History of John Cena in Timeline
John Cena is an American actor, retired professional wrestler, writer, and former rapper. Celebrated as one of the greatest professional wrestlers, he holds a record 17 world championship reigns in WWE. Cena was actively involved in WWE as an in-ring performer from 2001 to 2025 and continues to work with the company as a brand ambassador as of December 2025.
1974: Streaker interrupted the Academy Awards
In 1974, a streaker interrupted the Academy Awards, which John Cena referenced in March 2024.
October 2003: Endorsed YJ Stinger energy drink
In October 2003, John Cena endorsed the energy drink YJ Stinger, appearing in commercials.
August 8, 2005: Music video premiere on WWE Monday Night Raw
On August 8, 2005, John Cena premiered a music video for the second single, "Right Now", on WWE Monday Night Raw.
August 2006: Punk'd Appearance
In August 2006, John Cena appeared on MTV's Punk'd as the victim of a practical joke.
October 10, 2006: Opie and Anthony "Walkover" Appearance
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 Film 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. In its first week, the film made approximately US$7 million at the United States box office.
November 2006: Filmed Subway advertisements with Jared Fogle
In November 2006, John Cena filmed advertisements with Subway's spokesperson Jared Fogle, which began airing the following January.
May 2007: Second Punk'd Appearance
In May 2007, John Cena made a second appearance on MTV's Punk'd as the victim of a practical joke.
June 2007: ABC reality series: 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, making it to the final round before being eliminated on June 24, placing third in the competition overall.
2007: Endorsed energy drinks and bars by American Body Builders
In 2007, John Cena endorsed two "signature collections" of energy drinks and energy bars sold by American Body Builders.
April 9, 2008: Idol Gives Back fund-raising special appearance
On April 9, 2008, John Cena, along with fellow wrestlers Triple H and Chris Jericho, appeared on the Idol Gives Back fund-raising special.
October 11, 2008: Hosted Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
On October 11, 2008, John Cena hosted the Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards with Natalie Bassingthwaighte in Melbourne.
2008: Filmed Gillette "Young Guns" NASCAR commercial
In 2008, John Cena filmed a commercial as part of Gillette's "Young Guns" NASCAR campaign.
March 27, 2009: Release of 12 Rounds
On March 27, 2009, Cena's second film, 12 Rounds, also produced by WWE Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox, was released.
July 11, 2009: Married Elizabeth Huberdeau
On July 11, 2009, John Cena married Elizabeth Huberdeau.
2009: Expanded relationship with Gillette for "Be A Superstar" campaign
In 2009, John Cena expanded his relationship with Gillette by introducing a new online campaign called "Be A Superstar" featuring himself alongside fellow WWE wrestlers Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes, which features motivational videos.
2009: Received the 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 several other wrestlers.
September 10, 2010: Legendary Film Release
On September 10, 2010, John Cena co-starred in his third film, Legendary, produced by WWE Studios. It was played in selected theaters for a limited time.
September 2010: Fred: The Movie Airs on Nickelodeon
In September 2010, John Cena starred in the children's film Fred: The Movie, based on Lucas Cruikshank's YouTube videos. He played Fred's imaginary father, and the movie first aired on Nickelodeon.
January 17, 2011: Match Against CM Punk Ends in No Contest
On January 17, 2011, John Cena faced CM Punk on Raw, but the match ended in a no contest after Cena was attacked by the debuting Mason Ryan, who joined the New Nexus.
January 29, 2012: Royal Rumble Match Against Kane
On January 29, 2012, John Cena fought Kane to a double countout at Royal Rumble.
May 1, 2012: Filed for divorce from Elizabeth Huberdeau
On May 1, 2012, John Cena filed for divorce from Elizabeth Huberdeau, which was finalized on July 18.
October 2012: Wore "Rise Above Cancer" apparel for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
In October 2012, John Cena wore pink and black apparel with the phrase "Rise Above Cancer" in partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
January 27, 2013: Royal Rumble Win
On January 27, 2013, John Cena won his second Royal Rumble match and announced he would pursue the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29.
2013: Appeared on Fruity Pebbles cereal box
In 2013, after Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson called John Cena "Fruity Pebbles" during their feud, in reference to Cena's colorful merchandise, Cena appeared on the box of Fruity Pebbles cereal.
January 26, 2014: WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match Loss
On January 26, 2014, John Cena failed to win the now-unified WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Randy Orton at Royal Rumble.
October 2014: Featured on songs with Wiz Khalifa
In October 2014, John Cena was featured on two songs with rapper Wiz Khalifa, "All Day" and "Breaks", as part of the soundtrack for the WWE 2K15 video game.
January 25, 2015: WWE World Heavyweight Championship Unsuccessful
On January 25, 2015, at Royal Rumble, John Cena was unsuccessful in capturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
August 17, 2015: Guest co-hosted Today on NBC
On August 17, 2015, John Cena guest co-hosted Today on NBC.
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: Return at WrestleMania 32
On April 3, 2016, John Cena returned at WrestleMania 32, helping the Rock fend off the Wyatt Family.
April 14, 2016: American Grit premiered on Fox
On April 14, 2016, American Grit premiered on Fox. John Cena hosted two seasons of American Grit, a reality television series with 10 episodes.
July 2016: Appeared in "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: Debuted as the voice of Ernie the Elephant for Wonderful Pistachios
On October 13, 2016, John Cena made his debut as the voice of Ernie the Elephant in a new commercial campaign launched by Wonderful Pistachios.
2016: Started learning to play the piano
In 2016, John Cena started learning to play the piano as a self-taught pianist.
January 24, 2017: Announced as host of 2017 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
On January 24, 2017, Nickelodeon announced that John Cena would host the 2017 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards ceremony on March 11.
April 2, 2017: Engaged to Nikki Bella at WrestleMania 33
On April 2, 2017, John Cena became engaged to fellow wrestler Nikki Bella when he proposed to her at WrestleMania 33.
July 2017: Designation as WWE 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 WWE brands.
2017: Film Roles and Voice Acting
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 11, 2018: Announced as host of Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards again
On January 11, 2018, it was announced that John Cena would be hosting the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards ceremony again on March 24, becoming the third host behind Whitney Houston and Rosie O'Donnell to host the ceremony in back to back years.
January 28, 2018: Royal Rumble Loss
On January 28, 2018, John Cena failed to win the Royal Rumble.
April 2018: Ended relationship with Nikki Bella
In April 2018, John Cena and Nikki Bella ended their relationship; they had been planning to marry on May 5.
June 19, 2018: Settled lawsuit with Ford over Ford GT sale
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 filming Hidden Strike
From July to November 2018, John Cena lived in Yinchuan, China, to work with Jackie Chan on the film Hidden Strike and created a show on WWE's YouTube channel highlighting his trips to local markets.
2018: Leading Roles in Comedy and Transformers Spin-off
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 Tag Team Match Victory
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.
February 14, 2019: Announced as host of 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 the Nickelodeon network, which premiered on June 10.
2019: Role 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: Return to SmackDown and 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.
June 2020: Donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter
In June 2020, John Cena made a $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter as part of the #MatchAMillion initiative made popular by K-pop band BTS.
2020: Became the new voice of Honda
In 2020, John Cena and Honda announced a partnership, with Cena becoming the new voice of Honda.
2020: Voice Role in Dolittle
In 2020, John Cena voiced Yoshi, a polar bear, in the adventure comedy film Dolittle.
May 10, 2021: Posted "Bing Chilling" video on Weibo account
On May 10, 2021, John Cena posted a video on his Weibo account, in which he sat in a car and ate ice cream while promoting the upcoming film Fast & Furious 9. 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 after Reigns retained his Universal Championship against Edge.
2021: Co-hosted TV game show Wipeout
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 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his main roster in-ring debut, recalling memories and thanking fans for their support.
2022: Performed piano rendition for Peacemaker soundtrack
In 2022, John Cena performed a piano rendition of Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home" for the Peacemaker soundtrack, playing it onscreen as his Peacemaker character in a poignant scene to close the episode "Murn After Reading".
March 6, 2023: Acceptance of United States Championship Match
On March 6, 2023, John Cena accepted Theory's challenge for a United States Championship match at WrestleMania 39 on Raw.
2023: Fast X and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Roles
In 2023, John Cena reprised his role as Jakob Toretto in Fast X, which premiered in theaters on May 19. He also voiced Rocksteady in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, released on August 2.
March 2024: Appeared onstage at the 96th Academy Awards
In March 2024, John Cena appeared almost completely nude onstage at the 96th Academy Awards to present the award for best costume design in reference to a streaker interrupting the ceremony in 1974.
April 7, 2024: Appearance at WrestleMania XL
On April 7, 2024, at Night 2 of WrestleMania XL, John Cena appeared during the main event between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns to aid Rhodes. Cena took out Solo Sikoa and Reigns with the Attitude Adjustment. The Rock then appeared and performed a Rock Bottom on Cena.
January 6, 2025: Royal Rumble Announcement and Heel Turn
On January 6, 2025, at the Raw premiere on Netflix, John Cena announced that he would compete at Royal Rumble on February 1. After winning the Elimination Chamber match on March 1, Cena viciously attacked Cody Rhodes and aligned himself with The Rock and Travis Scott, turning heel for the first time since 2003.
March 31, 2025: Revealed past skin cancer
On March 31, 2025, John Cena revealed 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. This extension would allow him to remain in WWE as an ambassador.
December 13, 2025: Final Match
On December 13, 2025, at Saturday Night's Main Event XLII, John Cena wrestled his final match, losing to Gunther via submission. This event officially ended his 26-year-long career.
December 2025: Guest-starred in Apple TV series Pluribus
In December 2025, John Cena guest-starred in the sixth episode of the Apple TV television series Pluribus.
2025: Superman Film Cameo
In 2025, John Cena reprised his role as Peacemaker in a cameo appearance in the Superman film, also directed by James Gunn.
March 30, 2026: WrestleMania 42 Hosting Announcement
On March 30, 2026, John Cena announced that he would be the host of WrestleMania 42.
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