Celebrity3 min(s) read
Published 16:17 02 Jan 2023 GMT
The WWE reportedly still receives a cut of John Cena's earnings on anything he does.
The wrestler-turned-actor, who first made a name for himself with the professional wrestling company - becoming a 16-time world champion since beginning a career in professional wrestling in 1999.
Over the past decade or so, however, Cena has dabbled in acting, having made his acting debut in several films produced by WWE Studios. His first major movie project outside of the WWE was Amy Schumer's Trainwreck in 2015 and, over the next few years, had roles in numerous other major flicks.
Despite being part of multiple projects outside of WWE, the 45-year-old is still permitted to give the company a percentage of his earnings on anything he does.
This is due to the fact that Cena chose to use his real name when appearing as a wrestler, meaning WWE acquired the rights to his name. This, therefore, gives WWE the right to take a small percentage of his earnings.
Cena clearly has no issue with this, however, having given credit to Vince McMahon - the former CEO of WWE - and the company for helping him become a big name in the industry. "I don't mind kicking a percentage of my earnings to the person who gave me a chance and an opportunity [...] I owe that guy [McMahon] a lot," he said back in 2006 during an appearance on Howard Stern.
As for Cena's future projects, he is set to star in at least two movies this year - including Fast X, the tenth main installment in the Fast and Furious franchise. It finished filming in August, and reportedly took place in London, Rome, Turin, Los Angeles, and Lisbon. It's not known exactly how much WWE receives from Cena's projects, though it must be a significant number given the prolific nature of his appearances.
The Massachusetts native has previously spoken about his transition from wrestling to acting, telling the In the Envelope: The Actor's Podcast that his lack of professional training in acting made it quite difficult for him.
"I'm not professionally qualified. I have a street sense or guerilla training in everything that comes to marketing and promotion and branding, performing in front of a live audience, and acting. All of my education is from people I can learn from, not in a formal classroom and not because I chose it as a career path at a young age," he stated.
Cena returned to WWE on the December 30th episode of SmackDown, teaming with Kevin Owens to defeat Sami Zayn and current WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a tag team bout.
The match means that Cena has competed in a WWE ring every single year since 2002.
