When it comes to the plethora of wrestlers-turned-actors that have invaded Hollywood in recent years, no two come close to reaching the level of talent that John Cena and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson have. With that being said, the latter seems to have earned himself plenty more roles than the former. There’s really no reason for this — Cena is just as much of a joy on-screen as Johnson is. Luckily for him, the tides seem to be turning. John Cena has been a part of the WWE since 2002, and his feature film career began not long after that — he landed his first leading role in 2006’s The Marine less than four years after his debut match. From that point forward, Cena has been slowly building up to the career he deserves; one that is equal parts comedy and action. Being a part of the WWE requires a certain level of comedic timing and an even greater amount of agility, so Cena’s future feature film career is building up to be a well-deserved one.
Blockers
Starring alongside Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz, 2018’s Blockers is a high school comedy with a twist — instead of mainly focusing on the high schoolers, this movie focuses on the parents trying to keep their kids out of trouble on their prom night. Cena is the real star of the show here, going to the extreme in ways only someone of his size and strength could.
Purchase now on Amazon for $14.99.
Bumblebee
This Transformers prequel-spinoff from December of 2018 actually proved to be a really interesting role for Cena — reminding audiences of Johnson’s role in the Fast & Furious movies, Cena is a federal agent tasked with finding and taking down the famous yellow Transformer. It’s a very serious, very campy role that he manifests perfectly.
Tour de Pharmacy
From the writers and producers of such shows as Girls and King of the Hill, HBO’s made-for-TV special Tour de Pharmacy stars Andy Samberg as a fake cyclist alongside John Cena as an incredibly muscular cyclist. It’s a spoof of typical sports documentaries with plenty of great comedians mixed in — Nathan Fielder, Daveed Diggs, and Maya Rudolph are also great in it. Still, nothing beats someone of John Cena’s stature on a little bike.
Purchase now on Amazon for $7.99.
Ferdinand
Cena’s first leading role in an animated feature proved to be an excellent casting: he stars as the titular bull, Ferdinand, as he tries to make it home to his family after being wrongly labeled as a violent animal. It’s cute enough, and Cena really proves himself as a sturdy voice actor.
Purchase now on Amazon for $7.99.
Trainwreck
More of a supporting role than anything else, Cena’s part in Trainwreck is important to the plot (and was an integral part in his eventual acceptance into the feature film community). He plays the brutish boyfriend of the film’s lead, bringing his impeccable comedic timing to the table and showing that no one else could have played the role as he did.
Purchase now on Amazon for $13.99.
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