Background and career
John Felix Anthony Cena ( SEE-nə; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor, former professional wrestler, and former rapper. He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Cena wrestled for WWE for 24 years, becoming a record-setting 17-time world champion, before transitioning fully into his acting career. Cena began professional wrestling in 1999 and signed with the World Wrestling Federation in 2001 (renamed WWE in 2002), where he began in its then-developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). After debuting on the main roster on WWE SmackDown! in 2002, he rose to prominence as a brash heel rapper, before becoming the company's franchise player from the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s. He wrestled on a part-time schedule from 2017 until his retirement in 2025. His run as a face from 2003 to 2025 was the longest continuous portrayal of a heroic character in WWE history. Cena held numerous championships and accomplishments in WWE, including the WWE Championship a record 14 times and the World Heavyweight Championship three times.
He is the 35th Triple Crown and 25th Grand Slam champion, won the Royal Rumble match twice, the Elimination Chamber match four times, the Money in the Bank match once, and headlined multiple major WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming events. Cena's full-time career received 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. In contrast, his later career was more positively received. Cena began acting in 2006 and has done both comedy and action films, receiving praise for his roles in Trainwreck (2015), Blockers (2018), and The Suicide Squad (2021). He has also starred in films such as The Marine (2006), Bumblebee (2018), and F9 (2021), as well as portraying the title character in the superhero series Peacemaker (2022–2025). In music, he released the rap album You Can't See Me in 2005, which peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200.
Cena is also known for his charity work, granting more than 650 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the most in the organization's history.
John Felix Anthony Cena was born in West Newbury, Massachusetts, on April 23, 1977, to Carol and John Joseph Cena. He has four brothers named Dan, Matt, Steve, and Sean. Cena's maternal grandfather was baseball player Tony Lupien, a son of businessman Ulysses J. Lupien, and he is cousins with computer scientist Natalie Enright Jerger. Cena was educated at Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts, before moving to 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. After graduating in 1999 with a degree in exercise physiology and kinesiology, he pursued a bodybuilding career and worked as a limousine driver. He also worked at Gold's Gym.
How John Cena makes money
He is signed to WWE as a brand ambassador. Cena began professional wrestling in 1999 and signed with the World Wrestling Federation in 2001 (renamed WWE in 2002), where he began in its then-developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW).
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth, in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
