Claim: John Cena started his professional wrestling career in 1999.

John Felix Anthony Cena Jr. -LRB- -LSB- ˈsiːnə -RSB- born April 23 , 1977 -RRB- is an American professional wrestler , rapper , actor , and reality television show host . He is signed to WWE , where he performs on the SmackDown brand . Cena started his professional wrestling career in 1999 with Ultimate Pro Wrestling -LRB- UPW -RRB- and won the UPW Heavyweight Championship the following year . Cena signed a developmental contract with the World Wrestling Federation -LRB- WWF , later renamed to World Wrestling Entertainment , or simply WWE -RRB- in 2001 , debuting on the WWE main roster in 2002 .   From a generic character in 2002 , Cena morphed into a rapper for the time period of 2002 -- 2004 , which earned him fame within the audience on SmackDown ! . Cena later transitioned to his current character , which he describes as a `` goody-two shoes Superman '' . However , Cena has been labeled as the `` most polarizing professional wrestler ever '' as his character has many supporters and many detractors , according to Jim Ross of Fox Sports , who also noted that Cena has been WWE 's franchise player for a long-time . In 2012 , IGN described Cena as WWE 's franchise player since 2005 and WWE credited Cena as being the `` face of WWE '' in 2015 since 2004 . Industry veterans John Layfield , Paul Heyman , and Kurt Angle have called Cena the greatest WWE star of all time .   Throughout his WWE career , Cena has won 25 championships , with 16 reigns as a world champion -LRB- 13 times as WWE Champion and three times as WWE 's World Heavyweight Champion -RRB- , an accomplishment only previously achieved by WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair . He is also a five-time United States Champion , and four-time world tag team champion -LRB- two World Tag Team and two WWE Tag Team -RRB- . Furthermore , he is a Money in the Bank ladder match winner -LRB- 2012 -RRB- , a two-time Royal Rumble winner -LRB- 2008 , 2013 -RRB- , and a three-time Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner -LRB- 2009 , 2010 , 2012 -RRB- . Cena has the fourth-highest number of combined days as WWE Champion , behind Bruno Sammartino , Bob Backlund , and Hulk Hogan . He has also headlined WWE 's flagship event , WrestleMania , on five different occasions -LRB- WrestleManias 22 , 23 , XXVII , XXVIII , and 29 -RRB- over the course of his career , as well as many others pay-per-view events . As of 2016 , John Cena is WWE 's highest-paid wrestler .   Outside of wrestling , Cena has released the rap album You Ca n't See Me , which debuted at No. 15 on the US Billboard 200 chart , and starred in the feature films The Marine -LRB- 2006 -RRB- , 12 Rounds -LRB- 2009 -RRB- , Legendary -LRB- 2010 -RRB- , The Reunion -LRB- 2011 -RRB- , Trainwreck -LRB- 2015 -RRB- , and Sisters -LRB- 2015 -RRB- . Cena has also made appearances on television shows including Manhunt , Deal or No Deal , MADtv , Saturday Night Live , Punk 'd , Psych , and Parks and Recreation . He was also a contestant on Fast Cars and Superstars : The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race , where he made it to the final round before being eliminated , placing third in the overall competition . Cena is also the host of American Grit on Fox . Cena is involved in numerous philanthropic causes ; most notably with the Make-A-Wish Foundation . He has granted the most wishes in Make-A-Wish history .