella after the match and she accepted.

Free agent (2017–2019)

Cena in March 2018

In July 2017, WWE dubbed Cena a "free agent" during the Superstar Shake-up, meaning he could work for both the Raw and SmackDown brands. Cena defeated Rusev in a flag match at Battleground on July 23, Baron Corbin at SummerSlam on August 20, and lost to Roman Reigns on September 24 at No Mercy. Cena returned to SmackDown the next month after Commissioner Shane McMahon named him the final member of Team SmackDown for the men's 5-on-5 elimination match against Team Raw at Survivor Series; at the event on November 19, Cena was eliminated by Kurt Angle and Team SmackDown was defeated.

Cena failed to win the Royal Rumble on January 28, 2018 and the Elimination Chamber match to determine the #1 contender for the Universal Championship on February 25 at Elimination Chamber, as well as a six-pack challenge on March 11 at Fastlane for the WWE Championship. On April 8 at WrestleMania 34, Cena was quickly defeated by The Undertaker. After defeating Triple H on April 27 at the Greatest Royal Rumble, he thanked the crowd for sticking by him during a tough period, referencing his loss to Undertaker and his recent breakup with Nikki Bella. Cena competed in a tag team match with Bobby Lashley against Elias and Kevin Owens at Super Show-Down on October 6 in Melbourne, Australia, which he and Lashley won. He was also scheduled for a match at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on November 2, but Cena refused to work the event following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Cena returned to WWE television on the January 1, 2019, episode of SmackDown, where he and Becky Lynch defeated Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega in a mixed tag team match. On the January 14 episode of Raw, Cena lost to Finn Bálor in a fatal four-way match also involving Drew McIntyre and Baron Corbin to determine the No. 1 contender for the Universal Championship at Royal Rumble. Cena was scheduled to compete in the Royal Rumble on January 27, but was taken out due to an in-storyline ankle injury supposedly suffered during the match.

Part-time performer (2019–2024)

He appeared at WrestleMania 35 on April 7 in his "Doctor of Thuganomics" persona and interrupted Elias' concert, performing his finisher on Elias (calling it by its original name of the F-U) after insulting him. On the July 22 episode of Raw titled Raw Reunion, he engaged in a rap battle with The Usos.

Cena returned to WWE again on the February 28, 2020, episode of SmackDown, seemingly announcing his retirement before he was confronted by "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt, who challenged him to a match at WrestleMania 36—a sequel to their WrestleMania XXX match in 2014—which Cena accepted. On the second night of the event on April 5, rather than a traditional wrestling match, the two squared off in a surreal cinematic-style match called a Firefly Fun House match, taking the competitors on a trip through history as moments from Cena's and Wyatt's history were played out, including Cena's debut against Kurt Angle, a moment featuring his Doctor of Thuganomics character, and the pair's match at WrestleMania XXX. Wyatt ultimately defeated Cena, and following his victory Cena's motionless body vanished from the middle of the ring.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cena was unable to appear at WrestleMania 37, marking the first time he missed a WrestleMania in nearly 20 years, as he had wrestled or at least appeared at the event every year since his first appearance at WrestleMania XIX in 2003. At the time, Cena was in Canada filming the HBO Max series Peacemaker, and the pandemic made it logistically impossible for him to travel to Tampa, Florida, for WrestleMania 37, as upon his return to Canada, he would have had to quarantine for two weeks, which would have shut down production on the series. Cena did, however, appear in a WWE advertisement to help announce the location of WrestleMania 39. He finally made his return to WWE programming at Money in the Bank on July 18, 2021, confronting Roman Reigns after the latter retained his Universal Championship against Edge in the main event. Following this, WWE announced the Summer of Cena tour, confirming Cena had signed a 25-appearance deal. After initially being scheduled to face Finn Bálor for the title, Cena ultimately highjacked a contract signing on the July 30 episode of SmackDown so he would challenge Reigns at SummerSlam. At the event on August 21, Reigns defeated Cena after a back-and-forth contest.

Cena in the ring with Grayson Waller at the 2023 Money in the Bank event

On the June 6, 2022, episode of Raw, it was announced that Cena would return on the June 27 episode of Raw, which marked the 20th anniversary of his main roster in-ring debut. On that episode of Raw, Cena returned and cut a promo recalling all his memories and thanking the fans for their support. He also made appearances backstage with The Street Profits, Ezekiel, Theory, Seth "Freakin" Rollins, and Omos. On the December 30 episode of SmackDown, Cena wrestled for the first time in over a year, where he and Kevin Owens defeated The Bloodline's Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn. On January 27, 2023, Cena was announced as the cover star for the WWE 2K23 video game, the second time for him being a cover star of a WWE 2K game after WWE 2K15. Over the next two months, Austin Theory would call out Cena multiple times and challenge him to a match at WrestleMania 39 for Theory's United States Championship, which Cena accepted on the March 6 episode of Raw. On the first night of WrestleMania on April 1, Cena lost to Theory. At Money in the Bank on July 1, Cena made a surprise appearance and was confronted by Grayson Waller after Cena stated that WrestleMania should come to the United Kingdom. Waller then attacked Cena, who retaliated by hitting the Attitude Adjustment on Waller.

Cena returned for a brief run on SmackDown starting on the September 1 episode, where he was interrupted by Jimmy Uso and attacked him. The next night, Cena served as the host of Payback, and was also a special guest referee for the match between LA Knight and The Miz, which Knight won and was embraced by Cena afterwards. At Superstar Spectacle on September 8, Cena and Seth "Freakin" Rollins defeated Imperium (Giovanni Vinci and Ludwig Kaiser). On the September 15 episode of SmackDown, Cena was attacked on Waller's talkshow "The Grayson Waller Effect" by Jimmy and his Bloodline partner Solo Sikoa, before AJ Styles saved Cena. The following week, Cena and Styles were to sign a contract for a tag team match against them at Fastlane, but Styles was left unable to compete after a backstage assault from the Bloodline. Cena was set to face Jimmy and Solo in a handicap match at the event until the September 29 episode of SmackDown, when LA Knight signed a contract to join Cena in the match. At Fastlane on October 8, Cena and Knight defeated Uso and Sikoa. On the October 20 episode of SmackDown, Cena teased retirement after mentioning he hadn't won a singles match since 2018, before calling out anyone to face him. Sikoa came out and brawled with Cena, setting up a match between the two at Crown Jewel. At the event on November 4, Cena was defeated by Sikoa after nine Samoan Spikes.

On April 7, 2024, during the Night 2 main event of WrestleMania XL between Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes, Cena appeared to aide Cody Rhodes and take out Solo Sikoa and Roman Reigns with Attitude Adjustments. Afterwards, The Rock appeared and performed a Rock Bottom on Cena. On the Raw after WrestleMania XL, Cena competed in his first match on Raw since January 2019, where he teamed up with the Raw Tag Team Champions, The Awesome Truth, to defeat Judgment Day members Finn Balor, JD McDonagh, and Dominik Mysterio.

The Last Time is Now (2024–present)

Cena made his surprise return at Money in the Bank to announce his future retirement from in-ring action. He declared that WrestleMania 41 will be his final WrestleMania, but he will continue to wrestle until the end of 2025.

Professional wrestling style and persona

In-ring style

Cena performing his finishing move, a fireman's carry slam known as the "Attitude Adjustment", on Kane

Cena's original gimmick portrayed a white rapper who wore jerseys, backwards hats, a chain with a padlock around his neck, and was known as the "Doctor of Thuganomics". First as "The Prototype", and later under his real name, Cena sometimes used underhanded tactics to score victories, such as using his chain as a weapon behind the referee's back. He often rapped before his matches, insulting his opponents, events that happened in the media and even the crowd. He also regularly performed "rap battles", where he and his opponent took turns rapping on each other. In 2006, shortly after his debut film, The Marine, his wrestling character shifted from that of a rapper to a young military upstart, wearing dog tags and cargo shorts to the ring and also performing a salute to the crowd. Cena said in a 2011 interview with WWE.com that "every night when I do that salute, it's also a sign of respect to the men and women that don the uniform of the Armed Forces."

During WWE's change from TV-14 to TV-PG in mid-2008, the name of Cena's finishing move, the "FU", was changed to the "Attitude Adjustment" and his finishing submission move, the "STFU", was renamed the "STF" to fit with the WWE's new policies. During his career, he has been known for ending his matches with a sequence of moves, dubbed the "Five Moves of Doom". The moves typically go in the following order: two flying shoulder blocks, protobomb, "Five Knuckle Shuffle", and "Attitude Adjustment".

Cena has portrayed a heroic character throughout his WWE career, except for a villainous run in 2002–2003. His signature ring gear includes jean shorts, sneakers, wristbands, and armbands. He also wears a variety of T-shirts and baseball caps, which commonly include one of his catchphrases: "Never Give Up", "You Can't See Me", "Hustle, Loyalty, Respect", and "Respect. Earn it". He has a history of returning from both real and scripted injuries much sooner than expected. ESPN reporter David Shoemaker said in April 2016, "Never underestimate Cena's recuperative abilities. He's somewhere on the recovery scale between German platelet-rich plasma therapy and Deadpool". Fellow wrestler Big Show said he felt most stable being lifted by Cena, despite Cena being over 200 lbs lighter and almost a foot shorter—a testament to Cena's functional strength.

Fashion

Cena's T-shirt (left) next to The Miz's ring gear (right) in 2012

During his WWE career, Cena's has used his attire in an attempt to reflect the most current fashions and styling within the hip hop culture that his character represents. Cena started out wearing "throwback jerseys" and Reebok pumps until WWE produced specific Cena merchandise which he began wearing. While Cena was a member of the SmackDown brand, one of his WWE-produced T-shirts bore the suggestive spoonerism "Ruck Fules". Whenever it appeared on television, the image was censored, not by the network, but by WWE to sell more shirts under the premise that it was "too hot for TV". He also wore a chain with a large padlock, occasionally using it as a weapon, until WrestleMania 21, when it was replaced with a chromed and diamond studded "Chain Gang" spinner medallion matching his spinner title belt.

Around the time The Marine was released, Cena began wearing more military related attire, including camouflage shorts, dog tags, a Marine soldier cap, and a WWE produced shirt with the legend "Chain Gang Assault Battalion". Shortly after WrestleMania 23, when promotion for The Marine ended, the military attire diminished and was replaced with apparel bearing his new slogan "American Made Muscle" along with denim shorts, not seen since he was a member of the SmackDown roster. He then wore shirts that promoted Cenation and his trademark line "You Can't See Me".

Legacy

Cena has been called the greatest professional wrestler of all time by his peers Kurt Angle, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, and veteran industry personality Paul Heyman. When discussing Cena's legacy on his podcast, Jim Cornette (who was head booker of OVW while Cena was there) stated "I think the last big star in wrestling", praising his work ethic, athletic ability and microphone skills.

WWE chairman Vince McMahon said he regarded John Cena as the WWE's Babe Ruth. Bleacher Report named Cena one of the 10 greatest WWE wrestlers of all time. In 2012, WrestleMania XXVIII, headlined by the John Cena vs. The Rock main event, became the highest drawing event in WWE history with 1,217,000 buys. The event held the record for the highest grossing live event in WWE history as of 2012; grossing $8.9 million.

Acting career

Further information: John Cena filmography

Film

Cena, with members of the United States Marine Corps at the premiere of his film The Marine, 2006

WWE Studios, a division of WWE which produces and finances motion pictures, produced Cena's first movie—The Marine, which was distributed theatrically by 20th Century Fox America beginning on October 13, 2006. In its first week, the film made approximately US$7 million at the United States box office. After ten weeks in theaters, the film grossed $18.7 million. Once the film was released on DVD, it fared better, making $30 million in rentals in the first twelve weeks.

Cena filming on the set of 12 Rounds

His second film, also produced by WWE Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox was 12 Rounds. Filming began on February 25, 2008, in New Orleans; the film was released on March 27, 2009.

Cena co-starred in his third film produced by WWE Studios, titled Legendary, which was played in selected theaters beginning on September 10, 2010, for a limited time. It was then released on DVD on September 28, 2010. That same year, Cena starred in the children's film Fred: The Movie, a film based on Lucas Cruikshank's YouTube videos of the same name, where he plays Fred's imaginary father. The movie was first aired on Nickelodeon in September 2010.

In 2015, Cena made appearances in the comedy films Trainwreck, Sisters and a cameo in Daddy's Home. In 2017, Cena starred in the war drama The Wall and lent his voice for the animated films Surf's Up 2: WaveMania and Ferdinand. He also appeared in Daddy's Home 2, reprising his role in a larger capacity than the 2015 film. In 2018, Cena starred in the comedy Blockers, and had a leading role in the Transformers spin-off prequel, Bumblebee. In 2019, he starred in Playing with Fire, playing the role of smokejumper superintendent Jake Carson. In 2020, he voiced Yoshi, a polar bear, in the adventure comedy film Dolittle.

In 2019, Cena was cast in Justin Lin's F9, playing Jakob Toretto, the brother of Vin Diesel's character Dominic Toretto. During the film's promotional tour in 2021, Cena referred to Taiwan as "a country". He subsequently posted an apology on social media as China considers Taiwan a part of China. Comedian and political commentator Bill Maher criticized Cena for his apology to China.

Cena also was cast as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad, a role originally intended for Dave Bautista. In 2023, he reprised his role as Jakob Toretto in Fast X, which premiered in theaters on May 19, 2023. He was also the voice of Rocksteady in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which was released on August 2, 2023.

Guest appearances

Before his WWE debut, Cena made an appearance on the webcast Go Sick as Bruebaker, an angry, cursing wrestler in 2001.

During his WWE career, Cena has appeared on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! three times. He has also appeared on morning radio shows including the CBS and XM versions of Opie and Anthony as part of their "walkover" on October 10, 2006. Other appearances have included NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Fuse's Celebrity Playlist, Fox Sports Net's The Best Damn Sports Show Period, FOX's MADtv, G4's Training Camp (with Shelton Benjamin), and two appearances on MTV's Punk'd (August 2006 and May 2007), as the victim of a practical joke. He also served as a co-presenter, with Hulk Hogan, at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards, as a guest judge during the third week of the 2006 season of Nashville Star, and appeared at the 2007 Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards.

Cena in 2008

In January 2007, Cena, Batista, and Ashley Massaro appeared representing WWE on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, giving the children of the family whose house was being renovated WWE merchandise and eight tickets to WrestleMania 23. Two months later, he and Bobby Lashley appeared on the NBC game show Deal or No Deal as "moral support" to longtime WWE fan and front row staple, Rick "Sign Guy" Achberger. Edge and Randy Orton also appeared, but as antagonists. On April 9, 2008, Cena, along with fellow wrestlers Triple H and Chris Jericho, appeared on the Idol Gives Back fund-raising special. In March 2009, Cena made an appearance on Saturday Night Live during the show's cold opening sequence. On March 7, 2009, he was a guest on NPR's quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! in a Not My Job sequence titled "Sure, pro wrestling is a good gig, but when you win, do they throw teddy bears into the ring?".

Television

In 2001, between his training in Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling, Cena was involved in the UPN produced reality show Manhunt, in which he portrayed Big Tim Kingman, leader of the group of bounty hunters who chased down the contestants who acted as fugitives. The show, however, was mired in controversy when it was alleged that the portions of the show were rigged to eliminate certain players, scenes were re-shot or staged to enhance drama and contestants read from scripts.

Cena was featured on the ABC reality series Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race, which aired in June 2007, making it to the final round before being eliminated on June 24, placing third in the competition overall.

In 2007, Cena was interviewed for the CNN Special Investigations Unit documentary Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling, which focused on steroid and drug use in professional wrestling. When asked if he had taken steroids he was heard to reply, "I can't tell you that I haven't, but you will never prove that I have". The day after the documentary aired, WWE accused CNN of taking Cena's comments out of context to present a biased point of view, backing up their claim by posting an unedited video of Cena answering the same question – filmed by WWE cameras from another angle – in which he is heard beginning the same statement with "absolutely not". A text interview on the website with Cena later had him saying the news outlet should apologize for misrepresenting him, which CNN refused, saying they felt the true answer to the question began with the phrase "my answer to that question". However, they did edit the documentary on subsequent airings to include the "absolutely not".

Cena hosted the Australian Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards with Natalie Bassingthwaighte on October 11, 2008, in Melbourne. Cena guest starred as Ewan O'Hara, brother of Juliet O'Hara, in an episode of the fourth season of the comedy drama Psych. He also guest starred as himself in the seventh episode of Disney Channel's Hannah Montana Forever.

On August 17, 2015, Cena guest co-hosted Today on NBC. Cena appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers on August 21, 2015. Cena co-hosted Today again on March 28–30 and May 9, 10, 13 and 30, 2016.

Cena hosted two seasons of American Grit on Fox, a reality television series with 10 episodes. 16 men and women were split into four teams, where challenges were given. A US$1 million prize was given to the winning team. American Grit premiered on Fox on April 14, 2016, and the finale of season 1 aired on June 9. Cena hosted the ESPN ESPY Awards on July 13, 2016, in Los Angeles. On December 10, 2016, Cena was the guest host of Saturday Night Live (SNL) on NBC.

On January 24, 2017, Nickelodeon announced that Cena would host the 2017 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards ceremony on March 11. On January 11, 2018, it was announced that he would be hosting the awards ceremony again on March 24, 2018, becoming the third host behind Whitney Houston and Rosie O'Donnell to host the ceremony back to back years. Two days later, the game show Keep It Spotless premiered with him as an executive producer. In addition, he was cast on Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as the voice of the villain Baron Draxum. The series premiered in July 2018. On February 14, 2019, it was announced that Cena would host a revival of Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader on the network, which premiered June 10, 2019.

In 2021, Cena co-hosted the TV game show Wipeout. In 2024, an almost completely nude Cena appeared onstage at the 96th Academy Awards to present the award for best costume design in reference to a streaker interrupting the ceremony in 1974. Cena largely received praise for his performance during the presentation.

Music career

John Cena
GenresHip hop
Years active2004–2005, 2014, 2022
LabelsColumbia, WWE

In addition to his wrestling career, Cena is a rapper. He performed his fifth WWE theme song, "Basic Thuganomics", and it was featured on the WWE soundtrack album WWE Originals. He also recorded a song, "Untouchables", for the company's next soundtrack album WWE ThemeAddict: The Music, Vol. 6. He collaborated on a remix for the song "H-U-S-T-L-E" along with Murs, E-40, and Chingo Bling.

Cena's debut album, You Can't See Me, was recorded with his cousin Tha Trademarc. It features, among other songs, his entrance theme, "The Time is Now", and the single "Bad, Bad Man", for which a music video was made that parodied 1980s culture, including the television show The A-Team. A video was also made for the second single, "Right Now", that premiered on the August 8, 2005, episode of WWE Monday Night Raw. Cena and Tha Trademarc were later featured on a track by The Perceptionists called "Champion Scratch". Cena was featured on T-Boz's postponed album, Still Cool.

In October 2014, Cena was featured on two songs with rapper Wiz Khalifa for his two singles "All Day" and "Breaks" for the soundtrack to the WWE 2K15 video game.

Cena is a self-taught pianist, starting to learn the instrument in 2016. In 2022, he performed a piano rendition of Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home" for the Peacemaker soundtrack, playing it onscreen as his Peacemaker character in a poignant scene to close the episode "Murn After Reading".

Discography

Studio albums

Soundtrack albums

Other ventures

Endorsements

Cena signing merchandise for a young fan

Before his professional wrestling career, Cena appeared in an advertisement for Gold's Gym. As a wrestler, he has endorsed the energy drink YJ Stinger, appearing in commercials beginning in October 2003, and Subway, for whom he filmed advertisements with their spokesperson Jared Fogle in November 2006 that began airing the following January. For a time in 2007, he also endorsed two "signature collections" of energy drinks and energy bars sold by American Body Builders. In 2008, Cena filmed a commercial as part of Gillette's "Young Guns" NASCAR campaign.

In 2009, Cena expanded his relationship with Gillette by introducing a new online campaign called "Be A Superstar" featuring himself alongside fellow WWE wrestlers Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes. The campaign features motivational videos. After Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson called Cena "Fruity Pebbles" during their feud (in reference to Cena's colorful merchandise) Cena appeared on the box of Fruity Pebbles cereal in 2013.

He was the pace car driver for the 58th annual Daytona 500. On October 13, 2016, Cena made his debut as the voice of Ernie the Elephant in a new commercial campaign launched by Wonderful Pistachios. He was named to Adweek's "Creative 100" and received praise for his performance. In 2020, Cena and Honda announced a partnership, with Cena becoming the new voice of Honda.

Philanthropy

Cena posing with children

Cena has granted over 650 wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses through the Make-A-Wish Foundation—the most in Make-A-Wish history, with his first wish dating back to 2002. The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed that not only had Cena granted this many wishes by mid-2022, but that second place was fewer than 200. In 2009, Cena received the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award.

From late 2011 until WrestleMania XXVIII, Cena wore a black "Rise Above Hate" T-shirt promoting WWE's "Be a Star" anti-bullying campaign. In September and October 2012, Cena wore pink and black with the phrase "Rise Above Cancer" in partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

In November 2016, Cena appeared in a public service announcement, "We Are America", sponsored by the Ad Council as part of its "Love Has No Labels" campaign.

Cena made a $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter in June 2020 as part of the #MatchAMillion initiative made popular by K-pop band BTS.

In popular culture

See also: Unexpected John Cena

His catchphrase "You Can't See Me" originates from 2005 when Cena was under production for his new theme song, during which he was dared by his little brother to do the yayo dance on TV, which consists of moving your head while looking into the palm of your hand. Cena accepted the dare, but did it in reverse by waving his hand in front of his face instead to make it look more visible to his brother. Over time, this evolved into his signature catchphrase "You Can't See Me". In mid-2015, Cena was the subject of the Internet meme "Unexpected John Cena", also known as simply "Unexpected Cena" or "IT'S JOHN CENA". He has also been the subject of many memes due to his catchphrase, "You can't see me" such as being invisible in photos.

On May 10, 2021, Cena posted a video on his Weibo account, in which he sat in a car and ate ice cream while promoting the upcoming film Fast & Furious 9. In the video, Cena speaks Mandarin and sings into the ice cream cone as if it were a microphone. The video was viewed by millions of users and inspired the creation of the meme "Bing Chilling", a mishearing of bīngqílín (冰淇淋), which means ice cream and is said repeatedly in the video.

On May 24, 2021, a video of Cena apologizing to China was published on Twitter. While promoting Fast & Furious 9 in an interview, Cena stated Taiwan would be the first country to be able to view the film. This resulted in a backlash from Chinese social media users, prompting Cena to apologize in Mandarin in the video for the slip of the tongue. His apology received mixed reactions in China, and was the subject of further internet memes in the west.

Personal life

Cena with then-fiancée Nikki Bella in March 2018

Cena resides in Land o' Lakes, Florida. He has often said that he doesn’t want children because he wouldn’t want to be an absentee parent due to focusing on his career.

While promoting his 2009 film 12 Rounds, Cena announced his engagement to Elizabeth Huberdeau. They were married on July 11, 2009. Cena filed for divorce on May 1, 2012, and the divorce was finalized on July 18 of that year. Later that year, he began dating fellow wrestler Nikki Bella. They became engaged on April 2, 2017, when Cena proposed to her at WrestleMania 33, but ended their relationship in April 2018; they had been planning to marry the following month, on May 5.

Cena began dating Shay Shariatzadeh in early 2019, and they were married on October 12, 2020, in a private ceremony in Tampa, Florida. The two had met during the production of Cena's 2019 film Playing with Fire, which was filmed in Vancouver, where Shariatzadeh was working.

Cena started learning Mandarin Chinese in 2016 to help the WWE expand its reach, and he spoke in Mandarin at a press conference in China. In April 2018, he said that he had also learned to play the piano.

In December 2017, the Ford Motor Company sued Cena for breach of the contract under which he had bought his 2017 Ford GT. Ford alleged that he had sold it for a profit shortly after receiving it, instead of keeping the car for at least two years as agreed. Ford and Cena settled the dispute on June 19, 2018. While most of the settlement’s details were not disclosed, it was reported that Cena had agreed to apologize to Ford, and that Ford had agreed to donate the amount they had received in the settlement to charity.

From July to November 2018, Cena lived in Yinchuan, China, in order to work with Jackie Chan on the film Hidden Strike. While there, he also created a show on WWE's YouTube channel in which he highlighted his trips to local markets and other stores.

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2017 CinemaCon Action Star of the Year Won
2017 Teen Choice Awards Choice Male Athlete Nominated
2018 People's Choice Awards The Comedy Movie Star of 2018 Blockers Nominated
2019 Teen Choice Awards Choice Action Movie Actor Bumblebee Nominated
2020 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite TV Host Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? Nominated
2022 Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actor in a Superhero Movie The Suicide Squad Nominated
2022 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Movie Actor F9 Nominated
2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards Best Comedic Performance Peacemaker Nominated
2022 Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Actor in a Streaming Series, Comedy Nominated
2023 Critics' Choice Super Awards Best Actor in a Superhero Series Nominated

Video games

Video game credits
Year Title Notes
2003 WWE WrestleMania XIX Video game debut
WWE Raw 2
WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain
2004 WWE Day of Reckoning
WWE Survivor Series Cover athlete
WWE Smackdown! vs. Raw
2005 WWE WrestleMania 21
WWE Aftershock
WWE Day of Reckoning 2 Cover athlete
WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006
2006 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 Cover athlete
2007 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 Cover athlete
2008 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009
2009 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 Cover athlete
2010 WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 Cover athlete
2011 WWE All Stars Cover athlete
WWE '12
2012 WWE WrestleFest
WWE '13
2013 WWE 2K14
2014 WWE 2K15 Cover athlete
WWE SuperCard
2015 WWE Immortals
WWE 2K16
2016 WWE 2K17
Marvel Avengers Academy Hulk
2017 WWE Champions
WWE Tap Mania
WWE 2K18
WWE Mayhem
2018 WWE 2K19
2019 WWE 2K20
2020 WWE 2K Battlegrounds Cover athlete
2022 WWE 2K22
Fortnite
2023 WWE 2K23 Cover athlete
Mortal Kombat 1 Peacemaker
2024 WWE 2K24

Championships and accomplishments

Cena has held the WWE Championship record 13 times.
Three reigns as World Heavyweight Champion bring Cena's total to 16 world championships.
As a five-time United States Champion, Cena has the most reigns under the WWE banner.
Cena is a four-time Tag Team Champion in WWE, including two World Tag Team Championships.

Professional wrestling

Other awards and honors

Notes

  1. Cena has announced that he will retire from wrestling in 2025.
  2. Cena appeared on two songs with rapper Wiz Khalifa in 2014
  3. Cena is tied with Ric Flair for the most recognized world championship reigns by WWE, with Flair having won an additional 14 world championships of disputed status unrecognized by WWE
  4. Although Ric Flair has won more world championships, several of these reigns are unrecognized by WWE, with the number 16 having been called "WWE mythology".
  5. Both the WWE Championship and the now defunct World Heavyweight Championship were considered world titles in WWE.

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OVW Heavyweight Champions
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  • Benjamin Bray
  • Benjamin Bray and Andrew LaCroix
  • The Elite (Adam Revolver and Ted McNaler)
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  • Adam Revolver and The Mexicutioner
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  • Kal Herro and Omar Amir
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