History of John Cena in Timeline
John Cena is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, widely considered one of WWE's greatest. He held a record-tying 17 world championships during his in-ring career from 2001 to 2025. As of December 2025, he remains signed with WWE as a brand ambassador, continuing his association with the company after retiring from active wrestling.
April 23, 1977: John Cena's Birth
On April 23, 1977, John Felix Anthony Cena was born. He later became a professional wrestler, actor, writer, and rapper.
October 10, 2000: WWF Debut as The Prototype
On October 10, 2000, John Cena made his unofficial World Wrestling Federation (WWF) debut on WWE SmackDown! as the Prototype in a dark match.
2000: UPW Heavyweight Champion
In 2000, John Cena held the UPW Heavyweight Championship while wrestling at local events for Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW).
2001: Manhunt reality show
In 2001, John Cena participated in the UPN reality show 'Manhunt' as Big Tim Kingman, the leader of bounty hunters. The show faced controversy over alleged rigging and scripted scenes.
2001: Signs with WWF
In 2001, John Cena signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which was renamed WWE in 2002.
2001: Go Sick Appearance
In 2001, before his WWE debut, John Cena made an appearance on the webcast Go Sick as Bruebaker, an angry, cursing wrestler.
June 27, 2002: WWE Television Debut
On June 27, 2002, John Cena made his official WWE television debut on SmackDown!, answering Kurt Angle's open challenge.
2002: Villainous Run
From 2002 to 2003, John Cena portrayed a villainous character in WWE.
2002: First Make-A-Wish granted
In 2002, John Cena granted his first wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, beginning his record-breaking involvement with the charity.
October 2003: YJ Stinger endorsement
In October 2003, John Cena began appearing in commercials endorsing the energy drink YJ Stinger.
2003: Origin of "You Can't See Me" catchphrase
In 2003, the catchphrase 'You Can't See Me' originated when John Cena was producing his new theme song and was dared by his brother to do the yayo dance on TV. Cena instead waved his hand in front of his face, leading to the catchphrase.
January 25, 2004: Royal Rumble Participation
On January 25, 2004, at the Royal Rumble, John Cena participated in the Royal Rumble match and was eliminated by Big Show.
January 30, 2005: Royal Rumble Elimination
On January 30, 2005, at the Royal Rumble, John Cena and Batista were the final two participants and were simultaneously eliminated by one another. Batista eventually won after a restart.
August 8, 2005: "Right Now" music video premiere on Raw
On August 8, 2005, John Cena's music video for his second single, "Right Now", premiered on WWE Monday Night Raw.
2005: Release of 'You Can't See Me' Album
In 2005, John Cena released the rap album "You Can't See Me", which peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard 200.
2005: Teen Choice Awards Co-presentation
In 2005, John Cena served as a co-presenter with Hulk Hogan at the Teen Choice Awards.
August 2006: Punk'd Appearance
In August 2006, John Cena made an appearance on MTV's Punk'd as the victim of a practical joke.
October 10, 2006: Opie and Anthony "Walkover"
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: The Marine Theatrical Release
On October 13, 2006, John Cena's first movie, The Marine, produced by WWE Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox America, was released theatrically. It grossed approximately US$7 million at the United States box office in its first week.
November 2006: Subway endorsement
In November 2006, John Cena filmed advertisements with Subway spokesperson Jared Fogle, which began airing in January 2007, endorsing Subway.
2006: Character Shift
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 1, 2007: Pinned by Kevin Federline
On January 1, 2007, Kevin Federline pinned John Cena on Raw with an assist from Umaga.
January 2007: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition appearance
In January 2007, John Cena, Batista, and Ashley Massaro represented WWE on 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'. They provided WWE merchandise and WrestleMania 23 tickets to the family whose house was being renovated.
April 23, 2007: Match Against Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels's one hour long match on WWE Raw on April 23, 2007, against John Cena is touted as one of the best matches in history. Michaels expressed that after a fortnight WWE tour in the United Kingdom, he did not want to do the match with anyone else other than Cena.
May 2007: Punk'd Appearance
In May 2007, John Cena made an appearance on MTV's Punk'd as the victim of a practical joke.
June 2007: Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race
In June 2007, John Cena participated in the ABC reality series 'Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race'. He reached the final round and finished third overall on June 24.
2007: Romantic relationship with Mickie James
From 2007 to 2008, John Cena was in a romantic relationship with fellow wrestler Mickie James.
2007: American Body Builders endorsement
In 2007, John Cena endorsed two 'signature collections' of energy drinks and energy bars sold by American Body Builders.
2007: CNN Special Investigations Unit documentary
In 2007, John Cena was interviewed for CNN's 'Death Grip: Inside Pro Wrestling' documentary about steroid use. His comments were subject to controversy over alleged misrepresentation of his views.
January 27, 2008: Royal Rumble Win
On January 27, 2008, John Cena made a surprise return as the final participant of the Royal Rumble match and won by last eliminating Triple H.
February 25, 2008: 12 Rounds Filming Begins
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: Idol Gives Back fund-raising special appearance
On April 9, 2008, John Cena, along with Triple H and Chris Jericho, appeared on the 'Idol Gives Back' fund-raising special.
October 11, 2008: Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards hosting
On October 11, 2008, John Cena co-hosted the Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards with Natalie Bassingthwaighte in Melbourne.
2008: Romantic relationship with Mickie James
From 2007 to 2008, John Cena was in a romantic relationship with fellow wrestler Mickie James.
2008: Gillette "Young Guns" NASCAR campaign
In 2008, John Cena filmed a commercial as part of Gillette's 'Young Guns' NASCAR campaign.
2008: Name Changes
In mid-2008, during WWE's change from TV-14 to TV-PG (the PG Era), the name of 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 WWE's new policies.
January 25, 2009: Retains Title Against JBL
On January 25, 2009, John Cena retained the World Heavyweight Championship against JBL at the Royal Rumble.
March 2009: Saturday Night Live appearance
In March 2009, John Cena appeared on 'Saturday Night Live' during the show's cold opening.
March 27, 2009: 12 Rounds Release
On March 27, 2009, John Cena's second film, 12 Rounds, was released.
July 11, 2009: Marriage to Elizabeth Huberdeau
On July 11, 2009, John Cena married Elizabeth Huberdeau.
2009: Gillette "Be A Superstar" online campaign
In 2009, John Cena expanded his relationship with Gillette by introducing a new online campaign called 'Be A Superstar' with Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes, featuring motivational videos.
2009: Chris Greicius Celebrity Award
In 2009, John Cena received the Chris Greicius Celebrity Award for his work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
January 31, 2010: Royal Rumble Elimination
On January 31, 2010, at the Royal Rumble, John Cena was eliminated by a surprise-returning Edge after eliminating many of the other competitors.
September 10, 2010: Legendary Theatrical Release
On September 10, 2010, John Cena co-starred in his third film produced by WWE Studios, titled Legendary, which was played in selected theaters for a limited time.
September 2010: Fred: The Movie Airs
In September 2010, John Cena starred in the children's film Fred: The Movie, based on Lucas Cruikshank's YouTube videos, where he played Fred's imaginary father. The movie was first aired on Nickelodeon.
January 17, 2011: Match Against CM Punk
On January 17, 2011, John Cena faced CM Punk on Raw. The match ended in a no contest after John Cena was attacked by Mason Ryan, who was debuting and later joined the New Nexus.
2011: Rise Above Hate T-shirt promotion
From late 2011 until WrestleMania XXVIII, John Cena wore a black 'Rise Above Hate' T-shirt promoting WWE's 'Be a Star' anti-bullying campaign.
2011: Salute Meaning
In a 2011 interview with WWE.com, John Cena explained that the salute he performs is a sign of respect to the men and women in the Armed Forces.
January 29, 2012: Royal Rumble Double Countout vs. Kane
On January 29, 2012, John Cena's match against Kane at Royal Rumble ended in a double countout.
May 1, 2012: Divorce filing from Elizabeth Huberdeau
On May 1, 2012, John Cena filed for divorce from Elizabeth Huberdeau.
October 2012: Rise Above Cancer campaign
In September and October 2012, John Cena wore pink and black with the phrase 'Rise Above Cancer' in partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
2012: WrestleMania XXVIII Record
In 2012, WrestleMania XXVIII, headlined by the John Cena vs. the Rock main event, became the highest drawing event in WWE history with 1,217,000 buys. The event held the record for the highest grossing live event in WWE history in 2012, grossing $8.9 million.
January 27, 2013: Royal Rumble Win
On January 27, 2013, John Cena won his second Royal Rumble match and announced that he would pursue the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29.
2013: Fruity Pebbles cereal box appearance
In 2013, John Cena appeared on the box of Fruity Pebbles cereal after Dwayne 'the Rock' Johnson called him 'Fruity Pebbles'.
January 26, 2014: WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
On January 26, 2014, at Royal Rumble, John Cena failed to win the now-unified WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Randy Orton.
October 2014: WWE 2K15 soundtrack appearance
In October 2014, John Cena was featured on two songs with rapper Wiz Khalifa, "All Day" and "Breaks", for the 'WWE 2K15' video game soundtrack.
January 25, 2015: WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match at Royal Rumble
On January 25, 2015, at Royal Rumble, John Cena was unsuccessful in capturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
August 17, 2015: Today show guest co-hosting
On August 17, 2015, John Cena guest co-hosted 'Today' on NBC.
2015: Comedy Film Appearances
In 2015, John Cena made appearances in the comedy films Trainwreck, Sisters and a cameo in Daddy's Home.
2015: "Unexpected John Cena" internet meme
In mid-2015, John Cena became the subject of the Internet meme 'Unexpected John Cena', also known as 'Unexpected Cena' or 'IT'S JOHN CENA'.
April 3, 2016: WrestleMania 32 Appearance
On April 3, 2016, at WrestleMania 32, John Cena returned and helped The Rock fend off the Wyatt Family.
April 14, 2016: American Grit premiere on Fox
On April 14, 2016, John Cena's reality television series 'American Grit' premiered on Fox. He hosted two seasons of the show, which featured teams competing for a $1 million prize.
April 2016: ESPN Report on 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 2016: "We Are America" public service announcement
In July 2016, John Cena appeared in a public service announcement, 'We Are America', sponsored by the Ad Council as part of its 'Love Has No Labels' campaign.
October 13, 2016: Wonderful Pistachios commercial debut
On October 13, 2016, John Cena debuted as the voice of Ernie the Elephant in a new commercial campaign launched by Wonderful Pistachios.
2016: Learning to play Piano
In 2016, John Cena started learning to play the piano, becoming a self-taught pianist.
January 24, 2017: Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards hosting announcement
On January 24, 2017, Nickelodeon announced that John Cena would host the 2017 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards ceremony on March 11.
April 2, 2017: Engagement to Nikki Bella
On April 2, 2017, John Cena became engaged to fellow wrestler Nikki Bella at WrestleMania 33.
July 2017: WWE Free Agent Status
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 WWE brands.
December 2017: Ford lawsuit for breach of contract
In December 2017, the Ford Motor Company sued John Cena for breach of contract regarding the sale of his 2017 Ford GT, alleging he sold it for profit against their agreement.
2017: War Drama and Animated Film Appearances
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, reprising his role in a larger capacity than the 2015 film.
January 11, 2018: Announcement for hosting Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards ceremony
On January 11, 2018, it was announced that John Cena would be hosting the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards ceremony again on March 24.
January 28, 2018: Royal Rumble Loss
On January 28, 2018, John Cena failed to win the Royal Rumble.
April 2018: End of relationship with Nikki Bella
In April 2018, John Cena and Nikki Bella ended their relationship after being engaged.
June 19, 2018: Settlement of Ford lawsuit
On June 19, 2018, Ford and John Cena settled the lawsuit regarding the sale of his 2017 Ford GT. Cena apologized, and Ford donated the settlement amount to charity.
November 2018: Lived in Yinchuan, China for film
From July to November 2018, John Cena lived in Yinchuan, China, to work with Jackie Chan on the film 'Hidden Strike'. He also created a YouTube show highlighting his local trips.
2018: Comedy and Transformers Spin-off Roles
In 2018, John Cena starred in the comedy Blockers and had a leading role in the Transformers spin-off prequel, Bumblebee.
January 1, 2019: SmackDown Return
On January 1, 2019, John Cena returned to WWE television on SmackDown, where he and Becky Lynch defeated Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega in a mixed tag team match.
January 2019: Raw Match
In January 2019, John Cena had his first match on Raw since. He teamed with Raw Tag Team Champions Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) to defeat Judgment Day members Finn Bálor, JD McDonagh, and Dominik Mysterio.
February 14, 2019: Announcement for hosting Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader revival
On February 14, 2019, it was announced that John Cena would host a revival of 'Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader' on Nickelodeon.
2019: Playing with Fire Role
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.
2019: Relationship with Shay Shariatzadeh
John Cena began dating engineer Shay Shariatzadeh in early 2019.
February 28, 2020: SmackDown Return and Retirement Announcement
On February 28, 2020, John Cena returned to WWE on SmackDown, seemingly announcing his retirement before being confronted by "the Fiend" Bray Wyatt.
June 2020: $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter
In June 2020, John Cena made a $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter as part of the #MatchAMillion initiative.
October 12, 2020: Marriage to Shay Shariatzadeh
On October 12, 2020, John Cena married Shay Shariatzadeh in a private ceremony in Tampa, Florida.
2020: Partnership with Honda
In 2020, John Cena and Honda announced a partnership, with Cena becoming the new voice of Honda.
2020: Dolittle Voice Role
In 2020, John Cena voiced Yoshi, a polar bear, in the adventure comedy film Dolittle.
May 10, 2021: "Bing Chilling" meme origin
On May 10, 2021, John Cena posted a video on his Weibo account promoting 'Fast & Furious 9', where he ate ice cream and sang in Mandarin. This led to the creation of the 'Bing Chilling' meme.
July 18, 2021: WWE Return 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.
2021: Taiwan Controversy and Apology
During the promotional tour for F9 in 2021, John Cena referred to Taiwan as "a country", leading to controversy. He subsequently posted an apology on social media.
2021: Wipeout co-hosting
In 2021, John Cena co-hosted the TV game show 'Wipeout'.
June 27, 2022: 20th Anniversary Celebration on Raw
On June 27, 2022, John Cena returned on Raw for the 20th anniversary of his main roster in-ring debut, delivering a promo and interacting with various superstars backstage.
2022: Make-A-Wish record confirmation
By mid-2022, The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed that John Cena had granted over 650 wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which is more than anyone else in history.
2022: Peacemaker soundtrack performance
In 2022, John Cena performed a piano rendition of Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home" for the 'Peacemaker' soundtrack, playing it as his Peacemaker character.
March 6, 2023: Accepting United States Championship Match
On March 6, 2023, on Raw, John Cena accepted Theory's challenge for a United States Championship match at WrestleMania 39.
2023: Fast X and TMNT Appearances
In 2023, John Cena reprised his role as Jakob Toretto in Fast X, which premiered in theaters on May 19. He was also the voice of Rocksteady in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, released on August 2.
March 2024: 96th Academy Awards Appearance
In March 2024, John Cena appeared onstage almost nude at the 96th Academy Awards to present the award for best costume design, referencing a streaker incident from 1974.
April 7, 2024: WrestleMania XL Appearance
On April 7, 2024, at Night 2 of WrestleMania XL, John Cena appeared during the main event between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. Cena aided Rhodes by taking out Solo Sikoa and Reigns with the Attitude Adjustment. The Rock then appeared and performed a Rock Bottom on Cena.
January 6, 2025: Raw Premiere on Netflix
On January 6, 2025, at the Raw premiere on Netflix, John Cena announced that he would compete at Royal Rumble on February 1 in the eponymous match.
March 31, 2025: Skin Cancer revelation
On March 31, 2025, John Cena revealed that he previously had skin cancer.
December 9, 2025: Contract Extension Announcement
On December 9, 2025, four days before his retirement match, John Cena revealed that he would be signing a five-year contract extension that would allow him to remain in WWE as an ambassador.
December 13, 2025: Final Wrestling Match
On December 13, 2025, John Cena wrestled his final match at Saturday Night's Main Event XLII, losing to the Last Time is Now Tournament winner Gunther via submission, officially ending his 26-year long career.
December 2025: Pluribus guest appearance
In December 2025, John Cena guest-starred in the sixth episode of the Apple TV television series 'Pluribus'.
December 2025: John Cena as Brand Ambassador
In December 2025, John Cena is still signed with WWE as a brand ambassador after retiring from in-ring competition.
2025: Retirement from Wrestling
In 2025, John Cena retired from wrestling after working on a part-time schedule since 2017.
2025: Superman Cameo
In 2025, John Cena would later reprise his role as Peacemaker in a cameo appearance in the 2025 Superman film, also directed by Gunn.
2025: Heel Turn Reception
In 2025, John Cena's heel turn, which occurred at Elimination Chamber, initially received positive reception, but the execution of his villainous character was met with negative feedback. Cena himself considered his heel work a failure, and WrestleCrap labeled his heel turn and retirement tour as the worst event of 2025.
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