Known for his exploits as a wrestler in WWE, John Felix Anthony Cena, born on April 23 1977, is also a fairly accomplished actor and hip-hop artist. This article highlights some interesting facts about him.
Known for his explosive maneuvers in World Wrestling Entertainment, John mastered the art of wrestling in Ohio Valley Wrestling and the Ultimate Pro Wrestling. A five-time World Champion in wrestling, he has also displayed his hip-hop abilities by releasing an album which did relatively well in terms of sales.
The second eldest among five brothers, John Cena was born in West Newbury, Massachusetts. He pursued his education in Springfield College, in Massachusetts, and was a regular member of the college football team. In the football team he donned the jersey number 54, the same number which he wore at some of his matches in the WWE. He completed his graduation in 1998 in the field of exercise physiology and worked as a chauffeur with a limousine company, while pursuing his bodybuilding career.
In the year 2000, Cena started training to become a professional wrestler in California at “Ultimate University”, which was run by (UPW) Ultimate Pro Wrestling. His ring name at the UPW was The Prototype because they felt he had the characteristics of a robot. A part of his career spent at the UPW was featured on Discovery Channel in a program called Inside Pro Wrestling. In 2001, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) took him under their wing and sent him for his training to Ohio Valley Wrestling. There he donned the names Mr. P, and The Prototype in his wrestling assignments. He held the Tag Team Championship with tag team partner Rico Constantino for two months.
His first open challenge match against Kurt Angle in the WWE was televised on June 27, 2002. Although it was a keenly contested encounter, Cena lost this match to the more seasoned wrestler. In October of the same year, he partnered with Billy Kidman in the tag team event but lost in the first round. Angered by this defeat, he attacked Kidman who was taken aback by Cena’s violent behavior. After this episode he was given the responsibility of staging a gimmick, where he dressed up as Vanilla Ice and did freestyle rap. The crowds fell in love with his showmanship and this resulted in Cena doing his bit of rap in every encounter.
In early 2003, Cena became a part of the WWE brigade and enthralled audiences all over the world. His signature moves displaying his wrestling techniques were a rage with the crowds. He fought a number of matches against some established wrestlers and earned respect among the WWE superstars. In 2004, Cena made it to the finals of the Royal Rumble. He lost to Big Show in the final encounter. He had another feud with Big Show in an encounter at WrestleMania 20 in March, which Cena won convincingly, thus capturing the United States Championships. His reign on the title ended after four months when he accidentally knocked out an official and was stripped of the title. He won the title back from Booker T in October’s No Mercy, but lost it to Carlito Caribbean Cool, who was making his debut.
After a feud erupted between the two, Cena was stabbed while partying at a nightclub in Boston by Carlito’s bodyguard. This incident resulted in Cena being out of action for a month. During this time, he found time to shoot for his debut movie The Marine, which became relatively popular among his fans. After recovering from the stabbing incident, he returned in November to win his title back from Carlito in a hard-fought tussle. At a Royal Rumble match in January 2005, he faced stiff opposition from Batista and eventually lost to him in a match that was marred by loads of unbelievable events. At WrestleMania 21, he faced WWE Champion John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) in a hard-fought encounter and won the title from him.
Over the years, John Cena has established himself as one of the premier wrestlers in the world of wrestling, and has enthralled audiences the world over with his lightning-fast moves and submission locks.
