Former WWE Champion John Cena once met the legendary Gangsta Rapper Tupac Shakur back when he was very young.
John Cena made his debut during the early Ruthless Aggression era in 2002. After accepting an open challenge from Kurt Angle on SmackDown, Cena came very close to defeating Angle in his very first match.
This led people to believe that he was the next rising star of that era. However, after wrestling a few more matches in his old wrestling trunks, Cena failed to get the fans to root for him or even show interest in him.
Guys remember this when Badass Taker has met rookie John Cena in his debut and then he shakes his hand?
pic.twitter.com/zBKvVc41Wu— Matt Gordon #ThankYouVince (@LordTaker91) February 18, 2020
Make no mistake, Cena was exceptional in the ring, but his character grew insipid and boring. The same year, John was informed about his release which would happen later that year in November 2002.
However, on a tour bus, Cena unlocked a hidden side of him that saved his job. During the travel, some wrestlers in the back of the bus were freestyling. Cena participated in the freestyle rap and surprised everybody with his flow and precision. Luckily, John’s rapping skills took a shine on Stephanie McMahon.
John Cena annihilated the Big Show during this rap battle 😭 pic.twitter.com/yyyoefjmGb
— WWE Ruthless Aggression Era (@BonafideHeat) August 18, 2022
Stephanie was so impressed by his style that they gave him a new TV personality. This was the birth of ‘The Doctor of Thugonomics’. Cena played a heel rapper as part of his new gimmick.
He’d then change the trajectory of his career; the rest is history. Besides gaining popularity for his toughness in wrestling and aggression in his brutal rap bars, Cena released his rap album “You Can’t See Me” in 2005.
John Cena Once Met With The Legendary Gangsta Rapper Tupac Shakur Way Before Wrestling
During his role as The Dr. of Thuganomics character, John Cena showed the fans how big a fan he is of the Hip Hop culture. A resurfaced picture of him with the legendary rapper Tupac Shakur has been making rounds on the internet.
The picture appears from way back in the day, possibly before 1996 as the rap legend tragically died on September 13, 1996. In the picture, John Cena is seen holding the rap icon’s hand with a smile on his face. Also, Cena looks very very young.
I’ve had this photo of John Cena meeting Tupac on my laptop for ages and I don’t know what to do with it pic.twitter.com/9NxOc2VmuE
— Mark Souls (@MarkWontUseThis) November 6, 2018
It’s amazing how John Cena was able to channel his personality through the art that saved his career. As time went by, Cena won multiple titles in WWE. Besides Ric Flair, John Cena has been WWE World Champion sixteen times. Today, he is known to have been one of the greatest influences on WWE in the PG era.
Interestingly, one of John Cena’s old real-life rivals also had a chance to meet with the rap legend Tupac Shakur.
Read about Cena’s rivalry here.
