John Cena's Brawny Net Worth Ahead of His Retirement Is Shocking
When you think of celebrities with the highest net worth, you probably imagine people like Beyoncé or Adam Sandler. But WWE wrestler John Cena deserves an honorable mention given that he's been one of the most noteworthy people in his sport for more than two decades. Though Cena announced his plan to retire from the ring this year, his time as a wrestler and appearances in movies such as The Suicide Squad and F9 have set him up for a prosperous future.
Below we break down Cena's early life, his lengthy wrestling career, how he landed his many acting roles, and his net worth.
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John Cena's Enormous Net Worth
John Cena has had a major career beyond just his time as a WWE superstar. Aside from being a jacked pro wrestler, he's appeared in several box office hits. So, when we saw Celebrity Net Worth rumoring that he had a whopping $80 million net worth (the number is not confirmed), we weren't exactly surprised.
John Cena's Time on WWE
If you knew anything about WWE from the mid-2000s to the late 2010s, you know John Cena was one of the biggest names in the game. You couldn't watch regularly without seeing Cena up against other top names like CM Punk, The Rock, AJ Styles, Shawn Michaels, and Eddie Guerrero.
But Cena didn't move to L.A. with the hopes of becoming a famous wrestler. In fact, he originally moved there in 1998 to pursue a bodybuilding career alongside other Gold Gym stars like Dave Draper and Hulk Hogan. One year after moving to the City of Angels, he switched to professional wrestling and made his debut for Ultimate Pro Wrestling—and so his wrestling career began.
Two years after he began wrestling full-time, he signed with WWE. That same year he won the OVW Heavyweight Championship and OVW Southern Tag Team Championship. Cena wasn't exactly a big timer right away; it wasn't until he moved up to the company's main roster and developed the character "The Prototype"—a jacked, trash-talking rapper. When you look at Cena now, you wouldn't exactly picture a man who can bust a rhyme, but his character came from the behind-the-scenes raps he did to pass time on the road.
“At the time, WWE was a rock and roll company. They didn’t have any depth of field for hip-hop, and I listened to my own music being like, ‘I could do better than this,’” he told Billboard in 2024. “I called up a friend who knew a friend who had a studio. We got some beats and we made an album," Cena added in reference to the album he made in 2005, which peaked at No. 15 on the top 200 chart.
After winning his first WWE championship in 2005, Cena traded in his trash-talking rap music for a character he described to Complex as a "goody-two-shoes Superman." For the next decade and beyond Cena acted as one of the faces of the WWE brand while simultaneously investing time into his career as an actor.
"I’m a company guy," he told Complex. "I believe in our brand and I believe that my success has come from believing in our brand. Entertainment is often a medium in which you can put yourself front and center... My theory is if you can contribute and the brand can do well, then you will reap the benefits of a good brand rather than forcing the spotlight to shine on yourself."
While Cena has other ventures aside from WWE since moving to California more than 20 years ago, WWE has always been a significant part of his career.
At the July 2024 “Money in the Bank” event, Cena, who is currently 47 years old, announced his official retirement.
“Tonight, I officially announce my retirement from the WWE," he said. “We are going to build so many unforgettable lasts. The 2025 Royal Rumble will be my last. The 2025 elimination chamber will be my last. And… Wrestlemania 2025 will be the last Wrestlemania I compete in.”
BREAKING NEWS: John Cena announced at #MITB he will retire from in-ring competition in 2025.#ThankYouCena pic.twitter.com/6TPnYI5iU2
— WWE (@WWE) July 7, 2024
John Cena Becomes a Breakout Movie Star
Since he began as a wrestler in WWE, Cena has been plagued with the identity of being a jacked rapper who fake-fights. But that hasn't stopped him from pursuing a career as a Hollywood star.
A branch of WWE, WWE Studios, produced and financed Cena's first movie—The Marine—which was released in 2006. In its first week, the film reportedly made approximately $7 million at the U.S. box office. His second and third films—12 Rounds and Legendary—were also produced by WWE Studios and were released in 2009 and 2010.
Since his first few movies with WWE Studios, he has gone on to make appearances in blockbuster films such as Surf's Up 2: WaveMania, Trainwreck, Fast X, The Suicide Squad, and beyond. He even appeared alongside his ex-wife Nikki Bella, an American television personality and retired WWE wrestler, on her TV show Total Bellas.
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