This superstar once lived in a garage and worked as a driver to make ends meet before getting his big break
If you ask any casual follower of professional wrestling to name the three biggest names from the field in the last 20 years, chances are that John Cena will be one of them more often than not. The American wrestler-turned-actor was the face of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for over a decade from 2005-16, before carving out a successful acting career as well. But the journey to stardom was not a smooth one for Cena, who struggled a lot before he got his first gig.
When John Cena failed his dream to become a cop
John Cena appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in February this year, where he spoke about his formative years and how he got into wrestling. “I was living in a garage in Venice Beach, California,” he said, “I had picked professional wrestling as a hobby and did not know what to do with my life. I tried to be a cop but failed my CHP (the California Highway Patrol) exam, and was probably joining the Marines.” A friend then told him about a wrestling training academy and he joined as a hobby, eventually signing with the WWE in 2002. During this time, John did a number of odd jobs to support himself before his wrestling career took off. At one point, he was a limousine driver and worked in the store area of Gold’s Gym in California.
When John Cena was beaten up in school
John Cena’s interest towards bodybuilding began as a method to counter childhood bullies. As per MSN, Cena was teased and bullied in school and often beaten up by other classmates. As a result, he asked his parents for a weightlifting bench when he was just 12 years old. Pretty soon, he began to work on his body in a bid to be able to defend himself against bullies. This led to an amateur bodybuilding career after school that led to professional wrestling in his early 20s.
John Cena’s movie career
In 2006, while he was still active in the WWE, Cena made his acting debut in The Marine, but his breakthrough role came in Trainwreck (2015), for which he achieved critical acclaim too. Following this, he focused more on movies and became a part-time wrestler, working in films like Bumblebee, F9 and Fast X, and The Suicide Squad. In 2022, he starred as the DC anti-hero Peacemaker in the eponymous TV series, earning a reported $4 million (Rs 33 crore) for eight episodes. Forbes has estimated his wealth at around $80 million (Rs 650 crore) in 2023.
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 "John Cena (Image: screengrab)")
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