John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena ( born April 23 , 1977 ) is an American professional wrestler , bodybuilder , rapper , and actor . He is currently signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Champion in his record - breaking eleventh reign . In WWE , Cena has won 20 championships in total . He is also a 13 time World Champion ( having won the WWE Championship a record 11 times and the World Heavyweight Championship twice ) , a company record shared with Triple H . In addition , Cena has also won the WWE United States Championship three times , and is a four - time Tag Team Champion , having held the World Tag Team Championship twice ( once each with Shawn Michaels and Batista ) , and the WWE Tag Team Championship twice ( once each with David Otunga and The Miz ) . Cena also won the Royal Rumble match twice ( 2008 and 2013 ) , the 2012 Money in the Bank contract for the WWE Title , and is a three - time Superstar of the Year Slammy Award winner ( 2009 , 2010 , and 2012 ) . He has the fourth highest number of combined days as WWE Champion behind Bob Backlund , Hulk Hogan and Bruno Sammartino . He is the 7th longest - reigning WWE Champion in history . He is also the only man to fail to capture a world championship upon cashing in a Money in the Bank contract . Cena started his professional wrestling career in 2000 , wrestling for Ultimate Pro Wrestling , where he held the UPW Heavyweight Championship . In 2001 , Cena signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation ( WWF ) and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling ( OVW ) where he held the OVW Heavyweight Championship and the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship ( with Rico Constantino ) . Outside of wrestling , Cena has released the rap album " You Can ' t See Me " , which debuted at No . 15 on the US " Billboard " 200 chart , and starred in the feature films " The Marine " ( 2006 ) , " 12 Rounds " ( 2009 ) , and " Legendary " ( 2010 ) . Cena has also made appearances on television shows including " Manhunt " , " Deal or No Deal " , " MADtv " , " Saturday Night Live " , " Punk ' d " , and " Psych " . Cena was also a contestant on " " , where he made it to the final round before being eliminated , placing third in the overall competition . Early life . John Cena was born April 23 , 1977 , in West Newbury , Massachusetts , the son of Carol and John Cena , Sr . He is the second eldest of five brothers – Dan , Matt , Steve , and Sean . After graduating from Cushing Academy , Cena attended Springfield College in Springfield , Massachusetts . In college he was a Division III All - America n center on the college football team , wearing the number 54 , which is still used on some of his WWE merchandise . He graduated from Springfield in 1998 with a degree in exercise physiology , after which he pursued a career in bodybuilding , and also worked as a chauffeur for a limousine company . Professional wrestling career . Ultimate Pro Wrestling ( 2000 - 2001 ) . Cena started training to become a professional wrestler in 2000 at Ultimate Pro Wrestling ' s California - based " Ultimate University " operated by Rick Bassman . Once he was placed into an in - ring role , Cena began using a semi - robotic character known as " The Prototype " . Some of this period of his career was documented in the Discovery Channel program " Inside Pro Wrestling School " . While in UPW , Cena held the UPW Heavyweight Championship for just shy of a month in April 2000 . World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment . Ohio Valley Wrestling ( 2001 - 2002 ) . In 2001 , Cena signed a developmental contract with the World Wrestling Federation ( now WWE ) . He was assigned to its developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling ( OVW ) . During his time there , Cena wrestled under the ring name s " The Prototype " and " Mr . P " . He held the OVW Heavyweight Championship for three months and the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship ( with Rico Constantino ) for two months . Debut ( 2002 – 2004 ) . Cena made his television debut answering an open challenge by Kurt Angle on June 27 , 2002 . Inspired by a speech given by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to the rising stars of the company , exhorting them to show " ruthless aggression " to earn a place among the legends , Cena took advantage of the opportunity to face Angle . Cena managed to counter the Angle Slam and the ankle lock submission hold , but ultimately lost to a hard amateur wrestling - style pin . Following the near - win , Cena became a fan favorite and started feuding with Chris Jericho , defeating Jericho at Vengeance . In October , Cena and Billy Kidman took part in a tag team tournament to crown the first WWE Tag Team Champions of the SmackDown ! brand , losing in the first round . The next week , Cena turned on and attacked Kidman , blaming him for their loss , becoming a villain . Shortly after the Kidman attack , on a Halloween themed episode of " SmackDown " , Cena dressed as Vanilla Ice performing a freestyle rap . The next week , Cena received a new character : a rapper who cut promos while rhyming . As the gimmick grew , Cena began adopting a variant of the 1980s WWF logo – dropping the " F " – as his " signature symbol " , along with the slogan " Life " . Moreover , he was joined by an enforcer , Bull Buchanan , who was rechristened B - 2 ( also written B² and pronounced " B - Squared " ) . Buchanan was later replaced by Red Dogg , until he was sent to the Raw brand in February . For the first half of 2003 , Cena sought the WWE Championship and chased the reigning champion , Brock Lesnar , performing weekly " freestyles " challenging him to matches . During the feud , Cena unveiled a new finishing maneuver : the FU , a Fireman ' s carry powerslam , named to mock Brock Lesnar ' s F - 5 because both moves start with Fireman ' s carry , with the first victim being Rikishi . Cena won a number one contenders tournament against Lesnar at Backlash . However , Cena was defeated by Lesnar . At Vengeance Cena lost a singles match against The Undertaker . At the end of the year , Cena became a fan favorite again when he joined Kurt Angle as a member of his team at Survivor Series . United States and WWE Champion ( 2004 – 2005 ) . In early 2004 , Cena participated in the Royal Rumble match at the 2004 Royal Rumble , making it to the final six before being eliminated by Big Show and the Match being won by Chris Benoit . The Royal Rumble elimination led to a feud with Big Show , which Cena won the United States Championship from Big Show at WrestleMania XX . During his reign , Cena came into contention with SmackDown General Manager Kurt Angle over issues arising with René Duprée and Torrie Wilson . The reign ended almost four months later , when he was stripped of the belt on July 8 by Angle after he accidentally knocked him over , thus attacking an official . Cena won the championship back defeating Booker T in a best of five series that culminated at No Mercy , only to lose it to the debuting Carlito Caribbean Cool the next week . After the loss to Carlito , the duo began a feud , which Cena was stabbed in the kidney while at a Boston - area nightclub by Carlito ' s bodyguard , Jesús . This worked injury was used to keep Cena out of action for a month , while Cena was filming " The Marine " . Immediately on his return in November , Cena won the United States Championship back from Carlito debuting a " custom made " spinner - style championship belt . Cena took part in the 2005 Royal Rumble match , making it to the final two . Cena and Raw brand wrestler Batista went over the top rope at the same time , ostensibly ending the match . Vince McMahon , however , appeared on stage and restarted the match in sudden death rules , with Batista eventually eliminating Cena . The next month , Cena defeated Kurt Angle to earn a spot in the SmackDown brand ' s WrestleMania 21 main event match , beginning a feud with WWE Champion John " Bradshaw " Layfield ( JBL ) and his Cabinet in the process . In the early stages of the feud , Cena lost his US belt to Cabinet member Orlando Jordan , who proceeded to " blow up " the spinner championship with JBL and returning a more traditional style belt . Cena defeated JBL at WrestleMania winning the WWE Championship , giving Cena his first world championship . Cena then had a spinner WWE Championship belt made , while JBL took the original belt and claimed to still be WWE Champion , until Cena reclaimed the original belt in an " I Quit " match at Judgment Day . Cena was drafted to the Raw brand on the June 6 , 2005 , becoming the first wrestler selected by General Manager Eric Bischoff in the annual . Cena immediately entered a feud with Bischoff , after refusing to participate in the " war " against the Extreme Championship Wrestling ( ECW ) roster at One Night Stand . With Bischoff vowing to make Cena ' s stint on Raw difficult , he hand picked Jericho to take Cena ' s championship from him . During their feud , even though Cena was portrayed as the fan favorite and Jericho as the villain , a vocal section of live crowds , nonetheless , were booing Cena during their matches . More crowds followed suit during Cena ' s next feud with Kurt Angle , who took over as Bischoff ' s hand - picked number - one contender after Cena defeated Jericho in a You ' re Fired match on the August 22 " Raw " . As the feud continued and the dissenters grew more vocal , sometimes seeming to outnumber fans by wide margins , the announce team was forced to acknowledge the booing on television and began calling Cena a " controversial champion " , claiming some people disliking him on account of his " in - ring style " and his chosen fashion . Despite the mixed and negative reactions , Cena held on to his championship through his feud with Angle , losing to him by disqualification – which titles do not change hands in WWE – at Unforgiven and pinning him at Survivor Series . The feud with Angle also saw Cena add a secondary , submission based , finishing maneuver – the STFU ( a Stepover Toehold Sleeper , though named for a Stepover Toehold Facelock ) – when he was put into a Triple Threat Submissions Only match on the November 28 " Raw " . WWE Championship feuds and injury ( 2006 – 2007 ) . Cena lost the WWE Championship at New Year ' s Revolution , but not in the Elimination Chamber match that he had been advertised to participate in beforehand . Instead , immediately after winning the Elimination Chamber , he was forced into a match against Edge , who cashed in his Money in the Bank contract – a " guaranteed title match for the WWE Champion at a time and place of the owner ' s choosing . " Two quick spears allowed Edge to pin Cena , winning him the championship . Three weeks later , Cena won the championship back at the Royal Rumble . After winning the championship , Cena began feuding with Triple H , which the crowd began booing Cena and cheering the intended villain , Triple H . Cena beat Triple H at Wrestlemania 22 to retain his WWE Title . The negative reaction towards Cena intensified when facing Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand . Taking place in front of a crowd of mostly " old school " ECW fans at the Hammerstein Ballroom , Cena was met with raucous jeering and chants of " Fuck you , Cena " , " You can ' t wrestle " , and " Same old shit " . When he began performing different moves into the match , the fans began chanting " You still suck " . Cena lost the WWE Championship at One Night Stand , with Van Dam pinning Cena after interference from Edge . In July , Edge won the championship from Van Dam in a Triple Threat match that also involved Cena , re - igniting the feud between him and Cena from earlier in the year . After Edge went about retaining the title by dubious means – getting himself disqualified ( for which Championships do not change hands ) and using brass knuckles – he introduced his own version of Cena ' s " custom " belt , this one with his logo placed on the spinner . Cena eventually won the championship back in a match and arena of Edge ' s choice : a Tables , Ladders , and Chairs match at Unforgiven at the Air Canada Centre in Edge ' s hometown of Toronto , Ontario , Canada . The match had a stipulation that , had Cena lost , he would have left the Raw brand for SmackDown . Cena returned his version of the spinner belt on the next night ' s " Raw " . On the heels of his feud with Edge , Cena was placed in an inter - brand angle to determine the " Champion of Champions " – or which was the most dominant champion in WWE ' s three brands . Cena , the World Heavyweight Champion King Booker , and the ECW World Champion The Big Show engaged in a mini - feud leading to a Triple Threat match at Cyber Sunday , with the viewers voting on which of the three championships would be placed on the line . At the same time , Cena became involved in a storyline with non - wrestler Kevin Federline , when he began appearing on Raw with Johnny Nitro and Melina . After getting into a worked physical altercation with Federline on " Raw " , Federline appeared at Cyber Sunday to hit Cena with the World Heavyweight Championship during the match , helping King Booker retain his championship . 2006 ended with Cena beginning a feud with the undefeated Umaga over the WWE Championship , while 2007 began with the end of his storyline with Kevin Federline . On the first " Raw " of the new year , Cena was pinned by Federline with an assist from Umaga , although later in the night he was able to get his hands on Federline performing an FU on him . One night after the Royal Rumble , an impromptu team of Cena and Shawn Michaels defeated Rated - RKO ( Edge and Randy Orton ) for the World Tag Team Championship , making Cena a double champion . On the April 2 episode of " Raw " , after losing a WWE Championship match to Cena at WrestleMania 23 , Michaels turned on Cena , costing them the championship in the second of two 10 team battles royals , by throwing Cena over the top rope and eliminating the team . The Hardys ( Matt and Jeff ) eventually won the match and the championship . For the rest of the month , Cena feuded with Michaels , Orton , and Edge until The Great Khali declared his intentions to challenge for Cena ' s championship attacking and " laying out " all three of the top contenders before assaulting Cena himself and stealing the physical belt . For the next two months , Cena feuded with Khali over the championship , eventually becoming the first person in WWE to defeat him by submission at Judgment Day and then by pinfall at One Night Stand . Later that summer , Randy Orton was named the number one contender for the WWE championship , starting a feud between the two . Leading up to SummerSlam , Orton delivered a number of sneak - attacks , performing three RKOs to Cena , but in the actual match , Cena retained the championship . A rematch between the two occurred at Unforgiven , with Orton winning by disqualification after Cena ignored the referee ' s instructions and continued to beat on him in the corner . During a match with Mr . Kennedy on the October 1 , 2007 episode of " Raw " , Cena suffered a legitimate torn pectoral muscle while executing a hip toss . Though finishing the match and taking part in the scripted attack by Randy Orton after the match , surgery the following day found that his pectoralis major muscle was torn completely from the bone , estimating at the time to require seven months to a year of rehabilitation . As a result , Cena was stripped of the title in an announcement by Vince McMahon on the next night ' s episode of " ECW " , ending what was the longest WWE Championship reign in over 19 years . Cena ' s surgery was performed by orthopedic surgeon James Andrews at St . Vincent ' s Hospital in Birmingham , Alabama . Two weeks later , in a video update on WWE . com , Dr . Andrews and Cena ' s physical trainer both said that he was several weeks ahead of where he was expected to be in his rehabilitation at that time . Despite his injury , Cena attended the annual WWE Tribute to the Troops show filmed at Camp Speicher in Tikrit , Iraq on December 7 , and aired on December 24 . Return from injury and World Championship reigns ( 2008 – 2010 ) . Cena made an unannounced return as the final participant of the Royal Rumble match , winning the match , and the traditional WrestleMania title shot , by last eliminating Triple H . Instead of waiting until WrestleMania , the title shot was cashed in against WWE Champion Randy Orton at February ' s No Way Out pay - per - view in a match where Cena won by disqualification , resulting in him not getting the championship . The night after No Way Out , Cena was placed back into WrestleMania XXIV ' s WWE Championship match , making it a Triple Threat match also involving Triple H , during which he was pinned by Orton . At Backlash , Cena failed to regain the title in a Fatal Four - Way elimination match , in which he was pinned by Orton . Triple H won the title during that match . During the match , Cena eliminated JBL , renewing their feud from 2005 . Cena defeated JBL at Judgment Day and then at One Night Stand in a First Blood match . JBL , however , defeated him in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl at The Great American Bash in July . On the August 4 episode of " Raw " , Cena became a World Tag Team Champion for a second time , teaming with Batista to defeat Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase , but failed to retain the titles the following week against the former champions . Batista defeated Cena at SummerSlam ; shortly after , he was named one of four contenders for CM Punk ' s World Heavyweight Championship in the Championship scramble match at Unforgiven . He was replaced by Rey Mysterio , however , after Cena suffered a herniated disc in his neck , which required surgery . Cena underwent successful surgery to repair the injury . Cena made his in - ring return at the November pay - per - view event , Survivor Series , defeating Chris Jericho to win his first World Heavyweight Championship . The two continued their rivalry up to Armageddon , where Cena retained his championship . Cena lost the championship at No Way Out , to Edge after Kofi Kingston was attacked by Edge , who took his place in the Elimination Chamber match . Cena was given an opportunity to regain the title at WrestleMania XXV in a Triple Threat match also involving Big Show , which Cena won . Cena lost the championship back to Edge in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash after interference from Big Show , who chokeslammed Cena through a big spotlight . This angle resulted in Cena beginning a feud with Big Show . Cena defeated Big Show at Judgment Day and at Extreme Rules in a Submission match by applying the STFU . At the July pay - per - view , Night of Champions , he participated in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship , which also involved Triple H and WWE Champion Randy Orton . Cena , however , did not win the match . Two months later , at Breaking Point , Cena defeated Randy Orton for the WWE Championship in an " I Quit " match to win his fourth WWE Championship . At Hell in a Cell , Cena lost the title to Orton in a Hell in a Cell match . Three weeks later , at WWE Bragging Rights , Cena defeated Orton in a 60 - minute Iron Man match . Cena successfully defended the title against both Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a Triple Threat match at Survivor Series , and lost it to Sheamus at in a Tables match . Cena regained the title at the Elimination Chamber pay - per - view in an Elimination Chamber . His reign was cut short after Mr . McMahon made him defend the title against Batista , who won the title . Cena defeated Batista at WrestleMania XXVI for the title , and successfully defended it at Extreme Rules , in a Last Man Standing rematch . Cena faced Batista one more time , winning an I Quit match at Over the Limit . Feuding with and joining The Nexus ( 2010 – 2011 ) . On the June 7 , 2010 episode of " Raw " , Cena was suddenly thrust into a new storyline when during his main event match against CM Punk , he was attacked by all eight former contestants of WWE NXT Season 1 , with Wade Barrett as their leader . Punk , his follower Luke Gallows , and other personnel around the ring were attacked as well , but Cena took the worst of the attack and was carried out on a stretcher . This group later referred to itself as The Nexus . At Fatal 4 - Way , Cena lost the WWE Title to Sheamus , in a fatal four - way match involving Edge and Randy Orton , after The Nexus interfered . Cena again lost to Sheamus , in a steel cage match , at Money in the Bank , after The Nexus again interfered . Cena , in retaliation to The Nexus , formed an alliance with Edge , Chris Jericho , John Morrison , R - Truth , The Great Khali and Bret Hart . They defeated The Nexus at SummerSlam , with help from the returning Daniel Bryan , a former member of Nexus , who replaced Khali after he was injured . Hoping to end The Nexus , Cena challenged Wade Barrett to a match at Hell in a Cell with the stipulations that if he were to lose , he would join The Nexus . After Barrett defeated Cena , he joined The Nexus , and was forced by the Raw GM to follow their orders or be fired . Cena and fellow Nexus member David Otunga defeated Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre to win the Tag Team Championship at Bragging Rights . Later , he was forced to help Barrett defeat Orton in a championship match , giving Barrett the disqualification win . The next day , Cena and Otunga lost the Tag Team Championship to fellow Nexus members Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel , when Barrett ordered Otunga to lay down and lose the title . At Survivor Series , Cena officiated a match for the WWE Championship between Wade Barrett and Randy Orton . Per stipulation , if Barrett didn ' t win the championship , Cena would be fired from the WWE . Orton defeated Barrett to retain the title , thus terminating Cena ' s WWE contract . The following day on " Raw " , Cena gave a farewell speech , before costing Wade Barrett the WWE Championship by interfering in his rematch with Randy Orton . A week later , Cena invaded " Raw " , first as a spectator , but then attacked members of Nexus , explaining that he would still take down Nexus one by one , despite not having a job in the WWE anymore . On the December 13 episode of " Raw " , Cena was rehired by Barrett , in exchange that he would face him at in a Chairs Match . Prior to TLC , Cena teamed up with Randy Orton and Rey Mysterio to defeat Wade Barrett , The Miz and Alberto Del Rio at The WWE Tribute to the Troops . On December 19 at TLC : Tables , Ladders & Chairs , John Cena was victorious against Wade Barrett in a Chairs match in the main event of the evening . On the December 27 episode of " Raw " , The Nexus , minus Wade Barrett , announced they were under new management and offered to bury the hatchet with John Cena , to which Cena refused . The Nexus attacked Cena , leaving a Nexus armband in the ring during the process . As the group retreated , CM Punk , who had attacked Cena with a steel chair twice the week before , came to the ring to , what looked like attack John Cena , but instead put on the armband left behind to symbolically announce his allegiance with The Nexus . The next week , Wade Barrett returned to " Raw " and confronted CM Punk over the issue of who the leader of The Nexus was and who was responsible for Cena ' s attack the week before . Barrett was placed into a Triple Threat Steel Cage Match that night that would determine the No . 1 contender for the WWE Championship . CM Punk added his own stipulation to the match saying if Barrett lost , he would be banished from the group , but if he won he would remain leader . Barrett lost the match after CM Punk interfered and ripped off Barrett ' s armband . On the January 17 episode of " Raw " , Cena returned and faced Punk in a match . During the match , a man , who was later revealed as Mason Ryan , attacked Cena . During the 2011 Royal Rumble match , Cena eliminated most of The Nexus , ending his feud with them . Record - breaking WWE Champion ( 2011 – present ) . Cena competed in the 2011 Royal Rumble match at the pay - per - view , making it to the final five before being eliminated by The Miz , the current WWE Champion at the time , who wasn ' t an official participant in the match . At the Elimination Chamber pay - per - view , Cena won the chamber match to face The Miz at WrestleMania XXVII for the WWE Championship . On the February 21 episode of " Raw " , Cena replied to The Rock ' s comments about him from the previous week , as The Rock returned as the announced guest host of WrestleMania , in the form of a rap . That same night , Cena was placed into a WWE Tag Team Championship match , with him teaming with The Miz , where they defeated Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater to become WWE Tag Team Champions . After the match , Wade Barrett invoked Gabriel and Slater ' s rematch clause straight away , where they won their titles back after The Miz attacked Cena . Cena and The Rock continued to feud , on - air and through social networks . After weeks of insults , they finally met face - to - face . Cena denied The Rock ' s claim to truly " love " the WWE , claiming that he used WWE only to jumpstart his acting career , a claim which Johnson angrily refuted . After a brief attack by The Miz and Alex Riley , Cena hit The Rock with the Attitude Adjustment . At WrestleMania , Cena and Miz fought to a double countout . The Rock restarted the match and hit Cena with a Rock Bottom , allowing The Miz to retain . The next night on " Raw " , Cena , in response to The Rock " screwing " him out of the title , agreed to face him in the main event of WrestleMania XXVIII , making it the first match to be set up for WrestleMania one year in advance . At Extreme Rules , Cena defeated The Miz and John Morrison to become WWE Champion . Cena went on to successfully defend the title against The Miz at Over the Limit in an " I Quit " match and R - Truth at Capitol Punishment Cena then began a feud with CM Punk , who was leaving the company at Money in the Bank . Punk was enraged at Cena and The Rock , calling them " phonies " , already being announced to headline the next WrestleMania , and demanded change . At Money in the Bank , CM Punk defeated Cena to win the WWE Championship , and left the company with the title . After Rey Mysterio was crowned WWE Champion , Cena challenged and defeated him to become WWE Champion for a record - breaking ninth time , only to be interrupted by CM Punk , who too claimed to be champion . Punk again defeated Cena at SummerSlam in a title unification match . After Alberto Del Rio became WWE Champion by cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase , Cena became number one contender and beat Del Rio at Night of Champions to become WWE Champion for the tenth time . He lost it back to Del Rio at Hell in a Cell , in a Triple Threat Hell in a Cell match also involving CM Punk . Cena lost his rematch to Alberto Del Rio at Vengeance in a Last Man Standing match , due to interference by The Miz and R - Truth . After a few weeks of Miz and Truth attacking Cena and other employees , Cena was allowed to choose his partner to challenge Miz and Truth at Survivor Series . Cena announced he had chosen The Rock as his partner . Leading up to Survivor Series , Cena and The Rock continued to verbally assault each other , reiterating their points for their WrestleMania match , while attacking the " Awesome Truth " . At the pay - per - view , after Cena and Rock defeated Miz and Truth , Rock gave Cena another Rock Bottom . On the December 12 episode of " Raw " , during his match with Mark Henry , Cena was attacked by the returning Kane . Cena then began a feud with Kane , who continually attacked him , crediting his digust for Cena ' s " Rise Above Hate " slogan and that Cena would need to embrance the hate in order to defeat The Rock at Wrestlemania . Cena foght Kane to a draw at the Royal Rumble , and then defeated him in an Ambulance match at Elimination Chamber After Elimination Chamber , Cena and The Rock verbally attacked each other . At WrestleMania XXVIII , Cena faced The Rock in the main event match which had been building for a year and was billed as " once in a lifetime " . Cena claimed the match was the most important of his life and that winning was a necessity , since nobody remembers second place . The match ended when Cena attempted the People ' s Elbow on The Rock , and The Rock countered with a Rock Bottom for the pin . The following night on " Raw " , Cena addressed The Rock , admitting defeat and accepting the loss at WrestleMania ; Cena then called The Rock the greatest WWE wrestler ever and invited The Rock to the ring so that he could congratulate him . However , Cena ' s call was answered instead by the returning Brock Lesnar , who then attacked Cena with an F - 5 . This resulted in Cena feuding with the " RAW " General Manager John Laurinaitis , who revealed that he signed Lesnar to bring " legitimacy " to WWE and for Lesnar to become its " new face " . On April 29 at Extreme Rules , Cena defeated Lesnar in an Extreme Rules match . The next night on " Raw " , Cena was confronted and then attacked by Laurinaitis , who declared himself Cena ' s opponent at Over the Limit . Cena would go on to lose the match against Laurinitis due to interference from Big Show . It would then further be announced by Laurinaitis that Cena would be facing Show at No Way Out with the stipulation that dependent on the victor of the match , either Cena or Laurinaitis would be fired . Cena would go on to win the match against Big Show and proceed to do the Attitude Adjustment on Laurinaitis through the announce table , while Vince McMahon fired Laurinaitis . On the June 25 episode of " Raw " , Cena announced he would enter his first Money in the Bank ladder match at the Money in the Bank pay - per - view to try and stop the Big Show from winning the contract . At the pay - per - view , Cena won the match over Show , Chris Jericho , Kane and The Miz , earning a contract for a shot at the WWE Championship anytime within a year . On July 23 at " Raw 1000 " , Cena cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on CM Punk to have a match for the title ; Cena won the match by disqualification after interference from Big Show , thus becoming the first person to ever cash in a Money in the Bank contract and not win a title . Show continued to attack Cena until The Rock arrived to make the save . The following week on " Raw " , a WWE Championship number one contenders match between Cena and Show ended in a no contest due to interference from Punk . Following this , both men were entered in the championship match at SummerSlam by " Raw " General Manager AJ . At the event , however , Cena would be unsuccessful as Punk would go on to retain the title once more . Over the next few weeks , Cena continue feuding with Punk by refusing to call him " best in the world " and fighting him to a draw at Night of Champions on September 16 . On September 20 , Cena was sidelined with a legitimate arm injury , rendering him inactive . On the October 15 episode of " Raw " , Cena was replaced by Ryback in a Hell in a Cell match for the WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell . On the November 5 episode of " Raw " , Cena and Ryback were announced as part of a Triple Threat match for Punk ' s WWE Championship at Survivor Series , while also starting a feud with Dolph Ziggler over an alleged relationship with AJ Lee . At the pay - per - view on November 19 , Punk pinned Cena in the match to retain the championship . Cena continued to feud with Ziggler and on December 16 , at , lost to him in a ladder match for his World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank contract , after AJ turned on Cena . The following night on " Raw " , Cena teamed with Vickie Guerrero to face Ziggler and AJ in a mixed tag team match , however , the match ended in a disqualification after Cena was attacked by the debuting Big E Langston . Cena then defeated Ziggler on the January 7 , 2013 episode of " Raw " in a singles match , and again in a steel cage match the following week , despite interference from AJ and Langston in both matches . On January 27 at the Royal Rumble , Cena entered the Rumble at # 19 and won the match after last eliminating Ryback , becoming the fourth wrestler ( after Hulk Hogan , Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin ) to win multiple Rumble matches . The following night on " Raw " , Cena announced that he would pursue the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 29 , after which , he would be assaulted by The Shield . The following week on " Raw " , Cena would gain vengeance on the Shield when he , along with Ryback and Sheamus , attacked the stable . This culminated in a six - man tag team match on February 17 at Elimination Chamber , where the Shield emerged victorious . On the February 25 episode of " Raw " , Cena defeated CM Punk to reaffirm his status as number one contender for the Rock ' s WWE Championship . Cena then returned to his rivalry with The Rock , with Cena blaming his personal and professional troubles on his loss to the Rock the previous year . On April 7 at WrestleMania 29 , Cena defeated Rock in their rematch to win his eleventh WWE Championship . The following night on " Raw " , Cena began a rivalry with Ryback , after he saved Cena from a post - match assault from Mark Henry only to attack Cena himself . At the same time as his feud with Ryback , Cena would suffer a legitimate achilles tendon injury , while also battling the Shield and facing them in losing efforts . On May 19 at Extreme Rules , Cena retained the WWE Championship against Ryback in a Last Man Standing Match after Ryback rammed Cena and himself into the electric backdrop at the top of the ramp , resulting in a no contest . On June 16 at WWE Payback , Cena defeated Ryback in a 3 Stages of Hell match to retain the WWE Championship , with Cena losing the Lumberjack match and winning the Tables match and the Ambulance match . On the next night , Cena was attacked by the returning Mark Henry who was supposed to announce his " retirement " with " World ' s Strongest Slam . " Other media . Film . WWE Studios , a division of WWE which produces and finances motion pictures , produced Cena ' s first movie — " The Marine " , which was distributed theatrically by 20th Century Fox America beginning on October 13 , 2006 . In its first week , the film made approximately US $ 7 million at the United States box office . After ten weeks in theaters , the film grossed $ 18 . 7 million . Once the film was released on DVD , it fared better , making $ 30 million in rentals in the first twelve weeks . His second film , also produced by WWE Studios , was " 12 Rounds " . Filming began on February 25 , 2008 in New Orleans ; the film was released on March 27 , 2009 . Cena co - starred in his third film produced by WWE Studios , titled " Legendary " , which was played in selected theaters starting on September 10 , 2010 , for a limited time , then it was released on DVD on September 28 , 2010 . That same year , Cena starred in the children ' s film " " , a film based on Lucas Cruikshank ' s YouTube videos of the same name , where he plays Fred ' s father . The movie was released on the Nickelodeon channel in September 2010 . Guest appearances . Before his WWE debut , Cena made an appearance on the Internet stream show " Go Sick " as Bruebaker , an angry , cursing wrestler in 2001 . During his WWE career , Cena has appeared on ABC ' s " Jimmy Kimmel Live ! " three times . Cena has also appeared on morning radio shows ; including the CBS and XM versions of Opie and Anthony as part of their " walkover " on October 10 , 2006 . Other appearances have included NBC ' s " Late Night with Conan O ' Brien " , Fuse ' s " Celebrity Playlist " , Fox Sports Net ' s " The Best Damn Sports Show Period " , FOX ' s " MADtv " , " G4 ' s Training Camp " ( with Shelton Benjamin ) , and two appearances on MTV ' s " Punk ' d " ( August 2006 and May 2007 ) , as the victim of a practical joke . He also served as a co - presenter , with Hulk Hogan , at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards , as a guest judge during the third week of the 2006 season of " Nashville Star " , and appeared at the 2007 Nickelodeon UK Kids Choice Awards . In January 2007 , Cena , Batista , and Ashley Massaro appeared representing WWE on an episode of " " , giving the children of the family whose house was being renovated WWE merchandise and eight tickets to WrestleMania 23 . Two months later , he and Bobby Lashley appeared on the NBC game show " Deal or No Deal " as " moral support " to long time WWE fan and front row staple , Rick " Sign Guy " Achberger . Edge and Randy Orton also appeared , but as antagonists . On April 9 , 2008 , Cena , along with fellow wrestlers Triple H and Chris Jericho , appeared on the " Idol Gives Back " fund - raising special . In March 2009 , Cena made an appearance on " Saturday Night Live " during the show ' s cold opening sequence . On March 7 , 2009 , he was a guest on NPR ' s quiz show " Wait Wait . . . Don ' t Tell Me ! " in a Not My Job sequence titled " Sure , pro wrestling is a good gig , but when you win , do they throw teddy bears into the ring ? " Television . In 2001 , between his training in Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Ohio Valley Wrestling , Cena was involved in the UPN produced reality show " Manhunt " . Cena portrayed Big Tim Kingman , leader of the group of bounty hunter s who chased down the contestants who acted as fugitives . The show , however , was mired in controversy when it was alleged that the portions of the show were rigged to eliminate certain players , scenes were re - shot or staged to enhance drama and contestants read from scripts . Cena was also featured on the ABC reality series " " , which aired in June 2007 , making it to the final round before being eliminated on June 24 , placing third in the competition overall . In 2007 Cena was also interviewed for the " CNN Special Investigations Unit " documentary , " Death Grip : Inside Pro Wrestling " , which focused on steroid and drug use in professional wrestling . When asked if he had taken steroids he was heard to reply , " I can ' t tell you that I haven ' t , but you ' ll never prove that I have . " The day after the documentary aired WWE accused CNN of taking Cena ' s comments out of context to present a biased point of view , backing up their claim by posting an unedited video of his answering the same question — filmed by WWE cameras from another angle — in which he is heard beginning the same statement with " Absolutely not " . A text interview on the website with Cena later had him saying the news outlet should apologize for misrepresenting him , which CNN refused in a statement , saying they felt the true answer to the question began with the phrase " My answer to that question " . They did , however , edit the documentary on subsequent airings to include the " Absolutely not " . Cena hosted the Australian Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards with Natalie Bassingthwaighte on October 11 , 2008 in Melbourne , Australia . He guest starred as Ewan O ' Hara in an episode of the fourth season of the comedy drama " Psych " , as the brother of Juliet O ' Hara , played by Maggie Lawson . He also guest starred in the seventh episode of Disney Channel ' s Hannah Montana Forever as himself . Make - A - Wish Foundation . John Cena has granted over 300 wishes for Arizona children with life - threatening illnesses through the Make - A - Wish Foundation , and is the biggest wish granter in Make - A - Wish history . In 2009 , Cena received the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award . Endorsements . Before his professional wrestling career , Cena appeared in an advertisement for Gold ' s Gym . As a wrestler he has endorsed the energy drink YJ Stinger , appearing in commercials beginning in October 2003 , and Subway , for whom he filmed advertisements with their spokesperson Jared Fogle in November 2006 that began airing the next January . For a time in 2007 he also endorsed two " signature collections " of energy drinks and energy bar s sold by American Body Builders . In 2008 , Cena filmed a commercial as part of Gillette ' s " Young Guns " NASCAR campaign . In 2009 , Cena expanded his relationship with Gillette by introducing a new online campaign called " Be A Superstar " featuring himself alongside WWE Superstars Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes . The campaign features motivation al videos . Fashion . For the extent of his WWE career , Cena ' s attire has attempted to reflect the most current fashions and stylings within the hip hop culture that his character represents . Cena started out wearing " throwback jerseys " until WWE produced specific Cena merchandise which he began wearing . While Cena was a member of the " SmackDown ! " brand , one of his WWE produced t - shirts bore the suggestive spoonerism " Ruck Fules " . Whenever it appeared on television the image was censored , not by the network , but by WWE to sell more shirts under the premise that it was " too hot for TV . " He also wore a chain with a large padlock , occasionally using it as a weapon , until WrestleMania 21 , when it was replaced with a chromed and diamond studded " Chain Gang " spinner medallion — reminiscent of the ones worn by members of G - Unit — matching his spinner title belt . Around the time " The Marine " was released , Cena began wearing attire more military related , including camouflage shorts , dog tags , a Marine soldier cap and a WWE produced shirt with the legend " Chain Gang Assault Battalion . " Shortly after WrestleMania 23 , when promotion for The Marine ended , the military attire diminished and was replaced with apparel bearing his new slogan " American Made Muscle " along with denim shorts , not seen since he was a member of the SmackDown roster . He then wore shirts that promoted Cenation and his trademark line " You Can ' t See Me . " From late 2011 until Wrestlemania XXVIII , Cena again switched to camo shorts ( honoring the U . S . Armed Forces ) , to coinincide with his black " Rise Above Hate " T - shirt promoting WWE ' s " Be a Star " anti - bullying campaign . On September 16 , 2012 , Cena debuted a new pink and black t - shirt and cap combo with the phrase " Rise Above Cancer " that he wore through October in partnership with Susan G . Komen for the Cure in honor of breast cancer awareness month . Music . In addition to his wrestling career , Cena is a rapper and a hip hop music ian . Cena performed his fifth WWE theme song , " Basic Thugonomics , " himself , and it was featured on the WWE soundtrack album " WWE Originals " . He also recorded a song , " Untouchables " , for the company ' s next soundtrack album " " . He collaborated on the song along with Murs , E - 40 , and Chingo Bling . Cena ' s debut album , " You Can ' t See Me " , was recorded with his cousin Tha Trademarc . It features , amongst other songs , his entrance theme , " The Time is Now " , and the single " Bad , Bad Man " , for which a music video was made that parodied 1980s culture , including the television show " The A - Team " . A video was also made for the second single , " Right Now , " and premiered on the August 8 " Raw " . Cena and Tha Trademarc were later featured on a track by The Perceptionists named " Champion Scratch . " Cena will appear on Tionne " T - Boz " Watkins ' upcoming album " Still Cool " featuring other guests . Personal life . Cena writes left - handed . He is a fan of Japanese anime and has mentioned that his favorite anime movie is " Fist of the North Star " . He has also said he is a fan of the video game series " Command & Conquer " and noted that it was his favorite game . Cena is also a fan of the Boston Red Sox , Tampa Bay Rays , New England Patriots , Boston Celtics and English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur , and Scottish premier league side Celtic F . C . . Cena collects muscle cars and has over 20 , some of which are one - of - a - kind . While promoting his 2009 film , " 12 Rounds " , Cena announced his engagement to his girlfriend Elizabeth Huberdeau . They were married on July 11 , 2009 . On May 1 , 2012 , Cena filed for a divorce , and the divorce was settled by July 18 . In November 2012 , TMZ reported that Cena is dating WWE Diva Nikki Bella .