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Esquire

John Cena Opens Up About Being Homeless Before the WWE

Justin Kirkland
2 min read
Photo credit: Dia Dipasupil - Getty Images
Photo credit: Dia Dipasupil - Getty Images

The best superheroes (and let's face it, Fast and Furious is a superhero franchise) have the most incredible origin stories. That maxim stands when it comes to the story of John Cena, who opened up about the difficult beginnings of his career. In an interview with The Sun, he explained that when he first got to Los Angeles, fame and success didn't come as quickly as he hoped and the situation landed him in a situation where he had to sleep in his car.

"I slept in my car for a while, which happened to be a very roomy 1991 Lincoln Town Car," he told The Sun. "I had my clothes in the trunk and I slept in the back seat." According to the post, Cena was working at a gym at the time but that didn't particularly cut it when it came to all his expenses. To make do, he'd use the locker rooms at the gym, take his showers there, and go on about his day.

Cena first made the trek out to Hollywood in 1999 from his native state of Massachusetts. In the interview with The Sun, he said that his father didn't believe he had what it took to make it in Hollywood, either. "Dad told me I would be home with my tail between my legs in two weeks," he said, adding, "Sure enough, I went through my resources quickly and had to think on my feet. I didn’t want to go home crying."

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Of course, the combination of resourcefulness and determination paid off. Cena broke into the wrestling circuit in the early 2000s, making his WWE debut in 2002. That led into a whole slew of movies, and now he's starring in one of the biggest action franchises of the last 30 years. No word on how good a roomy 1991 Lincoln Town Car is at drifting, but fortunately, that chapter of Cena's life is closed anyway.

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