John Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, and rapper. He is signed to WWE, where he appears for both the Raw and SmackDown brands. He is considered to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all-time. He pursued a career as a bodybuilder, before transitioning into professional wrestling after debuting for Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) in 1999. He signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 2000. There gained industry fame after adopting a persona of a villainous trash-talking rapper and won his first singles title, the United States Championship, in 2004. After winning the WWE Championship a year later, Cena's character transitioned into a heroic "goody-two-shoes Superman" and subsequently led the company as its franchise player and public face for the next decade gaining mainstream fame in the process.
He has also won several championships in his career, being a five-time U.S. champion, a four-time world tag team champion, and a sixteen-time world champion, a WWE record. He is also a two-time Royal Rumble match winner and a Money in the Bank ladder match winner. Despite his success, Cena is regularly met with mixed critical reception, with perceived criticisms against his in-ring move set and character limitations, thus making him one of the most polarizing professional wrestlers ever. Apart from wrestling, he has attained success as a musician, actor, and philanthropist. He released the rap album You Can't See Me in 2005, which gained platinum certification in the United States. He has had leading film roles in The Marine, 12 Rounds, Trainwreck, Ferdinand, Blockers, and Bumblebee. He is also known for his involvement in numerous charitable causes, namely the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he has granted more than 500 wishes, the most in company history.
Cena has been named as the greatest professional wrestler of all time by peers Kurt Angle and John "Bradshaw" Layfield, as well as by veteran industry personality Paul Heyman. Before his WWE debut, Cena made an appearance on the webcast Go Sick as Bruebaker, an angry, cursing wrestler in 2001.
Cena is a fan of Japanese anime and has named Fist of the North Star as his favorite anime movie. He also plays video games, citing the Command & Conquer series as his favorite. He supports numerous American sports teams from his hometown area such as the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, and New England Patriots, as well as English soccer team Tottenham Hotspur FC.
Born on: 23 April, 1977
Born in: West Newbury, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height: 6' 1"
