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00:00I've explored a lot of new places while making this show,
00:05but few have impacted sports entertainment like my destination today.
00:10Thank you.
00:15Welcome to a place of accomplishment and integrity.
00:19Welcome to Hard Knocks Out.
00:21This is the gym of the one and only John Cena.
00:26John Cena is here!
00:29The champ is here!
00:34There is no longer a debate.
00:37John Cena is the ghost.
00:41John Cena's life has been a series of twists and turns.
00:45From his humble beginnings as an outcast in West Newberry, Massachusetts,
00:49to a record-setting 17-time WWE World Champion and Hollywood star.
00:56Please welcome everybody's favorite!
00:59John Cena!
01:00You can't see me!
01:02I'm a delicate flower!
01:04John has truly done it all, with one constant throughout, an iron paradise to call home.
01:13This place has been a functioning part of my life for 20 years.
01:18Mm-hm.
01:19It's evolved just as I have through the 25 years of WWE, but as it evolves, it still is a very functional part of my life.
01:27An important part of your life.
01:29Very much so.
01:30I'm Stephanie McMahon and I love WWE.
01:35Stephanie McMahon!
01:37I'm on a quest to hear the stories behind the biggest superstars and legends in WWE history.
01:46Here we go.
01:47So come join me on the trip of a lifetime.
01:57You picked this location.
01:59Yeah.
02:00So tell me about where we are and why it means so much to you.
02:04So we are in the halls of Hard Knock South.
02:07We opened the doors here in 2008.
02:09What made you want to start this gym?
02:11Um, I would, believe it or not, I was just sick of working out at places.
02:15This building came up and, uh, bought it.
02:18The name Hard Knock South is taken from the original location in Amesbury, Massachusetts, where John trained during his formative years.
02:28This is a very safe space for conversation to be kicked around, for you to have a bad day, but not stay in a bad day.
02:36And, like, in here we right the ship.
02:39I've never trained even when I didn't want to and ever said, man, I wish I didn't do that.
02:45No kidding, right?
02:46Hearing John talk about his gym, it's obvious how much he cares about it.
02:51And it's not just important to him.
02:53It's important to a particular part of WWE history.
02:57Before the creation of the WWE Performance Center in 2013, many up-and-coming WWE superstars trained right here as they looked to follow in John's footsteps.
03:12We had our golden years, so to speak, from, like, 2009 to, like, 2015.
03:17Right next to the huge American flag is the top ten of all-time list.
03:22These are all-time bests of the gym.
03:24It is E-Tour's world, and we're all just living in it.
03:27This is a 575 raw bench that puts him in a very elite class with the world, actually.
03:33It's been really cool to see it evolve from the weightlifting competitions that we used to have in, like, the Camelot era of 09 to 15 to, like, it's kind of a place where the families all get together now.
03:59Here we are, sitting in the gym, one of us dressed for the occasion.
04:04You know, it's like a big thing to figure out what to wear, right? Especially as a woman, and so...
04:13We both should have communicated.
04:14And, you know, I thought about that. I'm like, I should have texted him last night and just...
04:18We should have planned this out.
04:20Well, I didn't know. I didn't know if you were gonna try to make me do something, so I came ready.
04:25Now that I know I should have dressed more professionally, I was eager to learn more about John and how he first discovered WWE.
04:34Do you remember your first exposure to WWE?
04:38Yeah. You guys did something in conjunction with MTV to build up WrestleMania 1.
04:43I'm the incredible Hulk Hogan, the main man in your rock wrestling connection around MTV.
04:48MTV showed the entire match of Hogan Sheik, MSG, where Hogan won the championship.
04:55He's got us! We have a new champion!
05:00I'm seven to eight years old, and now I'm like, yo, this is the coolest thing ever.
05:06We're at it! It's underway! Look at this! Back and forth! Oh, breaking the eyes of Roddy Roddy Piper!
05:15It was so marginalized in life. It was so incredible. Especially to a young mind. It's like, man, this superhero's real!
05:23Do you believe this is happening?
05:25It was the Rock Wrestling Connection! Everything we stand for!
05:29I was around for the Rock and Wrestling Connection, and I was a huge fan of MTV. That's all I ever watched.
05:35Of course.
05:36So for me to also see it... We're in the same...
05:38Yeah, yeah. I'm a little older than you are.
05:41By like, a few months...
05:43I'm still older.
05:44Well, children of the same generation, because wrestling was on MTV, I got to watch MTV.
05:51I watched that in my next door neighbor, acres away. He had to go through a path in the woods to get to this kid's house.
05:57My parents wouldn't let us watch MTV.
05:59Okay.
06:00And we could always watch MTV at this other kid's house.
06:03Who's the first artist you fell in love with?
06:05I remember specifically all the stuff that I wasn't supposed to listen to.
06:11Two Live Crew from Miami, NWA from the West Coast.
06:16And because I was the one kid in an area who really connected with this as a rebellious way to say to my parents,
06:24I embraced everything.
06:27High top fade.
06:29The airbrush overalls.
06:30I was wearing my jerseys backwards.
06:33One strap.
06:34One strap.
06:35Yes, of course.
06:37Of course.
06:38Come on.
06:39Compounding interest.
06:41My brother Steve was a nerd.
06:43And he was in high school.
06:44And like, it's a small town.
06:45So like, the junior high is here.
06:47The high school is here.
06:48They line the buses up.
06:49My bus happened to be here.
06:51So I have to walk through all the high school kids.
06:53Boy, am I an easy target.
06:54There's the kid in turquoise polka dots with the high top fade.
06:57Kid.
06:58I was getting bullied.
07:00And how did you handle that?
07:02So I was like, man, I don't want to learn how to fight.
07:05But if I make myself stronger, maybe they'll leave me alone.
07:10And then my grandfather finally convinced my dad to get me a weight set for my 12th Christmas gift.
07:17My parents gave me like my own corner of the house.
07:20It was very small, but it was like a nice little space where I could go and be me.
07:25I could play my rap music and no one would mess around with me.
07:28So that became a part of the routine.
07:30When we got to high school when I was a freshman, I'd already lifted weights for like two and a half years.
07:36And that helped me gain a little bit of fluency in football, which, oh man, you can help our team win.
07:42You're all right.
07:43You're pretty cool.
07:44You became a part.
07:45Yes.
07:46Part of the team.
07:47Yes.
07:48John succeeded on the gridiron, earning a spot on the Springfield College football team where he became an NCAA All-American.
07:58So I wasn't like, what did I want out of life?
08:01I just graduated with a degree in ex-fiz and kines.
08:04This was just after the year 2000.
08:06The base of health and fitness was certainly in Southern California.
08:10Mm-hmm.
08:11Kind of all roads led through Los Angeles.
08:14I landed with two duffel bags full of clothes and 500 bucks.
08:19You have quite a story, right?
08:21I mean, when you first started off, you were living out of your car.
08:25By choice, though.
08:26I don't want to paint that as like a woe is me.
08:29But what's it like living out of your car?
08:31It was dope.
08:32Yeah?
08:33It was a 91 Lincoln Continental.
08:34I was 20 years old.
08:36So I felt bulletproof every day.
08:38I didn't know what joint pain felt like.
08:42I had a nice big back seat and then the front seat reclined.
08:45I mean, those cars were good.
08:46And you had a radio.
08:47I had a radio.
08:48I had AC.
08:49No satellite at the time.
08:50No satellite at the time.
08:51Yeah.
08:52But like I got to sleep in the parking lot at Gold's, wake up, use the locker room to shower,
08:57clock in, get paid to be there, and then train after hours.
09:01So I did not know that you wanted to be a Marine before you got into WWE.
09:05So I chose the Marines because I failed at everything else.
09:11Tried to apply my degree.
09:12And no strength company would take me or a fitness company would take me.
09:16I tried to be a cop.
09:17I failed the CHP exam.
09:18Like, I was like, man, I kind of just work in the front desk at Gold's Venice.
09:23And that's enough.
09:24Like, I get to train every day.
09:26It's cool.
09:27I'm well fed.
09:28I'm good.
09:29But I got to think more long term.
09:30Like, what's the next play?
09:32And I wanted to remain physical.
09:34I wanted to keep myself at a top level of performance.
09:38So I'm like, the Marines, they pretty much seem like they would do that.
09:42So I was going to drive down and sign up.
09:44And like, literally the weekend I was going to go, my buddy was like, man, we're training
09:48over in Orange County.
09:49Would you ever want to do that?
09:50I was like, I'll take a look at it.
09:52And I remember driving into LA Boxing.
09:54It's a one-story glass building.
09:56And I could see the ring through the glass.
09:58And I was like, I will deal with the suck Monday through Friday.
10:03Because on the weekends, I'll be the superhero.
10:06And that's how I approached him.
10:09John dove head first into the wrestling business and became known as the prototype.
10:15They're a protobomb.
10:17Wait a minute.
10:18Two, three.
10:19That's it, folks.
10:21Catching the attention of WWE.
10:25John Cena made his official WWE debut in 2002 against one of the biggest legends in the history
10:33of amateur and professional wrestling, Hall of Famer Kurt Angle.
10:39What is the one quality that you possess that makes you think that you can walk out here
10:48and come into the ring and face the very best in the business?
10:54Ruthless aggression.
10:57Oh!
10:58Holy!
10:59Oh, man!
11:00See the kids?
11:01Take an angle down!
11:03I remember being fortunate enough to get my first contract.
11:08And then being like, I have made it in life.
11:11Because I have a chance to do this as a vocation.
11:15And I'm never gonna have to wear a suit.
11:18I have beat the system.
11:20With John's initial impact waning, his excitement for the business soon turned sour.
11:26Frustration by John Cena.
11:28I'm sure he needs to keep his cool a little bit, but John Cena's still a rookie.
11:31He's got tons of skills, though, in that ring.
11:33He felt his on-screen character was too generic.
11:36And the audience wasn't connecting with him.
11:39This is another thing I love about sports entertainment.
11:42You know if you sucked right away.
11:45And there are many nights I have sucked.
11:47I wasn't stressed to be like, gotta be perfect.
11:53I was more stressed in the fact that I didn't know who I was.
11:57Oftentimes, when someone is looking to find themselves,
12:01All they need to do is focus on what they love.
12:05For John Cena, he realized there was a lifestyle and a soundtrack that had been with him all along.
12:12Inside is the jump off.
12:14Hip-hop.
12:16One day, John was freestyling on the WWE bus.
12:21I was blown away when he impromptu rapped for me about the tuna fish sandwich I was eating.
12:27I was part of the WWE creative team at the time and thought this talent could be exactly what he needed.
12:35You happen to overhear me.
12:37Like, and then you being like, yeah, you wanna do this on TV?
12:40Welcome to the SmackDown Halloween party.
12:44I learned from not standing out, to stand out.
12:48I gotta go, it's been a blast.
12:50Came out the locker room, stole Rey Mysterio's mask.
12:52Tried to get Taker's cast, but it was plastered on too tight.
12:55Peace, I gotta go about the hot wire spike.
12:58John had finally discovered his character.
13:05John Cena, the doctor of Thuganomics.
13:10As the doctor of Thuganomics, Cena's notoriety grew by going after superstars like The Undertaker.
13:17Fans won't even miss you.
13:19You ain't a dead man.
13:21You just a dead issue.
13:24And over the next few years, his career flourished.
13:27His character evolved.
13:29He became a multi-time world champion.
13:33And ultimately, a hero to fans all over the world.
13:38As John's stardom grew, he found even more ways to connect with the WWE Universe.
13:45John Cena!
13:47Oh, ow!
13:48You have my hands!
13:50What's up?
13:51You are the number one Make-A-Wish grantor of all time.
13:56One, two, three.
13:57You can't see me!
13:58You are strong.
13:59I like that one the best.
14:00It's a charity that I've come to know and love.
14:01I admire the fact that we can bring people into our world who are going through somewhat of a difficult time, give them a day's worth of escape, or give them an experience that they'll never forget.
14:18Can I be your partner?
14:19If I get stuck, I may have to ask you.
14:23And then you get immediate suspension of disbelief.
14:26You get a true day off.
14:28Ladies and gentlemen, this is KJ, and the champ is here!
14:36Any time, it's like, oh, Make-A-Wish wants you to do this.
14:39No problem.
14:40Let's do it.
14:41Those people who have setbacks, and their one wish is to spend some time with you.
14:46I mean, that's it.
14:49Now, John Cena has granted over 600 wishes in his career.
14:59It's not just about meeting the person, right, the superstar, but then it's about the ultimate distraction.
15:08Perfect.
15:09That child doesn't have to think about being sick, or what medications they're going to take.
15:19And those parents are watching their child be free of all of that, and hopefully free of pain for a few moments.
15:31So, just thank you for making such a difference and providing so much hope to so many kids and their families throughout all these years.
15:41The cool thing about those moments is that I can tell because of our emotion that it's an absolute boomerang.
15:48Whatever you think you give to somebody, they give back to you exponentially.
15:52But I don't need a thank you, because I was there.
15:55That's enough.
15:58John's natural charisma shined through, both in and out of the ring.
16:03And this time, it was Hollywood that took notice.
16:06Right now we have the John Cena.
16:09Fun day.
16:10We're premiering Fast 10.
16:11It's a great movie.
16:12We got a great crowd out there.
16:14As his star continued to rise, John began to split his time between WWE and the big screen.
16:22And his blossoming film career led him to the love of his life.
16:28Here's a big question.
16:30Yeah?
16:31How did you meet your wife?
16:33Your bride?
16:34So, this goes in line with kind of my whole life by accident.
16:39It was Super Bowl about six years ago.
16:43Patriots are playing, and I didn't want to leave my apartment in Vancouver.
16:46I just got there.
16:47I was starting to film a movie because I didn't want to jinx the team.
16:50A friend of mine convinced me to go out to a hole in the wall.
16:53I got to watch the game.
16:54In walks a group of four, and I can't take my eyes off of Shea.
16:59They're in the booth right across from us, so I'm watching their TV, they're watching mine, and I'm just doing this.
17:06I'm like, my team is winning, and I don't give a .
17:11And I don't have the bravery to break the ice.
17:15And her friend comes up.
17:18She's like, hey, can I have a picture with you?
17:21I'm like, only if I can get a picture with her.
17:24And she says, well, to be honest, I didn't want a picture with you.
17:27I was asking for her anyway.
17:28I'm like, you're kidding me.
17:30So we get together, and I'm like, hey, could I give you my phone number?
17:35Could I have yours?
17:36And she said, yes.
17:37I was 10 steps out of that joint.
17:40When I stopped, went into a back alley in Vancouver, and was like, I need to spend more time with you.
17:47And she said, sure.
17:48It was a Wednesday, cool.
17:49I said, I'll make it happen.
17:50Man, we met Mattick at the same place, and we sat down at 6, and they kicked us out at 1 in the morning.
17:56Just me and her.
17:58Man, I met her by accident.
18:01I always just kind of let life deal me the cards, and knowing that this could be something, and it's time to push some chips in.
18:10I was willing to see the energy and be like, man, push in on this.
18:15See where it takes you.
18:17As John's personal life continued to flourish, he made a major decision about his in-ring career.
18:25Tonight, I officially announce my retirement from the WWE.
18:30WrestleMania will be my last WrestleMania.
18:35But hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, we're going straight through from January to December.
18:41And that'll be the end of my in-ring competition.
18:44How did you get there?
18:46By continuously coming here and being disappointed, and then asking myself the question of, this place usually makes me feel good.
18:54Why do I feel bad?
18:56And it was because I'm surrounded by pictures, by numbers.
19:01That's a 600-pound squat, or that's a cleaning jerk with 330 pounds, or that's a 300-pound snatch.
19:07I can't even do those lifts anymore because my body's so beat up.
19:12So as soon as I got through that jagged pill of like, oh, man, I am never going to overhead press 374 pounds ever again.
19:20But let's work to see what the best I can for today is.
19:24You know, it's a very similar course to WWE.
19:30My skills are on the regress.
19:33If I continue at a full-time physical capability or involvement, I'm not going to run right.
19:40And my partner's not going to run right.
19:42And our relationship isn't going to run right.
19:45Sorry, kid.
19:46It's time to close this chapter.
19:49I wish I was 18.
19:51I wish I felt great because I don't feel more at home besides in the arms of my wife than I do on a canvas.
20:00I had to pitch this idea a real wrestling farewell and hoping that they would see the business in it.
20:08And they were like, yes, this is going to be good.
20:13As John embarked on his farewell tour, he wanted to change things up in a big way.
20:20After nearly 20 years of being the biggest hero in WWE, John Cena shocked the world by becoming a heinous villain.
20:33What the?
20:35Oh, my God, John.
20:36What the hell are you doing?
20:38I don't need to single out anyone here because you are all horrible people.
20:48We're not going to talk about the heel.
20:50Can I just say I love you as a heel?
20:52And I tried to get you to be a heel for a very long time.
20:54But, man, I love it.
20:55I love it.
20:56I love it.
20:57Some really good people to learn from.
21:00And you are in a very short list of names that that falls into.
21:04I flat-out steal a lot from you.
21:08Wow.
21:09Well, that's, uh...
21:10So, thanks for helping me through this.
21:12Get her out of here!
21:15She's pathetic!
21:16What?
21:17Loser!
21:18You use me as an excuse for your pathetic failure of a life.
21:26I think you give me way too much credit.
21:28Like, way too much credit.
21:30You never know how you affect people.
21:33While John didn't want to talk about what he's currently doing as a character, I wanted
21:39to delve into his mindset as a person while his WWE career nears its end.
21:46Now you're almost at the end, right?
21:50This is the last year.
21:522025.
21:53Yeah, I know.
21:55Right?
21:56How have you changed in your perspective even of John Cena in the business from when
22:04you first started to now here you are at the end of your wrestling career?
22:11Your farewell tour.
22:13What are your biggest lessons along that journey?
22:18That's a great question.
22:20It is an absolute fictitious dream job that I'm so lucky that it exists.
22:30It is something that I never knew how much I needed in my life and still to this day is
22:39something that I can't live without.
22:42Also, it ends for everyone.
22:47If this is the most important thing in your life, if this is the tip of your spear, it's
22:51going to be all of your decisions are based off of that.
22:54And for a good 15 to 16 years, the tip of my spear was making the town.
23:02That's why 10 years ago, if you asked me, I would have said I've been put on this earth
23:06to be a WWE superstar.
23:08And now at 48, I know I'm not.
23:10When people lean into concepts like immortality and like legacy, a lot of the retirement questions
23:17have been like, what do you want your legacy to be?
23:19I don't care.
23:20I don't.
23:21What I'm grateful for is I had a chance to be the man in the arena.
23:27That is beautiful.
23:29I think you are such a massive part of this company's evolution.
23:34And I know you will continue to leave your mark even well beyond your in-ring years.
23:40And I know that's not your goal.
23:42It's not your goal to be a legacy persona, so to speak, but you can't help but be.
23:50I love the WWE.
23:53I'm always going to try to get people to experience and get invested in because, man, it's made
24:01my life this crazy roller coaster.
24:05Regardless of what hangs on the walls or lies on the floor, this has been a place of mental
24:11stability and growth for me over the past 20 years.
24:15And this conversation is absolutely what this place is about.
24:20You've been very important and instrumental in my life, and I meant what I said.
24:24In the moments that I needed you there, without you even knowing, you were a guiding light that
24:31was unbelievably effective.
24:34And I know that's not over, so thanks for that.
24:38I'm always here.
24:40I know.
24:41I know.
24:42All right.
24:43We hug it out.
24:44Yep.
24:45You were going to tease you about the mic.
24:46Yep.
24:47And I was, like, looking at it, hoping you didn't hit your head, and then I did.
24:52Hard Knock South was the perfect place to reflect on John's career.
24:58So much can be learned from his journey and his perspective on a life that was fueled between
25:04these walls.
25:05And I can't wait to see what the future holds for John Cena.
25:12And I can't wait to see him.
25:13Have you worked with this crew?
25:14Uh, we've, we were, uh, we did some work when I was in elementary school together.
25:19We've come up together.
25:20Oh, yeah?
25:21Yeah, these are all Florida guys.
25:22Um, little Timmy over there.
25:24Big Jake.
25:25And, uh, Lazy Mitch.
25:27He's on camera A.
25:28It's one of those reverse nicknames, he's a hard worker.
25:30No.
25:31No.
25:32I'm like, I know you didn't grow up in Florida.
25:35I don't know.
25:36Yeah, I don't know.
25:37Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh.
25:39There he is.
25:40estimates down on earth.
25:41We're lost.
25:42A.
25:42We've lost.
25:43I've lost.
25:44We lost!
25:45We lost!
25:46We lost!
25:47We lost!
25:48We lost!
25:49We lost!
25:49We lost!
25:50And I said, man.
25:50We lost!
25:51And they were lost!
25:52And discovered the whole world of oss Bye Finanzios!
25:54Ah, uh, I, uh, uh, that's now.
25:55And you don't know.
25:55Uh, that's, uh, I was oh wait.
25:57Hi-Oh!
25:58Onzonca!
25:59You're fast!
26:00We watch for dinner.
26:01Uh!
26:01draufcar comfort.