In the long and storied history of John Cena’s WWE career, fans remember the championships, the movies, and the catchphrases. But deep in the archives of 2010 lies one of the strangest, funniest, and most resourceful chapters in his run: the brief era of Juan Cena.
For a few weeks in late 2010, John Cena officially did not exist on WWE rosters. In his place stood a “mysterious” masked man who looked suspiciously like the franchise star, wrestled exactly like him, but claimed to be his Mexican cousin.
Here is the story behind the character that became a cult favorite among wrestling hardcores.
The Storyline: Fired by The Nexus
To understand the birth of Juan, you have to look at the hottest angle of 2010: The Nexus. The group of rookies, led by Wade Barrett, had tormented John Cena for months, eventually forcing him to join their stable.
The conflict came to a head at Survivor Series 2010. The stipulation was high-stakes: Cena was the special guest referee for a WWE Championship match between Randy Orton and Wade Barrett. If Barrett won, Cena would be free from The Nexus. If Barrett lost, Cena would be fired from WWE.
Ever the moral compass, Cena played it fair. He counted the pinfall for Randy Orton, costing Barrett the title and effectively ending his own WWE career. On the following episode of Monday Night Raw, Cena gave an emotional farewell speech to the WWE Universe.
The Problem: You Can’t Fire the Top Draw
While the “firing” made for compelling television drama, it created a logistical nightmare for WWE’s live events business. John Cena was the company’s biggest ticket seller. He was advertised for weeks of non-televised “house shows” across the country.
WWE couldn’t simply pull him from the events without hurting ticket sales, but they also couldn’t have “John Cena” wrestle while the TV show insisted he was unemployed.
The solution was a loop of logic that only works in professional wrestling: put him in a mask.
Enter Juan Cena
At live events following Survivor Series, ring announcers introduced a new superstar: Juan Cena.
The character was hilariously thin in its disguise. Juan Cena wore the exact same denim shorts (“jorts”) and sneakers as John. He entered to “The Time is Now.” He performed the Five Knuckle Shuffle and the Attitude Adjustment. The only difference was a purple and yellow luchador mask.
The backstory given to the live crowds was simple: John Cena had been fired, but his non-union Mexican cousin, Juan, was here to fill in.
Juan primarily wrestled in Triple Threat matches against Wade Barrett and The Miz. The gimmick allowed the fans to see their hero and cheer for his signature moves, while technically adhering to the storyline that John was not in the building.
The Legacy of the Luchador
Juan Cena never wrestled an official match on Monday Night Raw or SmackDown, making him a true “House Show Legend.” His existence was an easter egg for the fans in attendance—a wink and a nod that acknowledged the absurdity of wrestling storylines.
The character was retired in December 2010 when John Cena was rehired by Wade Barrett (in a plot to settle their score at the TLC pay-per-view). Juan hung up his mask, and the Franchise returned to his bare-faced glory.
While brief, the run of Juan Cena remains a beloved piece of trivia. It captures a specific moment in time when WWE was willing to be silly, resourceful, and undeniably entertaining to keep the show on the road.
