“The guy’s face dropped”: DCU Star John Cena Had To Compete For Basic Food Needs To Survive
John Cena, real name John Felix Anthony Cena, is a well-known actor and professional wrestler who is recognized as one of the greatest wrestlers.
After making a cameo in the 2006 film The Marine, the professional wrestler gained prominence. In 2021, he starred as Peacemaker in DC Studios’ The Suicide Squad and has been slowly spreading his wings in the industry. Cena, however, did not lead a simple life as it might seem from the outside. Let’s learn more.
John Cena entered a Pizza eating competition to have a meal
Appearing for an interview with WrestleZone back in 2016, wrestler and actor John Cena shared that he is no stranger to the struggles of a person with very limited finances, adding that he has experienced a life where he has lived on a tight budget for a very long time before he went onto make a name for himself.
He shared during the interview,
“I’m Zeppy’s pizza-eating champion. That was a place that closed down on Hermosa Beach (California) and I was broke and didn’t have any food, and they had a promotion. They had a really thick pizza. If you ate a whole pizza, you’d get the pizza free. So, I went in there on a lunch break and crushed a pizza in about 20 minutes and the (pizza parlor) guy’s face dropped.”
The actor continued to explain that the other guy didn’t realize that Cena was broke and hungry, so he went back the next day and did the same thing and finally, the pizza parlor guy pulled him over and said, “Man, I kind of know what you’re doing. Just stop by for a free slice any time you want.” Cena concluded that the pizza parlor guy saved him from eating pizza.
John Cena reveals his first pay check was for $12,000
Talking about overcoming his struggling days, during an interview, John Cena revealed that his first contract was only enough for him to pay his rent, noting that it earned him $12,000. He said to the Daily Star,
“My first contract with WWE was $12,000 a year. I quit my job the day I was signed. I think my rent was $1,000 a month. So all my money is now rent.”
He pointed out that his father, who was a former ring announcer for Chaotic Wrestling, was very enthusiastic about him as he went on to say, “When I told my mum, she’s like, ‘I hope you’re okay’. My dad, I could have told him any other position and he would have been like, ‘Yeah, whatever,’ but I told him I got a job with WWE. Oh, my son. This is unreal. It’s going to be great. I can’t believe it.’ Still, to this day, he’s extremely proud.”
Over the years, with his dedication and determination, Cena became of the most loved WWE player along with having an opportunity to star in movies. John Cena in 2018, just behind professional wrestler Brock Lesnar, was at the second spot to become one of the WWE’s highest-paid superstars. Since then, his earnings have skyrocketed, and WrestlingNewsNow estimates that he is now worth $75 million.
Also read: Why did Dwayne Johnson Return to WWE- Is The Rock Going To Face Roman Reigns?
John Cena welcomed Dwayne Johnson back to WWE home
Former wrestler and now-celebrated actor Dwayne Johnson recently appeared on Friday night’s SmackDown episode at Ball Arena in Denver to film an interview with ESPN sports analyst Pat McAfee and received the biggest cheer in the history of WWE.
Pat McAfee also pointed at the camera to tell Johnson that John Cena was also there by teasing, “Hey, there’s a guy, he can’t see you,” which is Cena’s famous wrestling catchphrase, “You can’t see me.”
John Cena stood there with a straight face and no emotion, but soon Johnson and Cena broke into grins and Johnson told Cena “I see you trying to smile!” They nodded and then held his hand out to shake Johnson’s hand and tell him, “Welcome home”. A clip of the same was shared by the WWE on their Twitter account.
In an interview with ET, Cena shared that he hopes that Johnson returns to the ring, adding, “He’s earned the right not to be pressured into that choice. I can say he is a fan of the WWE. He is the most electrifying man in sports entertainment. “
Cena lastly said that he hopes that Johnson, who is known as The Rock in WWE, comes back to the ring and as a fan, and he hopes it’s wonderful, and if he chooses not to, he’s earned the right to choose not to.
Source: WrestleZone
