"I didn't have money" - John Cena opens up on living in his car before signing with WWE

Having the kind of career John Cena did in WWE is a dream for any young wrestler starting their journey. However, in a recent interview, Cena opened up about the phase before he joined the company, which wasn't as hunky-dory as his time in the Stamford-based promotion.

Cena was the face of WWE for over a decade, and that was quite an extraordinary achievement. He ended up being the top fan attraction but the former United States Champion didn't start his career on a high, losing his first match to Kurt Angle. However, he picked up his career after the loss and became one of the most decorated superstars in the business.

Recently, on a recent episode of Hart to Heart, the superstar spoke about his life before joining the Stamford-based promotion. John Cena said that he used to live in his car and didn't have enough money to even afford a pizza.

"I failed to the point of like, man I'm like living in my car. I love it out here but I think I gotta go back. I took the California Highway Patrol exam, failed. So I was gonna be a cop, failed. Every avenue of fitness, failed. I remember bouncing at a place called Sharky's in Hermosa Beach and there was a pizza place, Zeppe's Pizza, right next to Sharky's. They had a deal where they had a challenge if you could eat their whole pizza, you got it for free. I used to eat there every night, a whole pizza, so I didn't have to pay because I didn't have money to pay the guy," said Cena.

John Cena won several titles during his illustrious career, including the WWE Championship a whopping 13 times, the World Heavyweight Championship three times, and United States Championship five times.

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John Cena talked about why WWE shifted from a TV-14 rating to PG

In the same interview with Kevin Hart, Cena talked about WWE wanting to grow as a company and gain more followers by shifting from The Attitude Era to the New Era.

"As the company grows, it's trying to gain more of a following, it's trying to gain more of a fanbase," Cena continued. "So you have to act accordingly. The great news is, I feel the talent, the performers are better-taken care of, they're more professional, they're more understanding, they're not as wasteful, they're a lot smarter, they're a lot healthier."

John Cena is now making a name for himself outside of WWE, featuring in a lot of top Hollywood movies. The superstar still takes out time for his fans and shows up in WWE from time to time. He recently talked about his first salary in the Stamford-based promotion. You can check it out here.

What is your favorite John Cena moment? Let us know in the comments section below.

Please credit Hart to Heart and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling if you use any of the quotes mentioned in this article.