John Cena remembers the past to be grateful for the present.
At the dawn of the millennium, there was no guarantee that Cena would become one of the biggest stars of wrestling in the 21st century and be a household name in the world of entertainment. Deciding to take a chance on himself when wrestling was at its hottest, the first paychecks did not scream Superstar.
Speaking with Logan Paul on the Impaulsive podcast, Cena discussed his journey that began in Ultimate Pro Wrestling, advancing to Ohio Valley Wrestling and eventually an onscreen role in WWE. Discussing his first contract, Cena struggled at a time when he chose to pursue his dream:
“There was a moment where I knew there was a possible path, and that was when I got my first contract. I’m very vocal about this, because of the times, it was height of the WCW-WWF wars where everyone was under contract because they didn’t want you going to the other place. It was like the .com war. You have a .com? I’ll buy it. My first contract was for $12,500 a year. I quit my job. I still lived in Los Angeles. I had to operate pretty lean. I didn’t have to, I chose to.
In all the stories I tell, ‘I lived in my car,’ I did that by choice. I had a warm bed and roof over my head in Massachusetts. My dad is the most giving person to his sons, ‘You always have a home here, I’ll always take care of you.’ I wanted to do that. I chose to go through some hardships to be where I’m at. I quit because my philosophy was, ‘This is my job. I’m being paid, I’m a professional. This is my job.
Cena continued, noting how he did whatever it took to advance in the industry and how much he was paid when he made it to the WWE main roster in 2002:
I will find a way to make it work because someone has bet on me and if I don’t let them down, I can inch forward. I did that. My second contract was for like $25,000. Then, they moved me to Kentucky, and it became $50,000. They moved me to TV and it became $75,000. Then, I ended up signing a better deal and a better deal,”
John Cena Regrets Infamous Promo
Having been a part of the company for over 2 decades, the 16-time World Champion has faced off against every top star of the past 20 years. Arguably Cena’s most high-profile rivalry was with The Rock, which saw the two legends face off at consecutive WrestleMania main events. When discussing his rivalry with The Rock, John Cena admitted that there are parts of the feud that he regrets.
H/t to Fightful.