25 Things You Didn't Know About John Cena

1. John Wanted To Play Vince McMahon On Film

John Cena WWE Title 2025
WWE.com

This is highly unlikely to ever happen due to more recent events since, but there was a now-abandoned biopic called Pandemonium planned on Vince McMahon back in 2017. At the time, John Cena was doing everything he could to drum up acting gigs and make something of himself in Hollywood (like his old pal The Rock), but he also knew he was still closely associated with the wrestling world.

So, in 2017, John told the Hollywood Reporter that he'd "love to step into Vince's shoes" and actually play the role of his boss in the movie. In an honest moment, Cena did say that another, more seasoned actor might do a better job than he ever could, but he fancied giving the gig a go anyway. Imagine. It would've been wild to see Cena made up to look like retro Vince as he schemed WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, Hulkamania and more.

Disgraceful events in McMahon's life since mean there's next to no chance the film is ever made. The closest we'll ever get to anything of the sort is his Netflix series from 2024. That didn't go too in-depth on legal stuff or the lawsuit set against him, but it did perform a deep dive on Vince's...unique psyche, life and career.

Maybe Netflix missed a trick by not ringing up John to ask if he'd like to play Vince in certain segments. That would've been totally unnecessary, but he might've gone for it. He was defo game in 2017, that's for sure. In the end, it was a near fall for producers keen on bringing the project to life.

"1...2...he-got-him-no-he-didn't!".

What other facts do you know about John Cena? For more WWE, check out 7 Matches Where John Cena Went FULL WORKRATE and 10 Worst WWE Moments Of 2009

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.