For most people, all there is to say about someone like John Cena it has already been said. The man is a modern day legend of the wrestling industry thanks to his countless accolades in WWE and the many championships he has managed to win throughout his career. Still, not even someone as legendary as John Cena is immune to a few body transformations.
The man has had some periods where he was absolutely screwed and others where most fans will remember his image. Even taking a lot of time out of the ring doesn’t seem to have changed much in John Cena’s physique, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t changed at all.
10 Dinner’s childhood
Obviously, when John Cena was a kid, he wasn’t going to suplex someone with The Rock’s build. Even though it’s exactly what most people picture when they think of John Cena as a child, it’s still interesting to see someone who would become a cultural phenomenon as an everyday person.
He has the classic skinny build that most people probably had at one point, which almost makes it all the more impressive to see what Cena would ultimately become. If there’s anything to be said for this, it’s that it’s a humble beginning for John Cena.
9 John Cena the bodybuilder
The thing about John Cena is that he has almost always been in good shape. Before starting to compete as a wrestler, the man decided to compete as a bodybuilder, meaning his physique was sure to be impressive from a young age.
This period would have been a little before his 1999 start on the independent circuit of the wrestling industry. It’s fun to see Cena tanned and posing as strong as he can, especially when you consider that in a few short years, he would become the Doctor of Thuganomics.
8 The prototype
A lot of people seem unaware that Cena wasn’t just given the keys to WWE. He paid his dues on the independent circuit in Ultimate Pro Wrestling. At this point in his career, he was known as The Prototype, and it’s not hard to see why.
Even as a young man, Cena was probably more impressive than most of the other people he wrestled with. Although, it’s probably safe to say that his hair wasn’t doing him any favors, even if he did have a great physique.
7 Dinner at OVW
When John Cena came to OVW, he was in fantastic shape. He’s instantly recognizable, even if he was still making questionable decisions with his hair, but it looked like the man was ready to fight anyone.
At this point, Cena was actually a bit leaner than he usually is, with some pretty clear abs on display, and what might be slightly smaller pecs than he would end up with. Clearly, Cena wasn’t done working out in the gym.
6 dinner debut
John Cena’s debut is memorable for a number of reasons, but for a lot of people, one of the main ones is that he looked like a complete jerk. Of course, as silly as anyone thinks he looked, it’s hard not to credit his physique.
He seemed to have lost the extra midsection definition from his OVW days, but he made up for it by getting even more excited in his first few matches. He had also managed to become a bit more vascular, making him really look like every muscle on him was bulging. He is definitely not a bad physique to debut for the whole world to see.
5 The Thuganomics Doctor
While Cena’s Thuganomics era from 2002 to 2005 was a bit of a pain, many people remember it fondly. During this era, the man did not miss a beat and managed to keep his physique in top shape at all times.
Depending on the time period and photos on offer, Cena cut himself incredibly during this time. He might have been a bit smaller in overall physical size compared to later years, but getting those abs back fits his occasionally pompous character from that era.
4 The champion is here
When John Cena initially picked up the WWE Championship for a big reign in 2005, he didn’t stand out much on a visual level. His physique was fantastic, and it looks like he put on some extra muscle to transition to the head of the card, making it clear he was working.
The early championship runs of Cena’s career are probably his most physically impressive, as the man was absolutely massive and often had highly visible abs. He pretty much always looked like a specimen whenever he picked someone up for an Attitude Adjustment.
3 return from injury
Back in 2007, John Cena suffered a serious pectoral injury that required surgery for proper repair. When someone sustains a major injury, there’s no telling how someone will come back, or even if they will.
Fortunately, Cena made a triumphant return at the 2008 Royal Rumble, and it seemed like he hadn’t missed a moment of action. Cena not only looked great next to huge men like Batista and Triple H, but once again he was totally ripped as well.
2 Money in the bank
A lot of people were surprised that someone like John Cena would win Money in the Bank in 2012, but it ended up making sense in the long run. During this period, Mr. Money in the Bank looked fantastic. Still utterly aroused, Cena could have been as vascular as ever in this age.
Cena could have been doing anything and working with anyone at this point in his career, and he would look fantastic while doing it. Few people on the list could match the look he had, and that was especially true considering this time period was “the punk era.”
one The era of part-time work
These days, people might expect John Cena to be slacking off in the gym a bit thanks to how busy he’s been in Hollywood, but that’s clearly not the case. Despite getting there in age and having quite a busy schedule, Cena still looks great.
It looks like he might have lost a bit of muscle definition in his arms, but that’s to be expected, the guy can’t work every muscle group if he needs to film every day. Still, the definition to him is there, the vascularity is there, and the overall size is still incredibly impressive for a man in his late forties.