John Cena thought his wrestling career guaranteed him success in the movie business
The 48-year-old actor became a global star through his work in the WWE in the early 2000s, and John assumed the he would replicate that success in Hollywood
8 August 2025
He told People: "I was run out of the movie business in 2009 for doing bad movies where I wasn't present."
John - whose film credits include Trainwreck, Bumblebee, and F9 - now admits that his assumptions were misguided.
The wrestler-turned-actor said: "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."
John is famed for his muscular physique, and the wrestling legend actually began his fitness journey at the age of 13. John had to contend with bullying during his teenage years, and those experiences taught him some important life lessons.
He said: "I doubled down on being myself. And as a 12-, 13-, 14-year-old that doesn't even have a fully formed mind yet, I just knew, 'Hey, man, don't waver. Just be you.' That's what helped me."
Last year, John revealed that he intends to be "physically active" for as long as possible.
The movie star has pushed himself to his physical limits throughout his life, and John doesn't have any intention of slowing down anytime soon.
He told People: "When I was a young 12-year-old, it was to look muscular so I couldn't get beat up. And then as a late teen, it was to be strong so I could play sports. And then as a young 20-something, I wanted to aesthetically look good just to keep myself disciplined."
John now has different reasons for working out. However, he intends to remain active "into [his] late 80s or 90s".
He said: "At 47 now, my goal is to be physically active until I can't. I put a number in my head of like, I'd like to be physically active into my late 80s or 90s. To do a parallel squat in my late 80s."
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