John Cena is one of the most famous wrestlers to ever come out of World Wrestling Entertainment and has proven that there is more to him than his impressive bodybuilding skills.
Since his rise to popularity in the early 2000s, Cena has done everything from releasing his own rap album to authoring books for children who are bullied.
With his iconic buzzcut and noble personality, it’s easy to see why many people assume that John Cena has served in one of the branches of the military.
Was John Cena In The Military?
No, John Cena has never been a member of the military, but he does strive in both his personal and professional life to supporting those who have served their country in any way he can.
Between the professional wrestler’s signature outfit and the roles he takes on as an actor, it is understandable why people would assume he had served in the military.
John Cena has donated to multiple veteran-based foundations throughout the years, with his most recent round of fundraising going to The FitsOp Foundation in 2019 through 2020.
FitsOp and John Cena both know that approximately 20 veterans commit suicide every day, which is why the FitsOp Foundation looks to help veterans through their depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance abuse.
As an ambassador for the company, John Cena agreed to match up to $1 million that was raised by FitsOp and their supporters.
Cena has always been proud of the strong affiliation that the military and World Wrestling Entertainment share.
The professional wrestler sees military personnel as some of the greatest people and some of his most loyal fans.
He’s always excited when he can go visit troops at their bases or join get-togethers in order to help the military members and their families.
When John Cena was in his 20s, he considered joining the Marines because he felt that his life needed some sense of direction.
Right before he went to enlist, a friend of his brought up the idea of trying out for World Wrestling Entertainment because of Cena’s large size.
Cena had decided that the marines would be the best branch for him because he felt that the Marines best represented all that he was at the time.
Thanks to youth and good health, he felt bulletproof and prepared.
Becoming The WWE’s Biggest Star
John Cena is arguably one of the biggest names to come out of World Wrestling Entertainment, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson being one of the few wrestlers more famous than Cena.
From the moment that Cena stepped into the ring, fans were obsessed with his macho demeanor and ruthless aggression.
In his first fight for World Wrestling Entertainment, Cena was pitted against Mikey Hendrickson and went by the stage name “The Prototype.”
His first fight took place on October 20th of 2000.
The young wrestler would decide to use his birth name in June of 2002, starting with his match against Kurt Angle.
On July 9th of 2002, Cena and The Undertaker teamed up to go against Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle.
Throughout his career, fans have loved cheering him on as he fought many of World Wrestling Entertainment’s most beloved wrestlers.
John Cena holds the record for highest pay-per-view win percentage in the organization’s history at 60%.
Cena has not just proven that he has the most loyal fanbase, but he has also proven why he deserves the attention of his fans.
He has 10 championship wins under his belt, which is more than any other wrestler in the organization’s history.
Although Cena has been wrestling for decades, plenty of people believe that Cena will win another championship before he retires from wrestling.
Throughout his career, Cena has focused on the importance of dedication, loyalty, and respect.
Without respect for his opponents, he would be too blinded by pride to defeat them.
It’s been his dedication to his craft and loyalty to his fans that have gotten as far in the wrestling organization as he is.
Throughout his career, he has defeated some of the biggest wrestlers like The Rock, Batista, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Triple H.
Professional Wrestler Turned Actor
John Cena knew that he wanted to do more in the world of entertainment, so he took his step into the world of film by joining the cast of The Marine.
Many John Cena fans believe that this 2006 movie may be the reason that many people assume Cena served in the military.
In 2009, Cena played Detective Danny Fisher in the thriller 12 Rounds, where he starred alongside Ashley Scott and Steve Harris.
In the film, Fisher’s girlfriend is kidnapped by a criminal from Fisher’s past.
The following year, John Cena starred in Legendary as Mike Chetley.
In the 2011 movie The Reunion, John Cena plays Sam Carey who is one of four siblings to inherit $3,000,000, as long as he and his other siblings can get along for two years.
His siblings are played by Amy Smart, Ethan Embry, and Boyd Holbrook.
John Cena had a minor role in Bill Hader and Amy Schumer’s comedy Trainwreck.
That same year, he also starred in Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg’s comedy Daddy’s Home.
He also starred in Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s Sisters.
In 2017, John Cena returned to the film set with Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg for Daddy’s Home 2, which is when his character was given an actual name.
Later that year, he also starred in the military drama The Wall.
John Cena voiced the children’s storybook character Ferdinand the Bull when the story became a feature film in 2017.
His most recent film has been Vacation Friends, where he stars alongside Lil Rel Howery, Yvonne Orji, and Meredith Hagner.
His Work With The Make-A-Wish Foundation
John Cena always strives to be the best in whatever he does, which includes his charitable and supportive efforts.
As a child who was bullied for being weak, Cena has a well-known soft spot for children who have to suffer frequently like children from the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
John Cena has granted more than 650 wishes so far and nothing is going to slow down his charitable efforts.
He has granted more wishes than any other celebrity in the organization’s history and he shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.
Even during the pandemic, John Cena made sure to continue granting wishes.
With plenty of pandemic precaution for the young children’s fragile lives, he granted multiple wishes.
The most recent child that John Cena has visited was a seven-year-old named David Castle from Florida who had been suffering from a life-threatening disease.
In the photo posted to Twitter, you can spot John Cena sporting a mask and gloves.
When visiting Castle, John Cena brought a slew of goodies and some early birthday treats for the young boy battling cancer.
John Cena started granting wishes with the Make-a-Wish Foundation in 2004 while he was starring on SmackDown.
All those who know the wrestler personally are amazed at the way he is able to balance his schedule and fit as many wishes into his schedule as he does.
Cena discovered the organization by accident while he was with another wrestler who was visiting a Make-a-Wish child.
He was asked if he wouldn’t mind going into the child’s room to say hello as well.
After he met with the child, he told the organizers for the foundation that they could call him whenever they needed him in the future.
From that point on, John Cena fell in love with his new charity work.
The Reason John Cena Began Working Out
When John Cena was growing up, he would get bullied relentlessly, and this eventually led to him getting beaten up by other students.
Although it may be difficult to imagine, Cena was a scrawny child who was singled out for the way he dressed and the music he listened to.
He had a difficult time making friends because he could never find a social clique that he fit into, so he often spent his time alone which made him an easier target for bullies.
For young Cena, getting stronger wasn’t about looking good.
His passion for bodybuilding started because he wanted to be too big for the other children to beat him up.
When he was 13 years old, he asked his father for a weight set so he could become stronger and defend himself better.
John Cena has consistently worked out since he was 13 years old and finds the time to be healing and rejuvenating.
He wanted to get stronger and stronger, which is a quest that lasted until his mid-30s.
As Cena has gotten into his 40s, he has focused his workouts on wellness over physique.
With a degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Springfield College, Cena knows how to keep his body in perfect shape.
After college, Cena worked at Gold’s Gym in the protein shop where he knew every member by name.
By talking with gym members, John Cena was inspired to join World Wrestling Entertainment after it had been recommended to him.
Although John Cena was living out of his car at the time, he was simply happy to be living in Los Angeles, which was a hub of fitness innovation.
When he first began wrestling, he saw it as a fun hobby, but it became so much more.
John Cena Lived In China
In 2018, John Cena moved to China to film a movie with Jackie Chan.
While he was in China, he started making travel videos on YouTube for World Wrestling Entertainment in which he would talk about his experiences in China.
For five months, Cena moved all over the country, finding new and exciting things around nearly every corner.
Although he had a difficult time getting acclimated to the country and new culture, he enjoyed every minute of it.
For years before filming with Jackie Chan, Cena had been learning Mandarin and can speak on a conversational level.
While learning Mandarin, he formed a deep appreciation for Chinese culture.
Although he had been to Shanghai with World Wrestling Entertainment, he was never able to explore the city or the country.
When with the wrestling organization, they normally arrive right before their performances and leave shortly afterward.
While staying in China, John Cena made a point to use the country’s language as much as possible and enjoy the country’s cuisines.
Although he was only staying for a long-term trip in China, he preferred to look at his time in China as if he were living there.
He may have been in a completely different country, but he quickly found the places he liked to visit and found a sense of home in these places.
Cena tried to not let himself get too comfortable, pressing himself every day to experience more of the foreign country.
The wrestler believes that if he could have been there for a few years rather than months, he could see himself truly being able to call China home.
He was grateful for the opportunity to experience a culture that was unlike anything he had experienced in the past.
Authoring Books For Adults And Children
John Cena became a published author in 2018 when began releasing his series of children’s books Elbow Grease.
Elbow Grease is a small monster truck that wants to be like all the bigger and tougher monster trucks.
By October of that year, Elbow Grease had become the number 1 New York Times bestseller among children’s books.
The massive success from his first children’s book prompted John Cena to make the book a series with Elbow Grease vs. Motozilla.
The Elbow Grease books cover topics such as believing in yourself, being kind, and not allowing others to define you.
John Cena hopes to inspire young boys to be kinder and not to feel the need to compete to be the bigger man with other young boys.
The inspiration for Elbow Grease comes from how Cena felt growing up with four brothers who “beat the heck out of each other.”
The most important lesson that he wanted to teach young boys with these books is that winning is not everything.
Although Cena may have many messages that he originally intended for the young boys who read his books, he also wanted to make sure he showed young girls that it’s okay and very cool to be into cars with his inclusion of the female mechanic.
Some of John Cena’s other Elbow Grease books include Elbow Grease: Teamwork Wins!, Elbow Grease: My Monster Truck Family, Elbow Grease: Driving School, Elbow Grease: Get Out and Play, Elbow Grease: Cleanup Crew, and Elbow Grease Saves Christmas.
Why John Cena Doesn’t Want Children
John Cena has always had a clear love for helping children get better and become the best individuals that they can be.
Despite all of his philanthropic work surrounding children, John Cena doesn’t want to have his own children.
He has stated in the past that his schedule is incredibly difficult to maintain, and he is rarely home.
Cena does not want to be an absentee father, even if it is for work.
Cena claims that he could never see himself as a father because of his work as a professional actor and wrestler.
He would rather spend any free time he does have with his wife, engineer and artist Shay Shariatzadeh.
He believes that being a father is something that demands having a passion for that dream and that it takes more than talent or good skills to be the right kind of person to be a parent.
Instead, John Cena would rather be a role model for children around the world.
