John Cena Once Personified His “Never Give Up” Catchphrase With a Brutal Tale Involving the “Back or His Car”

Published 11/11/2022, 1:07 PM EST

“Never Give Up” is both the iconic catchphrase and the motto of John Cena. Before entering the world of professional wrestling, he had times when he had to struggle to make ends meet. Moreover, there was a time Cena lived at his friend’s house for some time.

That arrangement was not for a long time for ‘The Cenation Leader’. He had to move out after some time and had to stay in his car after that.

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In 2019, John Cena sat for an interview with Playboy where he talked about his life, career, and personal life. He also shared the time he had to move out of his friend’s house and then decided to stay in his car parked in the parking lot of Lincoln, Massachusetts.

The 16-time world champion said, “I was happy in the back of my car. I loved where I was at. Could I have used a more comfortable bed? Absolutely, but I was fine.”

He adds, “It really drove home the point at an early age not to give up, because something good did eventually come up.”

However, Cena said he had to be “extremely resourceful” while staying in his car until he found new housing places. He was working in the store area of Gold’s Gym for $6 an hour and used all the services of the place, especially the showers.

Nevertheless, it was his choice to stay in the car for some time. It was living rent-free, and he saved much of his money at the time. Furthermore, Cena claims it was similar to staying in a home and simple, but nice and clean.

Clearly, Cena faced some tough times in his life while he was struggling. It all changed for the Peacemaker actor when WWE signed him for a developmental contract in OVW.

John Cena did a free pizza challenge to save $50 in his 20s

Cena struggled during his 20s and did odd jobs to make ends meet before joining WWE. However, ‘The Cenation Leader’ didn’t only stay in his car but did a pizza challenge when he was a bouncer in Southern California to save his $50 payday.

He shared this story on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Right next to the bar where Cena was a bouncer, there was a pizza shop that had a deep-dish pizza challenge. If a customer ate the entire pizza, they would get it for free. Cena, trying to save his $50, went there every day and completed the challenge.

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However, after a few days, the owner “ran out of pizza”. Therefore, he told Cena, “Dude if you want a free slice, just ask alright. Don’t eat the whole thing.”

The WWE legend smartly saved his $50 to live the entire next day and also made a deal for his food with the pizza shop owner.

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Written by:

Tushar Deogharkar is a WWE writer at EssentiallySports. Tushar has done his Master's in Tourism Management and is an ardent fan of pro wrestling. He follows WWE and AEW very closely and wants to learn how the promotions are run.

Edited by:

Sreeda U M

John Cena Once Personified His “Never Give Up” Catchphrase With a Brutal Tale Involving the “Back or His Car”

John Cena did a free pizza challenge to save $50 in his 20s

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