John Cena / Heart of a Champion
The greatest wrestler in the history of the WWE with 16 world titles, John Cena is a man constantly looking to push his boundaries. His legendary motto – “Hustle. Loyalty. Respect” – has helped propel him to not only superstar status in the wrestling world but also allowed him to comfortably transition to a career in Hollywood. Following in the footsteps of Dwayne The Rock Johnson, Cena has parlayed his charismatic personality and a terrific sense of humour into considerable success of late as an actor.
In recent years we’ve seen Cena star in films ranging from the war movie The Wall, the family comedy Playing with Fire, Fighting with My Family (a project produced by The Rock), and Blockers. Now 42, Cena recently finished work on F9, playing Jacob Toretto, brother to Vin Diesel’s Dominic, the latest instalment in the Fast and Furious franchise, and he’s currently filming on The Suicide Squad, starring Margot Robbie, in the long-awaited sequel to the 2016 original.
The 6-foot, 245 lb Cena made his screen debut in Ready to Rumble back in 2000, but over the years found his niche in Hollywood comedies such as Sisters, Daddy’s Home, and Trainwreck, where he was able to display his considerable comic gifts.
Of course, Cena’s screen aura derives largely from his larger-than-life WWE persona that saw him rise to the top of the wrestling pantheon as one of its most skilled and dynamic performers who has wrestled under a variety of aliases – Doctor of Thuganomics, The Marine, Super Cena, and The Face that Runs the Place. He revels in the spectacle that Vince MacMahon has turned into a billion-dollar industry, and understands the nature of the job:
“Coming from the world of WWE…our job is to suspend disbelief [so that] every single person who walks through the turnstiles knows that it’s entertainment. But there’s nothing like a live crowd on the edge of their seat for an important match or a heated confrontation that they all know is entertainment, but for that split second, they all believe.”