John Felix Anthony Cena was born in West Newbury, Massachusetts, to John Sr. and Carol Cena. He was the second of five boys and showed a passion for sports and working out from an early age.

Cena moved to California to pursue a career as a bodybuilder. However, he soon switched to professional wrestling in 1999, making his debut for Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW).

Cena signed with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and was assigned to its developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). He won the OVW Heavyweight Championship and OVW Southern Tag Team Championship.

Cena made his debut on SmackDown, adopting the character of a trash-talking rapper. This marked the beginning of his rise to fame and success in the WWE.

Cena won his first WWE Championship, transitioning into a clean-cut, heroic character which he described as a 'goody-two shoes Superman'. He led the company as its franchise player and public face for the next decade.

Cena had a series of matches with Edge, including a TLC match at Unforgiven 2006, which he won to start his third and longest reign as WWE Champion.

Cena won the 2013 Royal Rumble match and went on to defeat The Rock at WrestleMania 29 to regain the WWE Championship. He later lost the title to Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam 2013.

Cena started the 'United States Championship Open Challenge', issuing an open challenge to any superstar on the roster every week on Monday Night Raw. He had notable feuds with Kevin Owens and Alberto Del Rio during this period.

Cena defeated AJ Styles at Royal Rumble 2017 to tie Ric Flair's record of 16 world championship reigns.

Cena began performing part-time in the WWE, with plans to retire at the end of 2025. He has since made sporadic appearances, including a memorable bout against 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36.