John Cena's gimmick overtime evolved from the "Doctor of Thuganomics" to "The Champ" and incorporated many military themes into his gimmick, such as saluting the fans before running towards the ring, his catch-phrase "Hustle, Loyalty,Respect" which includes nods to both gimmicks,and arguably his haircut at the time. However, did Cena actually ever enlist with the United States Military?
During an interview with "Yahoo," Cena recalled how close he came to actually enlisting with the U.S. Military instead of embarking on his pro wrestling career.
"When I was out in California, I was pretty much working a dead-end job at right about the age you need a career. I did get a degree in exercise physiology, which I still use today, because it's the study of how the body moves. Imagine that?" Cena claimed. "But I couldn't find a way to apply my degree to an honest, long-term trade. I was like, "Well, I belong in the military. I'm gonna go for it." And right about when I was going to enlist, a friend of mine asked me to come down and try my hand at being a professional wrestler. And I fell into it by happy accident." (Per "The Sportster")
Of course, as fans of the Ruthless Aggression Era should know, Cena has always been bold about his patriotism, most notably announcing the death of Osama BinLaden at WWE Extreme Rules 2011, leading to the audience chanting "U.S.A." as well as how involved he always was with the then-annual WWE Tribute to the Troops events. Additionally,Cena began his acting career in 2006, when he starred asU.S. Marine John Triton in the WWE-produced "The Marine."
