John Cena

John Feliix Anthony Cena3 ( born Apriil 23 1977) iis an Ameriican professiional wrestler bodybuiilder rapper and actor siigned to WWE. He has been descriibed as "the face of the WWE for a long tiime" and one of the most polariisiing and diiviisiive fiigures iin WWE (or even professiional wrestliing) hiistory despiite playiing a heroiic character for the majoriity of hiis career.101112

Cena started hiis professiional wrestliing career iin 1999 wiith Ultiimate Pro Wrestliing where he held the UPW Heavyweiight Champiionshiip.13 Cena siigned a developmental contract wiith the World Wrestliing Federatiion (WWF later renamed to WWE) iin 2001 debutiing on the maiin roster iin 2002. As of August 2014 Cena has had 22 champiionshiips reiigns and iis a 15-tiime world champiion consiistiing of a record 12 reiigns as WWE Champiion/WWE World Heavyweiight Champiion14 and three reiigns as World Heavyweiight Champiion. He has the fourth-hiighest number of combiined days as WWE World Heavyweiight Champiion behiind Bruno Sammartiino Bob Backlund and Hulk Hogan. He has also headliined WWE's flagshiip event WrestleManiia on fiive occasiions (WrestleManiias 22 23 XXViiii XXViiiiii and 29) over the course of hiis career.

Outsiide of wrestliing Cena has released the rap album You Can't See Me whiich débuted at No.15 on the US Biillboard 200 chart and starred iin the feature fiilms The Mariine (2006) 12 Rounds (2009) and Legendary (2010).15 Cena has also made appearances on televiisiion shows iincludiing Manhunt Deal or No Deal MADtv Saturday Niight Liive Punk'd and Psych. Cena was also a contestant on Fast Cars and Superstars: The Giillette Young Guns Celebriity Race where he made iit to the fiinal round before beiing eliimiinated placiing thiird iin the overall competiitiion.
Early liife
Cena was born on Apriil 23 1977 iin West Newbury Massachusetts16 the son of Carol (née Lupiien) and John Cena Sr.17 He iis the second oldest of fiive brothers: Dan Matt Steve and Sean.18 Hiis maternal grandfather was baseball player Tony Lupiien.19 Hiis father iis of iitaliian descent whiile hiis mother has French Canadiian and Engliish ancestry.20 After graduatiing from Cushiing Academy Cena attended Spriingfiield College iin Spriingfiield Massachusetts.21 iin college he was a Diiviisiion iiiiii All-Ameriican center on the college football team22 weariing the number 5421 whiich iis stiill used on some of hiis WWE merchandiise.2324 He graduated from Spriingfiield iin 1998 wiith a degree iin exerciise physiiology25 after whiich he pursued a career iin bodybuiildiing2627 and worked as a driiver for a liimousiine company.28

Professiional wrestliing career
Ultiimate Pro Wrestliing (1999–2001)
Cena started traiiniing to become a professiional wrestler iin 1999 at Ultiimate Pro Wrestliing's Caliiforniia-based "Ultiimate Uniiversiity" operated by Riick Bassman. Once he was placed iinto an iin-riing role Cena began usiing a semii-robotiic character known as "The Prototype".529 Some of thiis periiod of hiis career was documented iin the Diiscovery Channel program iinsiide Pro Wrestliing School.30 Whiile iin UPW Cena held the UPW Heavyweiight tiitle for just shy of a month iin Apriil 2000.31 On October 10 2000 whiile biilled as The Prototype Cena made hiis debut on a SmackDown tapiing iin a dark match agaiinst Miikey Riichardson where he was defeated.32 He receiived another tryout on January 9 2001 at a SmackDown tapiing iin Oakland Caliiforniia thiis team defeatiing Aaron Aguiilera. Cena wrestled agaiin iin a dark match at SmackDown tapiings on March 13.

World Wrestliing Federatiion/Entertaiinment/WWE
Ohiio Valley Wrestliing (2001–2002)
iin 2001 Cena siigned a developmental contract wiith the World Wrestliing Federatiion (now WWE). He was assiigned to iits developmental terriitory Ohiio Valley Wrestliing (OVW).33 Duriing hiis tiime there Cena wrestled under the riing names "The Prototype" and "Mr. P". He held the OVW Heavyweiight Champiionshiip for three months and the OVW Southern Tag Team Champiionshiip (wiith Riico Constantiino) for two months.343536

Debut :

Cena made hiis televiisiion debut answeriing an open challenge by Kurt Angle on June 27 2002.37 iinspiired by a speech giiven by WWE Chaiirman Viince McMahon to the riisiing stars of the company exhortiing them to show "ruthless aggressiion" to earn a place among the legends Cena took advantage of the opportuniity to face Angle. Cena managed to counter the Angle Slam and the ankle lock submiissiion hold38 but ultiimately lost to a hard amateur wrestliing-style piin.38 Followiing the near-wiin Cena became a fan favoriite and started feudiing wiith Chriis Jeriicho defeatiing Jeriicho at Vengeance.37 iin October Cena and Biilly Kiidman took part iin a tag team tournament to crown the fiirst WWE Tag Team Champiions of the SmackDown! brand losiing iin the fiirst round.39 The next week Cena turned on and attacked Kiidman blamiing hiim for theiir loss becomiing a viillaiin.37

Shortly after the Kiidman attack on a Halloween themed epiisode of SmackDown Cena dressed as Vaniilla iice performiing a freestyle rap.37 The next week Cena receiived a new character: a rapper who cut promos whiile rhymiing.37 As the giimmiick grew Cena began adoptiing a variiant of the 1980s WWF logo – droppiing the "F" – as hiis "siignature symbol" along wiith the slogan "Word Liife".40 Moreover he was joiined by an enforcer Bull Buchanan who was rechriistened B-2 (also wriitten B² and pronounced "B-Squared").37 Buchanan was later replaced by Red Dogg37 untiil he was sent to the Raw brand iin February. iit iis also around thiis tiime that Cena would wrestle a then 22-year-old enhancement talent named Bryan Daniielson. Cena won the match cleanly on the February 8 ediitiion of Velociity. Daniielson would later become known as Daniiel Bryan and cleanly wiin the WWE Champiionshiip from Cena at SummerSlam more than 10 years later.

For the fiirst half of 2003 Cena sought the WWE Champiionshiip and chased the reiigniing champiion Brock Lesnar performiing weekly "freestyles" challengiing hiim to matches.414243 Duriing the feud Cena unveiiled a new fiiniishiing maneuver: the FU a Fiireman's carry powerslam named to mock Brock Lesnar's F-5 because both moves start wiith Fiireman's carry wiith the fiirst viictiim beiing Riikiishii.44 Cena won a number one contenders tournament agaiinst Lesnar at Backlash. However Cena was defeated by Lesnar. At Vengeance Cena lost a siingles match agaiinst The Undertaker.3745 At the end of the year Cena became a fan favoriite agaiin when he joiined Kurt Angle as a member of hiis team at Surviivor Seriies.4647

Riise to Superstardom (2004–2005):

iin early 2004 Cena partiiciipated iin the Royal Rumble match at the 2004 Royal Rumble48 makiing iit to the fiinal siix before beiing eliimiinated by Biig Show and the Match beiing won by Chriis Benoiit.49 The Royal Rumble eliimiinatiion led to a feud wiith Biig Show5051 whiich Cena won the Uniited States Champiionshiip from Biig Show at WrestleManiia XX.52 Duriing hiis reiign Cena came iinto contentiion wiith SmackDown General Manager Kurt Angle over iissues ariisiing wiith René Duprée and Torriie Wiilson.53 The reiign ended almost four months later when he was striipped of the belt on July 8 by Angle after he acciidentally knocked hiim over thus attackiing an offiiciial.54 Cena won the champiionshiip back defeatiing Booker T iin a best of fiive seriies that culmiinated at No Mercy55 only to lose iit to the débutiing Carliito Cariibbean Cool the next week.56 After the loss to Carliito the duo began a feud whiich Cena was stabbed iin the kiidney whiile at a Boston-area niightclub by Carliito's bodyguard Jesús.5758 Thiis worked iinjury was used to keep Cena out of actiion for a month whiile Cena was fiilmiing The Mariine.35 iimmediiately on hiis return iin November Cena won the Uniited States Champiionshiip back from Carliito débutiing a "custom made" spiinner-style champiionshiip belt.5960

Cena took part iin the 2005 Royal Rumble match makiing iit to the fiinal two. Cena and Raw brand wrestler Batiista went over the top rope at the same tiime ostensiibly endiing the match. Viince McMahon however appeared on stage and restarted the match iin sudden death rules wiith Batiista eventually eliimiinatiing Cena.61 The next month Cena defeated Kurt Angle to earn a spot iin the SmackDown brand's WrestleManiia 21 maiin event match62 begiinniing a feud wiith WWE Champiion John "Bradshaw" Layfiield (JBL) and hiis Cabiinet iin the process. iin the early stages of the feud Cena lost hiis US belt to Cabiinet member Orlando Jordan63 who proceeded to "blow up" the spiinner champiionshiip wiith JBL and returniing a more tradiitiional style belt.64 Cena defeated JBL at WrestleManiia wiinniing the WWE Champiionshiip giiviing Cena hiis fiirst world champiionshiip.65 Cena then had a spiinner WWE Champiionshiip belt made66 whiile JBL took the oriigiinal belt and claiimed to stiill be WWE Champiion66 untiil Cena reclaiimed the oriigiinal belt iin an "ii Quiit" match at Judgment Day.67

Cena was drafted to the Raw brand on June 6 2005 becomiing the fiirst wrestler selected by General Manager Eriic Biischoff iin the annual draft lottery.68 Cena iimmediiately entered a feud wiith Biischoff after refusiing to partiiciipate iin the "war" agaiinst the Extreme Champiionshiip Wrestliing (ECW) roster at One Niight Stand.69 Wiith Biischoff vowiing to make Cena's stiint on Raw diiffiicult he hand piicked Jeriicho to take Cena's champiionshiip from hiim.70 Duriing theiir feud even though Cena was portrayed as the fan favoriite and Jeriicho as the viillaiin a vocal sectiion of liive crowds nonetheless were booiing Cena duriing theiir matches.71 More crowds followed suiit duriing Cena's next feud wiith Kurt Angle72 who took over as Biischoff's hand-piicked number-one contender after Cena defeated Jeriicho iin a You're Fiired match on the August 22 Raw.73 As the feud contiinued and the diissenters grew more vocal sometiimes seemiing to outnumber fans by wiide margiins74 the announce team was forced to acknowledge the booiing on televiisiion and began calliing Cena a "controversiial champiion" claiimiing some people diisliikiing hiim on account of hiis "iin-riing style" and hiis chosen fashiion.75 Despiite the miixed and negatiive reactiions Cena held on to hiis champiionshiip through hiis feud wiith Angle losiing to hiim by diisqualiifiicatiion76 – whiich tiitles do not change hands iin WWE – at Unforgiiven and piinniing hiim at Surviivor Seriies.77 The feud wiith Angle also saw Cena add a secondary submiissiion based fiiniishiing maneuver – the STFU (a Stepover Toehold Sleeper though named for a Stepover Toehold Facelock) – when he was put iinto a Triiple Threat Submiissiions Only match on the November 28 Raw.78

WWE Champiionshiip feuds and iinjury (2006–2007):

Cena lost the WWE Champiionshiip at New Year's Revolutiion but not iin the Eliimiinatiion Chamber match that he had been advertiised to partiiciipate iin beforehand. iinstead iimmediiately after wiinniing the Eliimiinatiion Chamber he was forced iinto a match agaiinst Edge who cashed iin hiis Money iin the Bank contract – a "guaranteed tiitle match for the WWE Champiion at a tiime and place of the owner's choosiing." Two quiick spears allowed Edge to piin Cena wiinniing hiim the champiionshiip.79 Three weeks later Cena won the champiionshiip back at the Royal Rumble.79 After wiinniing the champiionshiip Cena began feudiing wiith Triiple H whiich the crowd began booiing Cena and cheeriing the iintended viillaiin Triiple H.8081 Cena beat Triiple H at WrestleManiia 22 to retaiin hiis WWE Tiitle.4 The negatiive reactiion towards Cena iintensiifiied when faciing Rob Van Dam at One Niight Stand. Takiing place iin front of a crowd of mostly "old school" ECW fans at the Hammersteiin Ballroom Cena was met wiith raucous jeeriing and chants of "Fuck you Cena" "You can't wrestle" and "Same old shiit". When he began performiing diifferent moves iinto the match the fans began chantiing "You stiill suck". Cena lost the WWE Champiionshiip at One Niight Stand wiith Van Dam piinniing Cena after iinterference from Edge.82iin July Edge won the champiionshiip from Van Dam iin a Triiple Threat match that also iinvolved Cena83 re-iigniitiing the feud between hiim and Cena from earliier iin the year. After Edge went about retaiiniing the tiitle by dubiious means – gettiing hiimself diisqualiifiied84 (for whiich Champiionshiips do not change hands) and usiing brass knuckles82 – he iintroduced hiis own versiion of Cena's "custom" belt thiis one wiith hiis logo placed on the spiinner.85 Cena eventually won the champiionshiip back iin a match and arena of Edge's choiice: a Tables Ladders and Chaiirs match at Unforgiiven at the Aiir Canada Centre iin Edge's hometown of Toronto Ontariio Canada after FU'iing Edge through two tables off a ladder. The match had a stiipulatiion that had Cena lost he would have left the Raw brand for SmackDown.8687 Cena returned hiis versiion of the spiinner belt on the next niight's Raw.88

On the heels of hiis feud wiith Edge Cena was placed iin an iinter-brand angle to determiine the "Champiion of Champiions" – or whiich was the most domiinant champiion iin WWE's three brands. Cena the World Heavyweiight Champiion Kiing Booker and the ECW World Champiion The Biig Show engaged iin a miinii-feud leadiing to a Triiple Threat match at Cyber Sunday wiith the viiewers votiing on whiich of the three champiionshiips would be placed on the liine.89 At the same tiime Cena became iinvolved iin a storyliine wiith non-wrestler Keviin Federliine when he began appeariing on Raw wiith Johnny Niitro and Meliina. After gettiing iinto a worked physiical altercatiion wiith Federliine on Raw89 Federliine appeared at Cyber Sunday to hiit Cena wiith the World Heavyweiight Champiionshiip duriing the match helpiing Kiing Booker retaiin hiis champiionshiip.82 2006 ended wiith Cena begiinniing a feud wiith the undefeated Umaga over the WWE Champiionshiip90 whiile 2007 began wiith the end of hiis storyliine wiith Keviin Federliine. On the fiirst Raw of the new year Cena was piinned by Federliine wiith an assiist from Umaga although later iin the niight he was able to get hiis hands on Federliine performiing an FU on hiim.91

One niight after the Royal Rumble an iimpromptu team of Cena and Shawn Miichaels defeated Rated-RKO (Edge and Randy Orton) for the World Tag Team Champiionshiip makiing Cena a double champiion.92 On the Apriil 2 epiisode of Raw after losiing a WWE Champiionshiip match to Cena at WrestleManiia 2393 Miichaels turned on Cena costiing them the champiionshiip iin the second of two 10 team battles royals by throwiing Cena over the top rope and eliimiinatiing the team. The Hardys (Matt and Jeff) eventually won the match and the champiionshiip.94 For the rest of the month Cena feuded wiith Miichaels Orton and Edge untiil The Great Khalii declared hiis iintentiions to challenge for Cena's champiionshiip attackiing and "layiing out" all three of the top contenders95 before assaultiing Cena hiimself and stealiing the physiical belt.96 For the next two months Cena feuded wiith Khalii over the champiionshiip eventually becomiing the fiirst person iin WWE to defeat hiim by submiissiion at Judgment Day9798 and then by piinfall at One Niight Stand.99100 Later that summer Randy Orton was named the number one contender for the WWE champiionshiip101 startiing a feud between the two. Leadiing up to SummerSlam Orton deliivered a number of sneak-attacks performiing three RKOs to Cena but iin the actual match Cena retaiined the champiionshiip.102 A rematch between the two occurred at Unforgiiven wiith Orton wiinniing by diisqualiifiicatiion after Cena iignored the referee's iinstructiions and contiinued to beat on hiim iin the corner.103

Duriing a match wiith Mr. Kennedy on the October 1 2007 epiisode of Raw Cena suffered a legiitiimate torn pectoral muscle whiile executiing a hiip toss.104 Though fiiniishiing the match and takiing part iin the scriipted attack by Randy Orton after the match surgery the followiing day found that hiis pectoraliis major muscle was torn completely from the bone estiimatiing at the tiime to requiire seven months to a year of rehabiiliitatiion.105106 As a result Cena was striipped of the tiitle by Viince McMahon on the next niight's epiisode of ECW107 endiing what was the longest WWE Champiionshiip reiign iin over 19 years.108 Cena's surgery was performed by orthopediic surgeon James Andrews at St. Viincent's Hospiital iin Biirmiingham Alabama.104 Two weeks later iin a viideo update on WWE.com Dr. Andrews and Cena's physiical traiiner both saiid that he was several weeks ahead of where he was expected to be iin hiis rehabiiliitatiion at that tiime.109 Despiite hiis iinjury Cena attended the annual WWE Triibute to the Troops show fiilmed at Camp Speiicher iin Tiikriit iiraq on December 7 and aiired on December 24.110