YOU WOULDN’T HAVE picked John Cena as someone who’s self-conscious. The guy has made a career out of appearing half-naked in arenas full of people – or in some cases, like the 2024 Oscars, fully naked. Even so, the wrestler-turned-actor has revealed in an interview that insecurities about his hair lead to him getting a hair transplant in 2024.
“As I was trying to hide my hair loss, the audience was bringing it to light,” Cena said. “I saw their signs that said ‘The bald John Cena’. They pushed me into going to see what my options were.”
The public shaming prompted a new hair care routine for Cena, which he says involves “red-light therapy, minoxidil, vitamins, shampoo, conditioner.” He then underwent a hair transplant procedure in November 2024.
“I hate the fact that if there wasn’t so much shame around it, I’d have gotten it done 10 years ago,” Cena continued. “I thought I was alone, but seven or eight out of 10 (men) suffer from thinning or baldness. If somebody’s going to sweat me for that, I don’t think there’s any shame in that.”
Cena ultimately opted to get a hair transplant, a decision he said has “completely changed the course of my life.”
The 48-year-old is set to retire from WWE at the end of 2025, and has said that “age plays a factor” in his decision. “I’m not as strong or as fast as I used to be… My health and my dedication to my partner are the tip of my spear in life right now, so I think every time I go out (in the ring), I just want to make sure I’m able to give my all, but it’s time to step away.”
Luckily for Cena, he has something to fall back on. He’s built a respectable acting career outside of the ring, something he believes his hair transplant has helped with. “A different hairstyle can identify a part that can get me more work, do the thing I love to do,” he said.
The second season of the DCU’s Peacemaker, in which Cena plays the starring role, is set to premiere on HBO Max later this month.
