John Cena on Being Bullied as a Child, How He Dealt With It

Sometimes the strongest, most down-to-earth athletes on the planet are the ones that have been the victim of something horrendous in their lives. You never know what someone is like underneath a thick exterior, as in the case of 16 time WWE Champion and the number one with granter for Make-A-Wish, John Cena.

Entertainment Tonight by way of CBS News has released an interview with John Cena, where he speaks about being bullied as a child and how it made him who he is today.

John Cena on what Come As You Are means to him

The video above features Cena explaining briefly much of what he explains in the interview about his journey to being a famous actor and WWE Superstar because he was being bullied. This whole campaign, titled ‘Come As You Are’ by the Crocs brand is about embracing your individuality and overcoming bullying.

“I remember the walk to the school bus, at the very least, five times, shoved down, toppled down. I asked my dad, ‘ Is it okay if I start working out?’ By the time I showed up at high school, I was big. The guys who were pushing me down were kind of like, ‘We cool?’ As horrible as a time as it was for me, it was a catalyst for me to find a passion of my life. Everyone goes through those moments of self-doubt.”

Cena then explains how he deals with bullying to this day, saying it is different from person to person and no two cases are the exact same. He issues a reassuring message to those who are victims of bullying.

“I’m 40 years old, I’ve been dealing with this for almost two decades, but to a 12-year-old kid who’s being cyber-bullied or a 20-year-old individual who’s really trying to find their way in life, it’s not as easy. I’m in a different place now than I was 20 years ago, 30 years ago, so I guess from a level of experience I can reassure people that it’s not the end of the world, and first and foremost be proud to be yourself, because that will set you up for the next 20 years.”

Editor’s Note:

I never expected Cena, if anyone to come out with information like that. I myself have been bullied a lot through my life for many reasons, as have many of you reading this. Like Cena explains, you’re never alone and life will go on and get better for you. It may not be today or tomorrow but I guarentee it will. There will always be someone to talk to.

What are your thoughts on Cena’s words? Did you ever expect him to have been the victim of bullying? Let us know in the comments below or over on our Facebook page or Twitter account. Additionally, you can find me on Twitter at @SOSNH1995. We also want to remind you that we have a Newsletter you can sign up to. This will allow us to send you the best news in one place via an email. We also have the Wrestling Rumors app that we encourage you all to download to get updates faster than they release on our various pages. It is available on Android and iOS devices.