John Cena

John Cena

John Felix Anthony Cena Jr. (; born April 23, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television presenter. He is currently signed to WWE on a part-time deal. He is also the current host of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? on Nickelodeon, and has starred in various films. Born and raised in West Newbury, Massachusetts, Cena moved to California in 1998 to pursue a career as a bodybuilder. He transitioned into professional wrestling in 1999 when he debuted for Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) and signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 2000, where he was initially assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). He gained fame in WWE after adopting the persona of a trash-talking rapper and won his first singles title, the United States Championship, in 2004. The next year, he won the WWE Championship for the first time, and his character subsequently transitioned into a clean-cut "Superman-like" hero. He would go on to lead the company as its franchise player and public face for the next decade. Cena is a five-time United States Champion, four-time world tag team champion, and 16-time world champion; the latter sees him tied with Ric Flair for the most world championship reigns in WWE history. Of his 16 world championship reigns, 13 of them are with the WWE Championship, which is the current record for that specific title. He is also a two-time Royal Rumble winner and one-time Money in the Bank ladder match winner, and has headlined several major WWE pay-per-view events, including headlining the company's flagship event of WrestleMania five times. Considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time by his peers and noted for his strong work ethic, Cena was nevertheless met with varied critical and fan reception during the bulk of his career, with praise being offered for his character work and promo skills but criticism aimed at his supposed over-representation and limited in-ring move set. He is thus regarded as one of the most polarizing professional wrestlers of all time. Cena has starred in films such as The Marine (2006), 12 Rounds (2009), Trainwreck (2015), Ferdinand (2017), Bumblebee (2018), and F9 (2021). He also released a rap album called You Can't See Me (2005), which went platinum. Outside of his work in entertainment, he is known for his involvement in numerous charitable causes such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he has granted the most wishes in history at over 600.

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