John Cena is one of the biggest names in WWE history as the guy who was the face of the company for a decade during the Ruthless Aggression Era and beyond. He got there because of his talent and charisma, but also because of his physique. It's no secret that Vince McMahon loved the bodybuilder look. Heck, he was a bodybuilder himself. Names such as Hulk Hogan, Triple H, Batista, and Cena, just to name a few, reached the main event of WWE partially because of their comic book hero-like appearance. Today, now in his late 40s, John Cena is still as muscular as ever, but did the current WWE Champion ever use steroids to make it happen?

John Cena Was A Bodybuilder Before His Wrestling Days

In OVW, John Cena Was Called "The Prototype"

• John Cena began lifting weights when he was just 12.
• Cena gave up amateur bodybuilding for professional wrestling.
• "The Prototype" was a heel who gave promos about how he had the perfect body.

In a 2015 interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, John Cena talked about growing up in Boston and how he started weight training at the age of 12 after his dad bought him a bench. A few years later, he was confident enough to start going to the gym, which led to him becoming a competitive bodybuilder. Fallon showed Cena a photo of the future WWE Hall of Famer at 21 in a bodybuilding contest. With his extremely ripped physique and deep tan, it's almost hard to tell that it's Cena, who joked:

"I made this stupid decision that I wanted to go on stage with a bunch of other guys and oil myself up, but you know what, I'm over it, because now for a job I go out on a stage with other dudes and oil myself up."

John Cena has been very muscular since his teens, so when he gave up amateur bodybuilding for wrestling, it was an easy choice to base his character off of his appearance. Cena made his wrestling debut in 1999 in Ultimate Pro Wrestling not under his real name but under the gimmick of "The Prototype". In early promos, John Cena was a heel who spoke about having the perfect body, a character that he carried over to WWE when he arrived in Ohio Valley Wrestling.

Did John Cena Ever Use Steroids?

John Cena's Muscles Were Built Naturally

• John Cena told Howard Stern that he has never taken steroids.
• The WWE Wellness Program was created after the death of Eddie Guerrero.
• Cena has never tested positive for steroids in WWE.

John Cena has always been muscular as an adult, but he did get much bigger in WWE. Was this just because he wasn't trying to cut like when he was a bodybuilder and was now simply eating more, or did Cena give into temptation and use steroids to aid his physique?

In a 2024 interview with Howard Stern, the King of All Media asked the leader of the Cenation if he used steroids. Cena insisted that he's 100% clean, and that today his body is still naturally built. Of course, we have to take his word for it. Wrestlers in the 80s and 90s were widely known for taking steroids, but after the tragic death of Eddie Guerrero in November 2005, WWE created a Wellness Program to screen for drugs like prescription medications and anabolic steroids. Although many WWE wrestlers have been suspended over the years because of Wellness violations, Cena has never been among them. If he had, it would have destroyed his reputation as the face of WWE and the hero to so many kids.

John Cena Still Has An Intense Workout Schedule

Cena's Muscles Have Helped With His Hollywood Career

• Cena said he has weighed the same since he was a teenager.
• Lifting weights is John Cena's meditation.
• Cena's physique has been used for both action movies and comedy.

John Cena told Howard Stern that he's been 225 pounds since he was 17, and to this day he still spends a lot of time in the gym. Cena added:

"I love it. It’s kind of like my meditation. It’s a place that I have to be present. Or else you’re gonna get hurt. So, in being present and exerting yourself physically, I just feel less stressed when I leave. Like, I don’t worry about anything while I’m in there except what I’m doing. And then I ended up leaving calmer and in a better place. And when I walked in.”

John Cena's muscular physique helped him get to the top of WWE, but it has also helped him in his acting career. Without those muscles, he wouldn't have been in The Marine or Peacemaker, but he has also used his body to comedic effect, from being dressed up as a mermaid for Barbie or walking out onto the stage naked at the Academy Awards.

The only unnatural work John Cena has done lately is getting a hair transplant to hide his bald spot. But that's not his fault. As he recently told Pat McAfee, he did it because of fans bullying him. So, while John Cena's muscles might be 100% clean, that hair on the back of his head sure isn't.