John Cena

Ring Names: John Cena, Juan Cena, Mr. P, Prototype, The Prototype

Nicknames: “The Champ” as Champion, “The Cenation Leader”, “Big Match John”, “The Man Who Never Gives Up”, “Mr. Money in the Bank”

Billed Weight: 251 pounds (114 kg)

Place of Birth: West Newbury, Massachusetts

Finishing Moves: Attitude Adjustment/F-U, STF (Stepover Toehold Sleeper), Photobomb/Killswitch (Spin Out Powerbomb)

Major Titles Held: WWE Championship/WWE World Heavyweight Championship, World Heavyweight Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, World Tag Team Champion, WWE United States Champion, Money in the Bank, Royal Rumble, Slammy Award.

Signature Moves: Diving leg drop bulldog, Butterfly, Lou Thesz Press, Clothesline, Gutwrench Suplex, Crossface, Elbow Drop

Trainers: Christopher Daniels, Dave Finlay, OVW, UPW

Interesting Trivia: Off the ring, Cena has had a very successful acting career featuring in movies like The Marine (2006), 12 Rounds (2009), Legendary (2010) and on television shows such as Saturday Night Live, Punk’d, Psych, Parks and Recreation. He is also a rapper and his debut album You Can’t See Me was placed at number 15 in the Billboard 200 charts.

He started learning Mandarin Chinese in 2012 in order to extend WWE’s global outreach however, later became a passionate learner. He even gave a two minute speech in Chinese at the WWE Press Conference in Shanghai.

Also known for his charity work, he has granted over 500 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which is the record highest by a single person.

Renowned Major Baseball League player Tony Lupien was his maternal grandfather.

Win/Loss Ratio: 1018(w)/58(d)/288(l) out of 1320 matches

Entrance Themes: “Slam Smack (Intro Cut)” by Ross Hardy (2002), “Basic Thuganomics” by John Cena & Tha Trademarc (2002-2004), “The Time is Now” by John Cena & Tha Trademarc (2005-present).

History

Despite his recent immense success in wrestling, Cena did not start out as a professional wrestler. He went to Princeton College and was a NCAA Division III All American Center. He graduated in 1998 with a degree in exercise physiology and body movement. After graduation, Cena decided to make a career out of bodybuilding while he also worked as a limousine driver. He only started training as a professional wrestler in 1999, at the the Ultimate University run by Rick Bassman under Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW).

Cena assumed character of a semi-robotic cyborg persona known as the Prototype. It was while training here that he was featured in the Discovery Channel Program Inside Pro Wrestling School. Immediately finding success in the ring, Cena held the UPW Championship for almost a month. With his fame on the rise, the erstwhile World Wrestling Federation snapped him up in 2001.

Ohio Valley Wrestling

Upon signing for the WWF, he made his unofficial debut in a dark match on a SmackDown taping. He lost the match to Mikey Richardson, however he did go on to win the next dark match against Aaron Aguilera. He was then put under a developmental contract and placed at the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), which is a developmental territory of the WWF and serves the purpose of “farming talents”. Still fighting under the moniker of Prototype or Mr. P, he held the heavyweight championship at the OVW for three months while also holding the tag team championship for two months with Rico Constantino.

Introduction to the Main Storyline

Cena made his official debut in WWE after an open challenge by Kurt Angle in SmackDown, where Cena declared he possessed “ruthless aggression” as described by Vince McMahon. Cena narrowly lost the match through a basic roll-up pin, however his efforts were lauded by senior wrestlers like Billy Kidman, Faarooq, Rikishi and The Undertaker.

However, his real shot at fame came after feuding with Chris Jericho, whom he defeated in an upset at the Vengeance. He then partnered up with Kidman for the first SmackDown Tag Team Championship, but lost itself in the first round to Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit which led Cena to turn heel and attack Kidman as he blamed him for their loss. He also feuded with Los Guerreros, winning his personal battle against Chavo but losing the tag team against them alongside Edge.

He then feuded with Brock Lesnar, and it was during this time that he started using one of his signature moves FU, named so to mock Lesnar's F-5.

First Championship

In 2004, Cena lost out to Big Show in the Royal Rumble. Cena then took it up to defeat Big Show on the next opportunity he got, and he did so at the WrestleMania XX. The victory got him his first United States Championship. He successfully defended his title for just short of four months, after his title was stripped off him in a farcical manner. Cena accidentally knocked Kurt Angle over, thus “attacking an official”.

However, he then won it back from Booker T at No Mercy, only to lose it again. This time he was defeated by debutant Carlito Caribbean Cool, and duo started feuding. Allegedly, Cena was stabbed in the kidney by Carlito’s bodyguard. However, this kayfabe injury was used to allow Cena to shoot for his debut film The Marine.

On his return, he won the title back from Carlito and even defeated his bodyguard in a street fight match.

WWE Champion

Despite winning the title back from Carlito, Cena was not going to keep for long as he lost it to cabinet member Orlando Jordan, after WWE Champion JBL, interfered in the match hitting Cena with his title belt. Cena instead developed a feud with the champion and eventually defeated him twice, at WrestleMania and an “I Quit” match. Cena eventually lost the title to Edge in the first pay-per-view of 2006, where Edge cashed his Money in the Bank contract, who took advantage of a worn-out bloodied Cena, who had just won the Elimination Chamber match.

Edge held on to the title by using dubious means such as disqualification and using brass knuckles, but was eventually defeated by Cena winning the title back. Cena was then involved in a Champion of the Champions match where three of the WWE brand's champions were to fight it out in a Triple Threat match. Cena lost after an interference from non-wrestler Kevin Federline.

In 2007, he successfully defended his title but suffered a legitimate torn pectoral muscle which required a surgery. His rehabilitation period was estimated to be around seven months to an year. As a result, he was stripped of his title. In 2008, he suffered another injury in the neck which also required a surgery. The following year Cena finally regained his title from JBL, but lost it to the new superstar of RAW Sheamus.

At the 2010 Royal Rumble, Cena went on to defeat some of the biggest stars of the WWE franchise including Sheamus, Triple H and Randy Orton to win back the title. He was immediately challenged by Batista upon winning the title, and a tired Cena lost. But Cena won it back from Batista at WrestleMania. He was then forced to join Nexus and he won the Tag Team Championship with David Otunga.

Cena then again won titles from Rey Mysterio and Alberto del Rio. In 2013, he became one of the few wrestlers who have won multiple Royal Rumble events. He also won the World Heavyweight Championship from del Rio, but lost it to Randy Orton who defeated him twice.

Recent

In recent times, Cena has been termed as a “free agent” working both for RAW and SmackDown. However, he also had personal troubles after his breakup with partner Nikki Bella and his WrestleMania loss to The Undertaker.