John Cena played the role of an inspirational character for well over a decade in WWE. He became the epitome of fighting evil and giving your best in every situation.

Apart from being a successful wrestler and actor, Cena is also known for his bodybuilding prowess. He was one of the strongest WWE stars during his active years. But Cena’s path to bodybuilding stemmed from the unfortunate past of being bullied as a child.

The 16x-time world champion who never backed down from a challenge in WWE was bullied during his school days. To counter this he decided to bulk up and become a bodybuilder. In an appearance on The Howard Stern show years ago, Cena opened up about his bullying past.

John Cena said he got beat up every day in junior high

John Cena was WWE’s poster boy for fighting the odds and inspiring a new generation of fans. The Doctor of Thuganomics, who taught the young fans to never give up, had to inculcate this thought early on in his childhood when he was getting bullied.

In 2006, he appeared on The Howard Stern Show and narrated his “true comic book story” of becoming a bodybuilder to avoid getting beat up in school. He said he began working out at the age of 12 to keep out the bullies. Stern asked Cena if it was true that he started working out at 12 because he got beat up a lot.

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The Champ replied, “Exactly. It was a true comic book story. I was getting beat up every day in Junior high. I finally started working out.” Stern also questioned whether he learned some self-defense techniques to combat bullying. Cena replied that his being bulked was intimidating enough. The Hollywood actor said, “Not even, that is a pretty intimidating thing.” 

Cena also revealed that he had been working out for nearly 20 years since. It is amazing how being bullied led Cena to become one of the strongest and most well-built WWE stars.

His physique, even today, is impressive, and he looks in perfect shape. His stature as a beefed-up muscular guy also led him to action movie roles in Hollywood.

This was another example of a really inspirational WWE star coming from a difficult childhood to reach global stardom. Interestingly enough, Hulk Hogan, whose character resembled a lot with Cena’s, also got bullied as a child and it motivated him to start working out.

John Cena won many battles in the ring to inspire his fans, but his way to combat bullying as a child is also noteworthy. It transformed him into the physical beast and global icon that he is today.

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