History of John Cena in Timeline
John Cena is an American actor and professional wrestler signed to WWE since 2001. He is a record 16-time world champion, recognized by WWE. Cena is widely considered one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, achieving significant success in both wrestling and acting.
April 23, 1977: John Cena's Birth
On April 23, 1977, John Felix Anthony Cena was born. He later became a professional wrestler and actor.
1998: Moves to California to pursue bodybuilding
In 1998, John Cena moved to California to begin training for a professional bodybuilding career.
1999: Graduation from Springfield College
In 1999, John Cena graduated from Springfield College with a degree in exercise physiology and body movement.
April 2000: Wins UPW Heavyweight Championship
In April 2000, John Cena held the UPW Heavyweight Championship for 27 days.
October 10, 2000: Unofficial WWE Debut
On October 10, 2000, John Cena made his unofficial debut for WWE (then WWF) on a SmackDown! taping in a dark match against Mikey Henderson, which he lost while performing as The Prototype.
January 9, 2001: Second WWE Tryout
On January 9, 2001, John Cena received another tryout at a SmackDown! taping, defeating Aaron Aguilera.
March 2001: Wrestles for UPW until March 2001
John Cena wrestled for Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) until March 2001.
2001: Appearance on Go Sick Webcast
Before his WWE debut, in 2001, John Cena appeared on the webcast Go Sick as Bruebaker, an angry, cursing wrestler.
2001: Involvement in "Manhunt"
In 2001, John Cena was involved in the UPN produced reality show Manhunt, portraying Big Tim Kingman, leader of the bounty hunters. The show was mired in controversy.
June 2002: Main Roster Call-Up to WWE
In June 2002, John Cena was called up to WWE's main roster.
2002: Cena's Villainous run
John Cena portrayed a heroic character throughout his WWE career, except for a villainous run in 2002–2003, and his recent heel turn during Elimination Chamber 2025.
2003: Cena's Villainous run
John Cena portrayed a heroic character throughout his WWE career, except for a villainous run in 2002–2003, and his recent heel turn during Elimination Chamber 2025.
2003: Heel Turn at Elimination Chamber
John Cena turned heel at Elimination Chamber 2025, aligning himself with The Rock after winning the match by last eliminating CM Punk and viciously beating Cody Rhodes. This marked his first heel turn since 2003.
January 25, 2004: Participates in Royal Rumble
On January 25, 2004, John Cena participated in the Royal Rumble match but was eliminated by Big Show.
January 30, 2005: Royal Rumble
On January 30, 2005, John Cena participated in the Royal Rumble match, making it to the final two with Batista; Batista ultimately won the match.
2005: Releases "You Can't See Me" album
In 2005, John Cena released his only studio album, "You Can't See Me", which peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 chart.
2005: Co-Presenter at Teen Choice Awards
In 2005, John Cena served as a co-presenter with Hulk Hogan at the Teen Choice Awards.
August 2006: Appearance on Punk'd
In August 2006, John Cena appeared on MTV's Punk'd as the victim of a practical joke.
October 10, 2006: Appearance on Opie and Anthony
On October 10, 2006, John Cena appeared on the CBS and XM versions of Opie and Anthony as part of their "walkover".
October 13, 2006: Release of "The Marine"
On October 13, 2006, WWE Studios produced John Cena's first movie, The Marine, which was distributed theatrically by 20th Century Fox America. It made approximately US$7 million in its first week and grossed $18.7 million after ten weeks in theaters.
2006: Character Shift After "The Marine"
In 2006, shortly after his debut film, The Marine, John Cena's wrestling character shifted from that of a rapper to a young military upstart, wearing dog tags and cargo shorts to the ring and also performing a salute to the crowd.
January 7, 2007: Defeats Umaga to Retain WWE Championship
On January 7, 2007, at New Year's Revolution, John Cena defeated Umaga to end his undefeated streak and retain the WWE Championship.
January 2007: Appearance on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
In January 2007, John Cena, Batista, and Ashley Massaro appeared representing WWE on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, giving WWE merchandise and WrestleMania 23 tickets to the family.
May 2007: Second Appearance on Punk'd
In May 2007, John Cena made a second appearance on MTV's Punk'd, again as the victim of a practical joke.
June 2007: Appearance on Fast Cars and Superstars
In June 2007, John Cena was featured on the ABC reality series Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race, placing third overall.
January 27, 2008: Wins Royal Rumble
On January 27, 2008, John Cena made a surprise return at the Royal Rumble as the final participant, winning it and a WrestleMania XXIV title shot after last eliminating Triple H.
February 25, 2008: Filming Begins for "12 Rounds"
On February 25, 2008, filming began in New Orleans for John Cena's second film, 12 Rounds, produced by WWE Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
April 9, 2008: Appearance on Idol Gives Back
On April 9, 2008, John Cena, along with Triple H and Chris Jericho, appeared on the Idol Gives Back fund-raising special.
2008: Name Changes to Finishing Moves
During WWE's change from TV-14 to TV-PG in mid-2008, John Cena's finishing move, the "FU", was changed to the "Attitude Adjustment" and his finishing submission move, the "STFU", was renamed the "STF" to fit with the WWE's new policies.
January 25, 2009: Cena Defeats JBL at Royal Rumble
On January 25, 2009, at the Royal Rumble, John Cena defeated JBL.
March 7, 2009: Guest on NPR's Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!
On March 7, 2009, John Cena was a guest on NPR's quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! in a Not My Job sequence.
March 2009: Appearance on Saturday Night Live
In March 2009, John Cena made an appearance on Saturday Night Live during the show's cold opening sequence.
March 27, 2009: Release of "12 Rounds"
On March 27, 2009, John Cena's second film, 12 Rounds, was released.
January 31, 2010: Cena Competes in Royal Rumble
On January 31, 2010, at the Royal Rumble, John Cena competed in the titular match, making it to the final two where he was eliminated by Edge.
September 10, 2010: Release of "Legendary" in Selected Theaters
On September 10, 2010, John Cena's third film produced by WWE Studios, titled Legendary, was played in selected theaters for a limited time.
September 2010: Cena Stars in "Fred: The Movie"
In September 2010, John Cena starred in the children's film Fred: The Movie, playing Fred's imaginary father. The movie first aired on Nickelodeon.
September 28, 2010: "Legendary" Released on DVD
On September 28, 2010, John Cena's film, Legendary, was released on DVD.
January 17, 2011: Cena Returns and Faces CM Punk
On January 17, 2011, John Cena returned on Raw and faced CM Punk in a match that ended in a no contest after he was attacked by Mason Ryan, who later joined The New Nexus.
2011: Cena Discusses Salute Meaning
In a 2011 interview with WWE.com, John Cena explained that his salute is a sign of respect to the men and women that don the uniform of the Armed Forces.
January 29, 2012: Cena vs. Kane at Royal Rumble
On January 29, 2012, at Royal Rumble, John Cena fought Kane to a double countout.
2012: WrestleMania XXVIII Breaks Records
In 2012, WrestleMania XXVIII, headlined by John Cena vs. The Rock, became the highest drawing event in WWE history with 1,217,000 buys and grossed $8.9 million, making it the highest grossing live event in WWE history at the time.
January 27, 2013: Cena Wins Royal Rumble
On January 27, 2013, John Cena won his second Royal Rumble match, announcing he would pursue the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29.
January 26, 2014: Cena Loses at Royal Rumble
On January 26, 2014, at the Royal Rumble for the now unified WWE World Heavyweight Championship, John Cena lost after being distracted by The Wyatt Family.
2015: Appearances in Comedy Films
In 2015, John Cena made appearances in the comedy films Trainwreck, Sisters, and a cameo in Daddy's Home.
April 3, 2016: Cena Returns at WrestleMania 32
On April 3, 2016, John Cena returned at WrestleMania 32, helping The Rock fend off The Wyatt Family.
April 2016: Cena's Recuperative Abilities
In April 2016, ESPN reporter David Shoemaker commented on John Cena's remarkable recuperative abilities, comparing him to German platelet-rich plasma therapy and Deadpool.
July 2017: Cena Dubbed a 'Free Agent'
In July 2017, WWE dubbed John Cena a "free agent" during the Superstar Shake-up, meaning he could work for both the Raw and SmackDown brands.
2017: Roles in War Drama and Animated Films
In 2017, John Cena starred in the war drama The Wall and lent his voice for the animated films Surf's Up 2: WaveMania and Ferdinand. He also appeared in Daddy's Home 2.
January 28, 2018: Cena Fails to Win Royal Rumble
On January 28, 2018, John Cena failed to win the Royal Rumble.
2018: Starring in "Blockers" and "Bumblebee"
In 2018, John Cena starred in the comedy Blockers, and had a leading role in the Transformers spin-off prequel, Bumblebee.
2018: Teasing Retirement
On the October 20, 2018 episode of SmackDown, John Cena teased retirement after mentioning he hadn't won a singles match since 2018, before calling out anyone to face him.
January 1, 2019: Cena and Becky Lynch Win Mixed Tag Team Match
On the January 1, 2019, episode of SmackDown, John Cena and Becky Lynch defeated Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega in a mixed tag team match.
January 2019: Cena's Return to Raw
The next night after Wrestlemania, on April 8, 2024, John Cena competed in his first match on Raw since January 2019. He teamed with The Awesome Truth to defeat Judgment Day.
2019: Stars in "Playing with Fire"
In 2019, John Cena starred in Playing with Fire, playing the role of smokejumper superintendent Jake Carson.
2019: Cast in F9
In 2019, John Cena was cast in Justin Lin's F9, playing Jakob Toretto, the brother of Vin Diesel's character Dominic Toretto.
February 28, 2020: Cena Confronted by The Fiend, Accepts WrestleMania Challenge
On February 28, 2020, John Cena returned to WWE on SmackDown, seemingly announcing his retirement before being confronted by "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt, who challenged him to a match at WrestleMania 36, which Cena accepted.
2020: Voice role in "Dolittle"
In 2020, John Cena voiced Yoshi, a polar bear, in the adventure comedy film Dolittle.
July 18, 2021: Cena Returns at Money in the Bank
On July 18, 2021, John Cena made his return to WWE programming at Money in the Bank, confronting Roman Reigns after the latter retained his Universal Championship against Edge in the main event.
June 6, 2022: Cena's Return Announcement on Raw
On June 6, 2022, it was announced on Raw that John Cena would return on the June 27th episode, celebrating his 20th anniversary of his main roster debut.
January 27, 2023: Cena Announced as WWE 2K23 Cover Star
On January 27, 2023, John Cena was announced as the cover star for the WWE 2K23 video game, marking his second time as a cover athlete for a WWE 2K game.
May 19, 2023: Premiere of Fast X
John Cena reprised his role as Jakob Toretto in Fast X, which premiered in theaters on May 19, 2023.
August 2, 2023: Release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
John Cena was the voice of Rocksteady in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, which was released on August 2, 2023.
April 7, 2024: Cena's Appearance at WrestleMania XL
On April 7, 2024, during the Night 2 main event of WrestleMania XL, John Cena appeared to aide Cody Rhodes, taking out Solo Sikoa and Roman Reigns with Attitude Adjustments. The Rock then appeared and performed a Rock Bottom on Cena.
July 6, 2024: Cena Announces Retirement Plans
On July 6, 2024, at Money in the Bank, John Cena made a surprise appearance to announce his retirement from in-ring action at the end of 2025, declaring WrestleMania 41 as his final WrestleMania.
January 6, 2025: Cena Announces Royal Rumble Entry
During Raw's premiere on Netflix on January 6, 2025, John Cena announced he would compete in the Royal Rumble match at the namesake event on February 1.
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