WWE legend and 17-time World Champion John Cena has looked back on his childhood and revealed why he became a target for bullies at a young age.
Overcoming the odds and at one point becoming close to being fired early into his WWE career, Cena went on to win more championships than anyone else in the company and has also made the successful transition to Hollywood by starring in multiple blockbusters. Arguably the most successful wrestler of the 21st century, Cena has frequently talked about his struggles and challenges on the road to superstardom.
In a new interview with Stephanie McMahon on the What’s Your Story podcast, Cena spoke about his childhood. Growing up in West Newbury, Massachusetts, Cena noted that it was a rock and metal town for most of the residents there, but he gravitated more to rap music:
“I grew up in a small town in northeastern Massachusetts that was pretty much 99.9% white. They listened to, like, hair band, metal, rock and roll. It was a farm town, so like, jeans and flannels, they drove trucks… This was also the crest of rap music… Because I was the one kid in an area who really connected with this as a rebellious way to say, ‘F— you’ to my parents, I embraced everything, like the rayon polka MC Hammer pants, the High Top Fade so like I was the only person who looked like that…”
Continuing, the WWE Champion and Hollywood star spoke more about his unique look at a younger age and how he became an easy target for the bullies:
“My bus happened to be here, so I have to walk through all the high school kids. They just got done making fun of my brother. Boy, am I an easy target. There’s a kid in turquoise polka dots with the High Top Fade… So it was just, it was just kids… So I was like, ‘Man, I don’t want to fight, but if I make myself stronger, maybe they’ll leave me alone, because diplomacy sure ain’t working.’”
At 12 years old, Cena asked his father for a weight set for Christmas, starting his passion for fitness and arguably was the starting point in his pro wrestling journey.
John Cena WWE Retirement Tour To Roll Into SummerSlam
Now more than half way through his WWE reitement tour that will culminate at the end of the year, Cena will next be in action on August 3 on the second night of SummerSlam. In a rematch from WrestleMania 41, Cena will put the Undisputed Championship on the line against Cody Rhodes in a street fight.
In a previous interview, John Cena spoke about his favourite WrestleMania entrances.
H/t to Wrestling News.co for the use of transcriptions.
Featured image: WWE
