WWE icon John Cena is famously private about his personal life, but in a rare, in-depth conversation, he shared the full, romantic story of how he met his wife, Shay Shariatzadeh. Cena described the chance encounter as a complete “accident” that happened when he reluctantly decided to go out to a small bar to watch the Super Bowl.
Cena and Shariatzadeh were married in a private ceremony in 2020. The story of their first meeting highlights Cena’s philosophy of being open to the opportunities life presents and knowing when it’s time to “push some chips in.”
A Chance Encounter in Vancouver
Speaking on What’s Your Story? With Stephanie McMahon, Cena set the scene. He was in Vancouver filming a movie and, as a devoted New England Patriots fan, he didn’t want to leave his apartment to watch the Super Bowl, fearing he might “jinx the team.” A friend convinced him to go to a nearby hole-in-the-wall bar.
“A friend of mine convinced me to go out to a hole in the wall that was within walking distance. I said, fine, no problem. He just needed a wing man. Cool, no problem. But I got to watch the game. Quiet spot. In walks a group of four, and I can’t take my eyes off of Shay and she wasn’t supposed to be there either… And I wasn’t at a happening place. They just wanted to go. So they walked in. They’re in the booth right across from us, so I’m watching their TV, they’re watching mine, and I’m just doing this, and like my team is winning, and I don’t give a f—, and I don’t have the bravery to break the ice.”
A Bet on a Sh**ty Hand
After the game ended, a friend of Shay’s asked for a picture, giving Cena the opening he needed. The connection was immediate, and their first conversation lasted for seven hours.
“The game ends and I’m about to go and her friend comes up. It’s like, ‘Hey, can I have a picture with you?’ I’m like, ‘Only if I can get a picture with her.’… So we get together, and I’m like, ‘Hey, could I give you my phone number? Could I have yours?’ And she said, Yes… I was 10 steps out of that joint when I stopped, went into a back alley in Vancouver, and was like, ‘I need to spend more time with you’… And she said, ‘Sure, is Wednesday cool.’ I said, ‘I’ll make it happen.’ And, man, we met at the same place on that day, and we sat down at six, and they kicked us out at one in the morning, just me and her, just talking. And then we did it again, and we did it again. And six years later… we sat down at 5:30 and we pulled in the garage at 1:30 in the morning.”
John Cena is currently on his farewell tour in WWE, which is scheduled to conclude at the end of 2025. He has stated that his desire to spend more time with his wife is one of the primary factors in his decision to retire from full-time, in-ring competition.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Whats Your Story? With Steph McMahon with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
