John Cena opens up on difficult past before signing first WWE contract; reveals how much he made

John Cena recently spoke about his early days when he struggled to find the right career path before fate led him to audition for WWE.

The Leader of Cenation made his World Wrestling debut on a SmackDown episode in June 2002, confronting Kurt Angle's open challenge. The rookie superstar felt short next to the WWE Hall of Famer but showed "ruthless aggression" and impressed everyone.

However, before becoming a wrestling legend, the man with a whopping 16 World Titles once navigated a confusing career maze until a twist of fate that led him to WWE's tryouts, forever changing his life.

The 46-year-old veteran recently appeared as a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to promote his new spy thriller, "Argylle." During the conversation, John Cena mentioned that he was living in a garage and wasn't sure what he wanted to do since he failed to become a cop.

"So I was living in a garage in Venice, California, and I had picked up professional wrestling as a hobby. I did not know what I was gonna do with my life, I tried to be a cop, I failed the CHP exam," he said.

However, following his training at the Orange County, The Leader of Cenation received a call from Bruce Prichard, who hired him with a whopping $12,500 deal twenty-two years ago:

"So when I saw a ring, I was like I'll figure it out to do this as a hobby, never anything more than that. I just wanted to live like Superman on the weekends. And then, I finally get my big contract with WWE. I got a call from Bruce Prichard, Head of Talent Relations at the time, he said, 'We want to sign you to 12,500$ a year.' And living in California, I quit my job right away and I was born like a newborn baby." [From 02:35 to 03:19]

Check out the full video below:

John Cena acknowledged Dominik Mysterio

The 16-time World Champion recently gave a silent bow to the member of The Judgment Day after this week's WWE RAW.

Cena is known for sharing images on Instagram without explanation so that fans can interpret them. Taking to social media, the 46-year-old veteran posted a picture of Dominik Mysterio as a gesture of admiration for his work in the Stamford-based promotion.

Check out Cena's post below:

John Cena has already put over two rising WWE Superstars, Austin Theory and Solo Sikoa, in a singles match in 2023. Hence, the multi-time champion posting Dom Dom's photo can be a tease of a potential showdown on the Road to WrestleMania 40.

What did you think of John Cena's past before he signed a WWE contract? Sound off in the comments section below.

If you use any of John Cena's quotes from this article, please credit The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcriptions.