"My job is to entertain folks" - John Cena opens up on his journey from being a pro wrestling champion to life in Hollywood

John Cena has had one hell of a career, from slamming opponents with his signature AA move to playing the anti-hero, Peacemaker on HBO Max. He has proven himself again and again, be it inside the ring or outside of it.

After beating Cody Rhodes at Summerslam and moving closer to his final year of wrestling before retiring, he spoke about a life after wrestling with People Magazine, in which he said:

"My job is to entertain folks."

He added:

“I try to just do the best that I can each day, because I’m not perfect. But I try to just be as useful and grateful as I can.”

John Cena has officially confirmed that he will retire from wrestling this year. After 23 years in the WWE, he has established himself as one of the best ever to do it; being a champion for the seventeenth time while being a babyface, a legendary one at that.

Cena also holds the world record for being the longest any wrestler has gone without turning heel up until his match with Cody Rhodes after he got some help from his rival and old friend Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.

John Cena is now ready to step down as he is making way for new wrestlers:

“Age plays a factor. I’m not as strong or as fast as I used to be. I made a promise when I started gaining some notoriety that when I’m a step slower, I will go, because there will be kids just as hungry as I was who have earned a shot to see if they can make it.”

In a recent interview with People Magazine, he revealed that his farewell championship run is not for him but for his fans to get "closure":

“They’re the reason for my optimism, my perseverance, my passion. They don’t let you get away with phoning it in, because they’ll eat you alive.”

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Wrestling vs Acting: What hurts more?

John Cena was recently present at a Fan Expo in Dallas, where a young boy asked him if he preferred wrestling or acting, to which Cena replied:

"That's a great question. What do you think?"

This went on to create an amazing and memorable conversation for the young boy as he replied:

"I think because in wrestling, you get hurt."

John Cena poked a jab at his box office flops by saying:

"Wow. You know, acting, they hurt your feelings a lot too, though. I don't know if you've seen some of my stuff or read the reviews. They will hurt your feelings."

It was easier for The Face of the WWE to keep moving when half the stadium chanted "Cena sucks" while the other half chanted "Let's go Cena." The Peacemaker star also holds the record for granting the most wishes with the Make-A-Wish Foundation back in 2022.

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From the Doctor of Thuganomics to Peacemaker

John Cena's preference and transformation didn't happen overnight. It began when he first played the lead role in the 2006 movie, The Marine, where he acted to boost WWE's popularity. He started big and did well until his later films flopped. Speaking about this, he said:

“I was run out of the movie business in 2009 for doing bad movies where I wasn’t present. I thought that just because I wore a golden leather belt on Monday and Friday, they’d come see whatever I’m doing. It’s not true.”

It was only in 2015 that he made it big when he starred in the comedy movie, Trainwreck, which was written by and starred Amy Schumer. He also appeared in Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's comedy film, Sisters, and as Roger in Daddy's Home alongside Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg.

After that, John Cena was on a roll, movie after movie, all hits. Films like Daddy's Home 2, the animated movie, Ferdinand, Blockers, Ricky Stanicky, and, most recently in Heads of State with Idris Elba are all hits. He also landed roles in franchises including Transformers's Bumblebee and the Fast and Furious.

John Cena then went on to grab the role of the titular character in Peacemaker, which is returning for Season 2 on August 21, 2025.

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John Cena opened up about his hair transplant and navigating health, love, and more

John Cena also opened up about his recent hair transplant, which he had gotten done in November last year. He said:

"I saw their signs that said ‘The bald John Cena. They pushed me into going to see what my options were. I now have a routine: red-light therapy, minoxidil, vitamins, shampoo, conditioner and I also got a hair transplant last November. I hate the fact that if there wasn’t so much shame around it, I’d have gotten it done 10 years ago. I thought I was alone, but seven or eight out of 10 [men] suffer from thinning or baldness."

He added:

“They don’t do anything except move your hair, one by one, from one area to another.”

John Cena concluded:

“If somebody’s going to sweat me for that, I don’t think there’s any shame in that. It completely changed the course of my life.”

John Cena, who has been married since 2020 to engineer Shay Shariatzadeh, after he met her in Vancouver in 2019, at a restaurant during the Super Bowl, said that it's "not easy," and one has to look at the calendar:

“All the time. You got to do your homework.”

Speaking about balance, the wrestler told People Magazine:

“If I’m deficient on physical strength and connection with ones I love, I will push those minutes wherever I can, whether it’s getting my ass in the gym or being the best husband I can.”

He also added:

“The days I need rest, I rest. Which is 16 hours of sleep, and then I’m going to eat junk food, sit on the couch with the arm around the one I love, we’re going to watch whatever we want or nothing at all.”

Cena wants to stay grounded as he moves forward in this new phase:

“I hope to remain curious and healthy and that’s physically, spiritually, mentally. As long as I have love, health and curiosity for what life has to offer, I think it’ll work out."

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