John Cena reveals why he was determined to make his WWE rap career legitimate

John Cena never wanted to be just another wrestler who released a rap album to capitalize on his fame. He revealed why he was determined to make his WWE rap career legitimate.

On The Romesh Ranganathan Show, alongside Jessica Biel to promote Matchbox: The Movie, The GOAT opened up about his music career and why earning credibility in hip-hop mattered so much to him.

John Cena explained that he wanted to earn respect from the hip-hop community by proving his passion for rap was genuine. He collaborated with local New England artists and Freddy Foxxx to create an authentic album that would surprise rap fans and fulfill his personal creative ambitions.

“That was really the.. the roots of like how can I get the hip-hop community like the rap community to understand that I’m.. I’m trying to be authentic. I’m doing my best. And uh we got local artists from the New England scene and we kind of had Freddy Fox Bumpy Knuckles oversee the whole thing. And that you know with.. with enough resource you can make anything happen,” Cena explained.

Speaking further, “the throughline and the ethos of it was to just make an album hopefully that hip hop heads and rappers would be like all right I didn’t see that one coming. And of course do it to scratch an itch and it’s a passion project and that’s uh gosh what a fun experience to have gone through.”

John Cena reveals he retired because of his wife

WWE legend John Cena chose to officially walk away from pro wrestling to prioritize his family and personal life.

Reflecting on his lengthy and grueling career, the multi-time world champion explained that he wanted to be entirely fair to his wife, Shay Shariatzadeh. Cena realized that continuing to endure the intense physical toll, heavy travel, and high injury risks of in-ring competition would mean taking valuable time and energy away from his marriage.

Ultimately, The GOAT shifted his priorities toward building a healthy, long-term future with his partner rather than risking his well-being for the squared circle.

Edited by Phillipa Marie