What happened to John Cena's bodybuilding career?
John Cena is a part-time WWE Superstar and a Hollywood actor, but often, the other side of his career is overlooked. Before his success in the wrestling world, Cena used to be a bodybuilder.
At Springfield College in Massachusetts, John Cena was determined to have a career in bodybuilding. In a way, he found some success in this career path as well.
John Cena's bodybuilding career: How did he make his start?
John Cena graduated from college with a degree in exercise physiology. He was not very financially fortunate at this point, and he made the move to the "Mecca of bodybuilding" - Venice, California.
The moment he reached there, Cena dove head-first into the bodybuilding scene. He trained at Venice Beach Gold's Gym. He used to work any job possible there, including cleaning toilets. The gym was one of the top gyms in the area, with many top bodybuilders working out there.
He stuck to his philosophy of working hard, but faced a disadvantage. He didn't have the money for the steroids that many bodybuilders used at the time. As a result, he competed in the "natural" bodybuilding competitions.
While there, Cena even got featured in an advertisement for Gold's Gym.
The commercial was crucial to his later development as it allowed him to get noticed. Unfortunately for his bodybuilding career, when Cena's first offer came in the professional wrestling circles, his life took him on a different path.
John Cena started off with Ultimate Pro Wrestling. Within years, he signed a contract with WWE. There, he would become one of the most successful and famous wrestlers to work in the company.
Check out: John Cena's Complete Workout Routine here
What did John Cena do to survive during his bodybuilding career?
While John Cena took part in various bodybuilding competitions, for the most part, he didn't achieve the success that would allow him to pursue bodybuilding independently.
Instead, he had to look at alternative means to make money and to survive there. Coming from a less fortunate background, he had to work multiple jobs and even drove a limousine for some of the time he was in Venice, California.