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Topics: John Cena, US News, Film and TV, Entertainment
Dominic Smithers
Topics: John Cena, US News, Film and TV, Entertainment
John Cena is one of the all-time WWE greats. And part of his success, which has seen him gain millions of fans, is down to the fact he is absolutely jacked.
However, as he revealed a few years back, there is actually a dark story to why he began hitting the weights in the gym.
Like a lot of people, the Hollywood star was bullied as a kid, and was 'beat up a lot' when he was younger.
So, in a bid to boost his confidence and warn off any bullies that even thought about stepping up to him, he started working out. Like, really working out.
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Speaking about his younger years, Cena told Howard Stern: "I started working out when I was 12 years old.
"It was a true comic book story. I was getting beat up every day in junior high, I finally started working out... "
When asked if he did any self defense to go with it, the 45-year-old said: "Not even, just that [size] is a pretty intimidating thing."
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This isn't the first time Cena has opened up about his childhood, though.
A few years ago, he became the brand ambassador for Crocs' 'Come As You Are' campaign.
In an ad for the campaign, he said: "I remember the walk to the school bus. At the very least, five times shoved down, toppled down.
"I asked my dad, 'Is it ok if I start working out?'
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"By the time I was showing up at high school, I was big. The guys who were pushing me down were kind of like, 'We cool?'
"Never once did I ever get back at any of those guys.
"As horrible as a time that it was for me, it was a catalyst for me to find a passion of my life. Everybody goes through those moments of self-doubt and whether they're a moment or whether they're a wall that you can't climb over, 'Come As You Are' means be authentic.
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"Means don't be afraid to be who you are. I'm very emotional, as cold as I seem sometimes, I'm a sucker, I'm like stupid in love and if that doesn't make me cool then whatever - I don't want to be cool."
Talking to the Huffington Post, Cena, who was the second oldest of five brothers, said he always found it hard to make friends.
He said: "I really never socially matched that well with kids as an adolescent or early teenager. Never once did I waver or try to conform like a group philosophy. I was always pretty much an oddball.
"I haven't really run into a lot of folks that say that they weren't bullied as a kid. Nowadays, especially with social media, there is a lot of bullying going on."