John Cena is one of the most iconic WWE performers of all time. With over a decade as the face of WWE and 15 championships to his name, Cena has established himself as the company’s linchpin.
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Cena went on to play football at Division III Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts. He began wrestling in 1999 and signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2001. He first appeared on WWE television in 2002 and has been a fixture in the promotion ever since.
Cena’s mainstream appeal has landed him several notable roles outside the ring, including a part in Trainwreck and hosting the 2016 ESPY’s. Cena, who preaches “Never Give Up”, has granted a record over 500 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and also is very involved in WWE’s initiatives to entertain the military. Clearly Cena is a great entertainer and an admirable role model, but how much has all that hustle, loyalty, and respect earned him over the years? Let’s take a look.
John Cena’s Net Worth as of 2019: $35 million+
John Cena’s net worth checks in at over $35 million. While that’s a long way from the net worth of his two-time Wrestlemania foe Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s mind-numbing net worth, Cena is by far the wealthiest wrestler currently employed by WWE whose last name isn’t McMahon. Cena typically has about half of every arena countering “Lets go Cena” chants with “Cena sucks” ones, but that shouldn’t bother him too much because he has a contract with WWE for $2.75 million plus seven percent of his merchandise sales and a hefty portion of pay-per-view sales.
1999-2004
John Cena began his wrestling career in 1999 in the California-based independent wrestling promotion Ultimate Pro Wrestling. He then signed a contract with WWE in 2001 and was assigned to developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling along with fellow future stars Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Batista. In 2002 he made his WWE television debut on its Smackdown show, and soon after began a gimmick as a comic battle rapper who would wear throwback jerseys and a chain, nicknamed “the doctor of thuganomics”. He quickly became popular among WWE’s audience and in 2004 became the United States Champion, his first title with the company.
2005-2011
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At WrestleMania 21 in 2005, Cena defeated John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) to win the first of his record 15 WWE world championships. By then he had dropped the rapper gimmick, and became a classic good guy character which he describes as “a goody-two-shoes superman”. After Wrestlemania 21, Cena was drafted from Smackdown to WWE’s flagship show Monday Night Raw, emerging as the top draw in the company. In 2011 he famously feuded with CM Punk.
In 2006 Cena starred in WWE Studios film The Marine, which grossed over $22 million at the box office. He then starred in two more WWE Studios films: 2009’s 12 Rounds and 2010’s Legendary. He also starred in Fred The Movie, a 2010 Nickelodeon children’s movie.
In the mid-to-late 2000’s Cena began making a litany of guest appearances on TV programs including Jimmy Kimmel Live, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Punk’d.
2012-2017
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In 2012 Cena headlined WrestleMania XXVIII against the returning The Rock, in the highest grossing professional wrestling pay-per-view of all-time. Cena lost in the match that was dubbed “Once in a Lifetime”, but won the rematch when the two faced off again at 2013’s WrestleMania 29. Since 2015, he has shifted out of the championship picture in order to elevate newer superstars like Rusev, Kevin Owens and now AJ Styles.
Cena made appearances in the 2015 comedy films Trainwreck, Sisters and Daddy’s Home. His next movie project is The Wall, which is scheduled to be released on May 12, 2017. Cena has guest-hosted NBC’s Today on numerous occasions since 2015. He was also the host of Fox’s recent military reality show American Grit. He is the first pro wrestler to host the ESPY’s.
After getting divorced in May 2012, Cena has been dating the gorgeous Nikki Bella, a fellow WWE Superstar, since November 2012.
With an unparalleled reign as WWE’s top guy and with major crossover appeal, there’s no question John Cena has earned his $35 million+ net worth. So I guess the reason why he’s always saying “you can’t see me” is there’s too much money in the way.
2018
One of the illustrious personalities of WWE, John Cena is slowly shifting gears into the Hollywood land with his upcoming projects.
2019
According to Vince McMahon’s company, John Cena will face Becky Lynch in a dream inter-gender match sometimes this year.
