What Is John Cena's Real Name? Here’s All You Need To Know

John Cena is one of the greatest stars of all time in WWE. These are all the things you need to know about his real name.

By Avik Das

Published on Jul 09, 2024 | 04:31 PM IST | 383.7K

John Cena (PC- Getty Images)

Professional wrestling is identical to a theatrical presentation. Wrestlers play their characters and use stage names that resonate with their respective gimmicks.

Nevertheless, John Cena, the biggest wrestling star of the past two decades, doesn't use a stage name. The sixteen-time WWE Champion's birth name is John Felix Anthony Cena. Dropping the two middle names, he goes by the ring name John Cena.

How did John Cena get to use his real name?

Before WWE, John Cena debuted as a character named The Prototype in a promotion called Ultimate Pro Wrestling. It was a semi-robotic gimmick, which he continued in Ohio Valley Wrestling after signing with WWE. The Prototype gimmick didn't go over well with the fans, requiring WWE to drop the name upon his main roster appearance.

During his WWE debut on June 27, 2002, he used his real name, John Cena. The 47-year-old wrestler turned Hollywood star once stated that he used his real name as his ring name because it suited his in-ring persona.

Moreover, right after his impactful debut, his real name grabbed the attention of WWE fans. Initially, the name John Cena was a great fit for his heel rapper gimmick, The Doctor of Thuganomics. Cena would deride his opponents through his impeccable rapping.

When he turned babyface in 2005, he was a major name without the need to alter his popular stage name.

Does John Cena own the rights to his name?

No, John Cena doesn't own the rights to his name, even though it is his real government name. Once on The Howard Stern Show, the Leader of Cenation confirmed that WWE has ownership of his name, and the company gets a cut from each of his films.

Strangely, Cena cannot use his birth name lawfully elsewhere other than in WWE. Showing gratitude to WWE and Vince McMahon, Cena stated that he didn't mind sharing a portion of his income with the organization that made him WWE's most prominent household name of the modern era.

How many prominent WWE wrestlers have used their real names?

John Cena isn't the only big star to use a real name and succeed. WWE has allowed numerous high-profile stars to use their real names throughout their careers.

Apart from John, noteworthy WWE Superstars such as Bret Hart, Ronda Rousey, Bill Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall have used their actual names in the wrestling ring.