Why John Cena Broke the Make-A-Wish World Record and Became a Hero

Make-a-Wish Foundation started with a simple but powerful idea: to make a dying child’s wish come true. In 1980, 7-year-old Christopher, who was battling leukemia, wished to be a police officer. His city’s community rallied together and turned his desire into reality.

Since then, Make-a-Wish has helped thousands of children with critical illnesses experience their dreams. From those, hundreds of kids wished to meet their idol, John Cena. And as we speak, Cena is the most prolific wish granter in the world; let’s find out what motivates him to give back to the kids with all his heart.

John Felix Anthony Cena holds many titles under his belt — he’s a professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper, currently signed with WWE — World Wrestling Entertainment. Despite being a tough man during his wrestling matches, Cena has a heart of gold and one of his main missions is to make children’s lives easier and bring them a glimmer of hope.

Since 2002, hundreds of kids in critical health had one dying wish — to meet their hero, John Cena — and the celebrity has been working hard to make a difference in these kids’ lives.

John Cena believes once you’ve experienced the reward of make-a-wish and if you’re not moved, you don’t have a beating heart. He shared, “The concept is that these kids that are facing life-threatening illnesses get to have one wish. Imagine if you are somebody’s wish — ’I would like to hang out with this person and see this person perform’ - that is by far the most flattering thing I’ve ever experienced.”

“I have a great perspective and ever since my very first granted wish, I am able to see the joy it brings to the kids and families, to the volunteers and that joy equals hope, and hope can sometimes move mountains,” Cena added.

“I just drop everything,” Cena said. “If I can offer a fantastic experience, I’ll be first in line to do my part.” What drives the wrestler to keep showing up for the kids is making sure that they will “have an experience that will stay with them forever.”

One mother, whose child’s wish was granted by John Cena said, “There’s no way that anybody else could have given that child that time and those memories to have. There’s a bond there that I won’t forget.”

According to the foundation’s president, Cena has granted more than 650 wishes, more than any other celebrity in the 40+ years of history of the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

In 2022, John Cena entered the Guinness Book of World Records, not for his wrestling titles, but for being the #1 wish granter in the world, impacting more than 650 lives. Moreover, his wrestling catchphrase, “Never give up,” has turned into a motto for ill children who have to fight every day for their lives.

The world-breaking champion is committed to making children’s lives a little bit easier, and he keeps showing up for them, giving them a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

In his personal life, John Cena and his wife Shay Shariatzadeh are happy without kids. Even if, in the past, he’s been saying he doesn’t want to have kids, the wrestling star recently admitted he’s not ruling out parenthood completely.