John Cena pulls back the curtain in this week's PEOPLE cover story and reflects on life, love and leaving the WWE after 23 years He shares how he's putting his health and 4-year marriage first as retirement nears The wrestler-actor returns to TV in season 2 of the hit HBO Max show,Peacemaker, out Aug. 21 When it comes to putting on a show,John Cenahas always been fearless. He wrestles in front of tens of thousands of people. He walks right into crowds at San Diego Comic-Con dressed as his superhero alter ego Peacemaker so he can connect with fans directly. And he even appeared nearlynaked onstage at the 2024 Oscarsjust to get a good laugh. But he admits one thing that scares him is being on-set for PEOPLE's cover shoot. "Gosh, these photo shoots are tough. Because the voice inside me is like, 'I'm not cool enough, and someone's telling me how to look cool.' So I'm scared of that. I'm scared of this interview, because I don't know what's going to happen." Sami Drasin "My job is to entertain folks," says Cena, 48. But as he sits down with PEOPLE on July 27, he cautiously pulls back the curtain to reveal the real John Cena, one who's reflective about aging, passionate about helping others and ready to see where life takes him as he nears retirement from pro wrestling. "I try to just do the best that I can each day, because I'm not perfect," he says. "But I try to just be as useful and grateful as I can." Cena had plenty of practice at home in West Newbury, Mass. with his four brothers, who would "kick the crap out of each other" and conduct "full-blown" sports entertainment wrestling shows. "We had entrances and music and characters," he says. "It was theatrical." https://people-app.onelink.me/HNIa/kz7l4cuf He started his fitness journey at 13, when he was tired of being beaten up by bullies and asked his dad for a weight set. "I got picked on for dressing a certain way or acting a certain way," he says. But the experience "made me realize what was important in my life. I doubled down on being myself. And as a 12-, 13-, 14-year-old that doesn't even have a fully formed mind yet, I just knew, 'Hey, man, don't waver. Just be you.' That's what helped me." After graduating from Springfield College, he worked his way up the ranks at Ultimate Pro Wrestling and made a name for himself in the WWE — first under the "The Doctor of Thuganomics," then quickly embraced the "Superman, Goody Two-shoes" archetype in the ring. Sami Drasin And he stayed that way for 22 years. According to Guinness World Records, he held the record for the longest run that any pro wrestler had gone without becoming a "bad guy," until March 1 when hebeat up Cody Rhodes and joined rival Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in a shocking "heel turn." These moments have all been a part of his "farewell" tour from the WWE after he made the shocking announcement last July thathe is retiring from the ring in 2025. Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty "Age plays a factor," he says. "I'm not as strong or as fast as I used to be. I made a promise when I started gaining some notoriety that when I'm a step slower, I will go, because there will be kids just as hungry as I was who have earned a shot to see if they can make it." After nearly five years of marriage with wifeShay Shariatzadeh, an engineerhe met in Vancouver in 2019, his priorities are also shifting. His year-long tour is an opportunity for fans to get "closure," he says. "They're the reason for my optimism, my perseverance, my passion. They don't let you get away with phoning it in, because they'll eat you alive." Or point out your bald spot — which prompted Cena to confront another aspect of aging. "I saw their signs that said 'The bald John Cena,'" he says. "They pushed me into going to see what my options were. I now have a routine: red-light therapy, minoxidil, vitamins, shampoo, conditioner — and I also got a hair transplant last November. I hate the fact that if there wasn't so much shame around it, I'd have gotten it done 10 years ago. I thought I was alone, but seven or eight out of 10 [men] suffer from thinning or baldness." Sami Drasin He loves his new look. "They don't do anything except move your hair, one by one, from one area to another," he says. He pauses to remark how "fired up" he gets about the topic. "If somebody's going to sweat me for that, I don't think there's any shame in that," he says. "It completely changed the course of my life." Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.One way he says it helped him is by giving him more range as an actor. "A different hairstyle can identify a part that can get me more work, do the thing I love to do," he says. Cena first tested his big-screen charisma with his film debut,The Marine, in 2006 but admits he started acting to get more people to watch WWE. He quickly learned his lesson. "I was run out of the movie business in 2009 for doing bad movies where I wasn't present," he says. "I thought that just because I wore a golden leather belt on Monday and Friday, they'd come see whatever I'm doing. It's not true." He rebounded with comedic roles in 2015 withTrainwreck, SistersandDaddy's Home, then action turns in theTransformersandFast & Furiousfranchises. He expanded his role as Peacemaker, an egotistical vigilante in 2021'sSuicide Squad, into an acclaimed HBO Max series a year later. HBO Max He and costarsDanielle BrooksandJennifer Holland"support each other and allow each other to take big swings. It's fun." When he's not on screen, Cena giving back (hebroke the Make-a-Wish Foundation's record for most wishes granted to kids fighting critical illnesses with 650 in 2022) or recharging. "The days I need rest, I rest," he says, which may include "16 hours of sleep, and then I'm going to eat junk food, sit on the couch with the arm around the one I love, we're going to watch whatever we want or nothing at all." Alberto Rodriguez/Variety via Getty He approaches balancing everything in his busy life by giving attention to what's most needed in the moment: "If I'm deficient on physical strength and connection with ones I love, I will push those minutes wherever I can, whether it's getting my ass in the gym or being the best husband I can." That's "not easy," he notes. He and his wife, whom he met when he went to a restaurant to watch the Super Bowl and married a year later in 2020, look at the calendar "all the time. You got to do your homework." As he gets ready to wind down his run in the WWE, he is stepping into the next phase of his life with optimism. "I hope to remain curious and healthy — and that's physically, spiritually, mentally," he says. "As long as I have love, health and curiosity for what life has to offer, I think it'll work out. Peacemakerseason 2 airs August 21 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO Max. Read the original article onPeople
