These days,John Cenais one of the most notable names in Hollywood but his career was going down a rough path early on until some comedic roles saved him in 2015. Now, Cena is well-known as thestar ofPeacemakerand asJakob Toretto inThe Fast and the Furiousfranchise.
Cena has, like otherpro wrestlers who became actors, found a great way to blend his action star qualities with his comedic chops. In fact, it’s in his funniest roles that Cena is often at his best, whether it’s being raunchy inRicky Stanickyor as an overprotective dad inBlockers.
John Cena has also found success using his comedy skills for hilarious cameos in films likeBarbieandThe Bubble. Early on though, the focus was on action for Cena and that proved troublesome. It was when he showed the world how funny he is that things turned around.
John Cena’s Early Action Roles Were Bashed By Critics
The Roles Weren’t Making The Most Use Of His Talent
Pro wrestlers have found success in movies because a lot of what they do involves acting on a nightly basis. However, the transition isn’t always seamless, and that was especially true with John Cena. His first true foray into acting (outside of an uncredited cameo in the wrestling movieReady to Rumble)was 2006’sThe Marine.
Released under WWE Films,The Marinewas viewed as a generic, yet overblown action flick.He followed that with12 Rounds, which only barely improved in terms of Rotten Tomatoes score (17% to 38%) and was considered something of an empty movie. His next two WWE Films projects scored 19% and 8% on Rotten Tomatoes.
After several critical flops, it looked like John Cena’s acting career was going nowhere but that all changed when he appeared in an acclaimed 2015 comedy.
Outside of those movies, Cena was mostly relegated to appearances in films directed at children and voice acting. After several critical flops, it looked like John Cena’s acting career was going nowhere but that all changed when he appeared in an acclaimed 2015 comedy.
A Small Role In Trainwreck Helped John Cena Break Out
John Cena Is Hilarious As Steven
After not appearing in a live-action movie in about four years,John Cena popped up in 2015’sTrainwreck. Written by and starring Amy Schumer, the movie focuses on a free-spirited writer who enters her first serious relationship with a surgeon (Bill Hader). The film was met with high praise and was nominated for several Golden Globes.
In the movie, John Cena played Steven, a guy addicted to the gym who dates the protagonist. He’s only really in a couple of scenes but Cena is one of the highlights of the film (along with LeBron James). The main scene had Cena’s Steven argue with someone at a movie theater while defending Amy, who was talking loudly.
The key is that, while Steven is massive and could likely beat up whoever he’s arguing with, he’s socially awkward and his threats just ended up sounding like he was hitting on the guy rather than fighting with him.Cena’s delivery of these lines was perfect and showcased his impressive comedic timing.
John Cena’s Cameos In Sisters & Daddy’s Home Were Also Great
2015 Saw A Few More Cena Appearances
John Cena’s performance inTrainwreckcould’ve been seen as a one-off but the actor stepped up in two more comedic parts that year. First, and more notably, there was his role inSisters.The movie starred Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as siblings who throw a party at their parents' house before it gets sold.
Fey and Poehler are comedy legends, so it takes a lot to be able to match them on the screen. John Cena more than managed to do so, popping up as Pazuzu, a drug dealer who knows one of their former classmates. Simply seeing John Cena covered in tattoos and wearing a beanie is enough to be comedy gold.
Of course,Cena again shined with his delivery of lines like, “My safeword is keep going,“while playing off Tina Fey very well. It’s a smaller part than evenTrainwreckbut again was a case of Cena playing against his massive size for comedic effect.
0%
84%
60%
30%
Daddy’s Home 2 (2017)
21%
Playing with Fire (2019)
24%
58%
20%
88%
10%
33%
46%
31%
Heads of State (2025)
Will Derringer
72%
John Cena made one more cameo in 2015, inDaddy’s Home. This appearance was even smaller, as he appeared in only one scene, but he gave off antagonist vibes in a humorous way as the biological father that Mark Wahlberg must deal with regarding his stepkids. Cena parlayed this into a larger role in the sequel.
Since Doing Comedy, John Cena Has Become A Hollywood Star
John Cena Is Kind Of Everywhere
Although the three parts mentioned from 2015 were far from starring roles, they changed the trajectory of John Cena’s career.He was floundering, but once he embraced his comedic chops, he started to show up everywhere. 2017 saw him inDaddy’s Home 2and voicing the titular character in the fun animated movieFerdinand.
From there, it was a hilarious role inBlockersand a villainous turn inBumblebeebefore the 2020s saw him truly take off. It was then that he debuted as Jakob Toretto inF9and as Peacemaker inThe Suicide Squad, roles that he has reprised several times over, including getting his own TV show as Peacemaker.
John Cena has also managed to blend the action and comedy aspects of his career exceptionally well. Even in critical misfires, he shines inFreelanceandJackpot!while also playing off fellow stars like Idris Elba inHeads of Stateor Zac Efron inRicky Stanicky.John Cenahas found a formula that has made him one of Hollywood’s top stars.
