June 27, 2002. In a WWE SmackDown episode, Kurt Angle asked a newbie, “What makes you think you can walk out to the ring and face the very best in the business?”
“It is ruthless aggression,” the then 25-year-old shot back before laying a punch to Angle’s face.
John Felix Anthony Cena Jr, known to the world as John Cena marked his entry to the WWE and constructed his path to legacy.
From his famous entry tone to winning the number of world championship belts, Cena became one of the most famous athletes in the history of sports entertainment. He is a record 16-time World Champion, five-time United States Champion and four-times World Tag Team Champion.
‘You can’t see me’ is famous taunt used by Cena in the ring but how many of these rare Cena facts did YOU see coming?
On his 43rd birthday, we take a look at rarest facts of the WWE superstar.
Famous grandfather
John Cena was born in Massachusetts, the United States on April 23, 1977, to a mother of English and French-Canadian origin and father of Italian ancestry.
Only a few know that his grandfather Tony Lupien was a famous baseball player. John has four brothers Stephen, Dan, Matt and Sean.
What led to him bodybuilding?
John entered professional bodybuilding at an early age. But what led him? When he was 12, he used to get teased in school and therefore, he wished for weightlifting-bench as a Christmas gift. As the years passed, he was getting serious and concentrated on bodybuilding.
Won a match with pectoral muscle torn
Did you know Cena won a match while battling a serious injury?
It was in 2007 when Cena contested with Mr Kennedy, and during the match, he tore his pectoral muscle entirely away from the bone. Braving the odds, Cena continued to entertain as per the script and finished the match.
It didn’t stop there, his off-screen good buddy, Randy Orton also attacked him after the match.
More than wrestling
Many know that John Cena is a rapper and a Hollywood actor, but how many of you know that John loves playing golf, chess and watching NASCAR?
He is also a PC game fanatic. Cena also loves cars!
His garage has over 20 machines parked. His car collections include a 1966 Dodge Hemi Charger, a 1970 AMC Rebel Machine, a 1970 Pontiac GT Judge and a 2006 Dodge Viper to name a few.
Scared of spiders
Cena may have tamed the strongest of characters in the business, but he’s an arachnophobe (fear of spiders). Spiders are the biggest fear of his life.
Off-ring hero
One can say that Cena is a champion of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He is the first WWE superstar to grant 500 wishes to children who are battling with life-threatening diseases.
‘The Chain Gang Soldier’ has also elevated an inspiring amount of money for the American Cancer Society and has supported several anti-bullying campaigns. It’s a testament to Cena’s caring spirit.
Chinese?
Four years back, Cena confirmed that he wanted to add new talent to his collection: Learn a new language. To help WWE spread its reach worldwide, Cena decided to learn Mandarin Chinese, which is considered one of the toughest languages to master. He not only learned the language but also spoke flawless Mandarin at a WWE press conference in Shanghai.
Hustle, Loyalty, Respect
Everybody is familiar with ‘Hustle, Loyalty, Respect’! John considers it as his moral code. He has said it states that you have to work hard, be loyal to anyone loyal to you and respect everyone.
Love for Bollywood?
Cena is one of the most-loved entertainers in the Indian subcontinent. But is Cena a big fan of our entertainers? Bollywood celebrities have often made an appearance on Cena’s timeline. Here are a few:
