Think You Know John Cena? 10 Surprising Facts About His WWE Career

John Cena might be a 16-time world champ and the face of WWE, but there’s a lot more to his story than jorts and catchphrases. From almost getting fired to rapping in Mandarin, here are the most unexpected facts about him.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 31: John Cena in ring at The O2 Arena during Monday Night RAW on March 31, 2025 in London, England.

Photo by Joe Maher/WWE via Getty Images

John Cena is one of the most recognizable WWE Superstars of all time—and not just because of his “You Can’t See Me” catchphrase. With a career spanning more than two decades, Cena has gone from wrestling rookie to 16-time world champion, rapper, meme, movie star, and real-life superhero (just ask the 650+ kids he’s granted Make-A-Wish wishes to). But behind the jorts and the jaw-dropping strength are some wild, lesser-known stories that even longtime fans might’ve missed.

From near-firings to freestyle raps in Mandarin, here are 10 unexpected facts about John Cena and his WWE journey.

10) He Has Granted Over 650 Make-A-Wish Requests—The Most in History

Despite being one of the most popular wrestlers of all time, John Cena’s greatest accomplishment is perhaps his commitment to supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The Foundation helps fulfill the wishes of children who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, where they’re able to meet a celebrity or enjoy an experience of their choosing.

Back in 2022, Cena broke the Guinness Book of World Records for the most wishes granted, clocking in at 650. At the time, no celebrity had granted more than 200 wishes in the foundation’s history.

Cena has continued to grant wishes over the years as the organization’s most requested celebrity, even as recently as the 2025 Elimination Chamber, just hours before turning heel. — Raj Prashad

9) John Cena Wears Denim Shorts Because “Everyone Was Looking At [His] D*ck] In Cargos

Justin Timberlake wasn’t the only white boy pretending he was from the streets and capitalizing on it in the early aughts; John Cena built his whole wrestling persona around it. While most wrestlers at the time favored tight little Speedos, Cena set himself apart with baggy jorts and sneakers, admitting he wasn’t exactly comfortable wearing “just underwear.”

But did you know that he played with his style a bit prior to the jorts commitment? At one point, he wore cargo pants before claiming everyone was “staring at his d*ck” when he split the crotch in his pants. Denim became not only a safe play, but a timeless fashion choice. — Tiana Randall

8) WWE Almost Fired Him in 2002

It’s hard to believe, but the poster boy of the WWE was nearly cut from the very institution he would come to define because it just “wasn’t working.” By his own admission, John Cena was failing at his job, and during the high-stakes “Ruthless Aggression” era, no less.

On the final leg of a WWE tour, while riding the group bus, Cena overheard legends like Rey Mysterio killing time with freestyle raps. Instantly drawn to it, he joined in, and that impromptu moment sparked a last-ditch pivot. In an effort to save his career, Cena leaned all the way in, birthing the Doctor of Thuganomics, a turn of Cena's villainous era that would not only keep him employed for 3 years, but make him a household name. — Tiana Randall

7) He Has A Rap About Tuna Fish To Thank for Saving His WWE Career

John Cena, prior to his villainous era, was always kind of seen as a white canvas wrestler. He was vanilla, he did the right things, won the right fights, and made all the right moves with almost surgical precision. He was clean–almost too clean for the WWE. Up until he discovered freestyle rapping on the back of the tour bus, that is.

Now, he wasn’t exactly dominating early Y2K YouTube rap battles, but he was good at it. Stephanie McMahon got word of his hidden skills and heat-checked him in the moment, ultimately asking him if he would like to start doing it during the shows. It not only sparked a changeo in how people saw him as a wrestler, but added a level of charm about him.

He was a villainous entertainer and an even harder, more lethal wrestler after that. — Tiana Randall

6) He Was Supposed to Turn Heel in 2012

Before John Cena broke our collective hearts in 2025, he was prepared to give fans what they’d long yearned for in 2012 with a heel turn against The Rock. Former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz shared on The Cheap Heat podcast that Vince McMahon was tempted to turn Cena heel “a couple of times,” but ultimately his status as the top face with strong merchandise sales, and everything he engaged in outside the ring, played into the decision not to rock the boat.

While Cena ultimately didn’t turn heel, he shared details of what that may have looked like on Chris Van Vliet’s Insight podcast. Instead of marching into Miami at WrestleMania 28 with his traditional look, Cena would have debuted a new theme song, ditched the t-shirt and jorts for a boxing robe and singlet with boots instead of sneakers, and wouldn’t have released new merch or made any Make-A-Wish contributions. — Raj Prashad

5) He Released a Rap Album In 2005 That Went Platinum

John Cena’s first attempt at WWE stardom fell flat, with Ruthless Aggression, a ton of gel in his hair, and some generic wrestling tights. On the cusp of being released, Cena’s freestyle rapping ability saved his career and would propel him into an entirely new stratosphere. With a new look and attitude, Cena’s rapper gimmick connected with the audience. He’d quickly climb the ranks from the mid-card to the main event, eventually winning the WWE Championship against JBL at WrestleMania 21.

Fresh off of winning his first major title, Cena rode his superstardom into the music world with the release of You Can’t See Me. The album went platinum, rose as high as No. 15 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on Billboard’s rap chart, and the album’s single, “The Time Is Now,” remains his theme song 20 years later. — Raj Prashad

4) He Once Freestyled A Rap in Mandarin

As WWE explored transitioning more effectively into China, John Cena learned about the disconnect between the WWE and Chinese culture, pointing back to a lack of heroes whom fans could connect with. Cena explored learning Mandarin as a way to communicate, saying he figured if he could speak the language, he could bridge the two cultures.

He spent more than five years learning Mandarin, not only learning the language but immersing himself in the culture, consuming social, entertainment, and more. He freestyled a rap in Mandarin, did press in Mandarin, and even incorporated a finishing move to pay respect and homage to his time in China.

He spent six months training with the Jackie Chan stunt team while filming a movie in China, where he learned “a very fast, very defensive kung fu mechanism meant for close quarter stuff” that he named the Lightning Fist. — Raj Prashad

3) His Theme Song Became a Viral Meme… by Accident

John Cena’s superstar power knew no limits over the last 20 years, ruling the wrestling ring, making his presence in pop culture, and even becoming part of a viral meme. The story goes that a radio show, the Z Morning Zoo, had listeners write in or call in and ask them to prank call someone they knew.

In this one, a couple had an argument over a husband taking over the television and ordering pay-per-view wrestling. He pitched the prank to the radio station as part of the fallout. The end result was his wife absolutely losing it as the radio station called over and over with increasingly more absurd fake promotions. Immediately, “Suuuuperslam” and “his name is John Cena” became synonymous with the John Cena character, adding to his aura as a transcendent star. — Raj Prashad

2) He Once Lifted Edge and Big Show at the Same Time

John Cena’s Superman-esque feats of strength aren’t an illusion. One of the greatest WWE stars of all time, Cena first started working out at age 13 because he was “tired of getting beaten up,” he once told PEOPLE. Cena tried bodybuilding and has emphasized powerlifting and weightlifting throughout his career, showing off incredible bar-bending strength.

Dubbed Super Cena because of his ability to overcome insurmountable odds, the former WWE champion often showed his ability to lift even the heaviest of WWE stars. But when it came to a triple-threat match at WrestleMania 25 against the Big Show and Edge, his ability to hoist over 700 pounds on his shoulders may have been his most impressive in-ring display of strength. — Raj Prashad

1) He Lost to Kevin Federline on WWE

From 2005 to 2010, WWE had some wild experiments as the promotion tried to figure out what would stick. But nothing was quite as bizarre as the face of WWE, John Cena, taking a pinfall loss to Kevin Federline, a backup dancer and husband to pop star Britney Spears.

Federline’s time on Raw wasn’t a one-off–he made a slew of appearances beginning in October 2006. Just a month later, Spears would file for divorce, but that didn’t stop Federline’s appearances on Raw.

After distracting Cena to cost him the World championship, Federline took on Cena in a no-disqualification match. Umaga interfered to start their program, costing Cena the match and giving Federline an unexpected win. Later in the night, after his main event match, Cena hit Federline with the Attitude Adjustment, and we wouldn’t see KFed again. — Raj Prashad