Tasked with carrying WWE following the exits of Steve Austin and The Rock, John Cena has performed admirably as the face of WWE in the post-Attitude era of the company
Here, DAZN looks closely at John Cena and his achievements as a wrestler.
Who is John Cena?
Originally pursuing a career in bodybuilding, Cena switched to wrestling in 1998 after being a huge fan of Hulk Hogan as a youngster.
Trained by Dave Finlay and Christopher Daniels at UPW’s wrestling school, Cena began wrestling for the California based company under the moniker, ‘Prototype.’
He would take the character into WWE in 2001 when he began working for their developmental company, OVW.
Alongside Brock Lesnar, Dave Batista, and Randy Orton, OVW’s class of 2002 have all gone onto achieve incredible accomplishments within the wrestling industry with Cena the most notable student.
Making his official WWE debut in 2002 by answering a challenge from Kurt Angle, Cena originally struggled to stand out before his talent for rapping helped him get over in a big way.
Winning his first world title in 2005 at Wrestlemania 21, Cena was the biggest name in WWE, but his performances didn’t please everyone as he was viciously booed by a large number of wrestling fans.
Despite the boos, Cena always generated a reaction, and he featured in many memorable feuds against Edge, Orton, and CM Punk.
In 2012, Cena and The Rock headlined Wrestlemania and the event was a monumental success. The same two men main-evented the following year’s show before Cena began ushering in a new era for WWE in battles against Roman Reigns, AJ Styles and Bray Wyatt.
His appearances following this would be less frequent as he focused on an acting career after achieving everything he set out for, and more, as a professional wrestler.
What championships has John Cena held in wrestling?
Ohio Valley Wrestling
OVW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rico Constantino
Ultimate Pro Wrestling
UPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
WWE Championship[c] (13 times)
World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
WWE United States Championship (5 times)
WWE Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with The Miz (1) and David Otunga (1)
World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Batista (1) and Shawn Michaels (1)
Royal Rumble (2008, 2013)