The Untold Truth Of John Cena's Wife
What's the truth about John Cena's wife, Shay Shariatzadeh? Although Cena had said he wasn't interested in marriage loud and clear in the past (via E! News), the wrestler clearly had a change of heart. The reason? A beautiful woman named Shay Shariatzadeh apparently melted Cena's heart, showing him exactly what true love feels like.
As noted by Us Weekly, this isn't the first time Cena said, "I do," as previously he was married to his longtime love Elizabeth Huberdeau. However, they split up three years after tying the knot in 2009. After that, Cena dated fellow wrestler Nikki Bella for six years, but the pair broke up just before they were set to get married in 2018 (via People).
It looks like the third time might be the charm for Cena, as he and Shariatzadeh look like they're totally in love and in it for the long haul. So just who is the mystery woman who broke down the barriers to Cena's heart? This is the untold truth of Shay Shariatzadeh.
John Cena met his wife while filming Playing with Fire
So just how did John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh meet? As Cena's "Playing with Fire" co-star Keegan-Michael Key tells it, Cena first saw his future wife at a restaurant in Vancouver — and was instantly smitten. "There was one woman I was looking at and I couldn't take my eyes off her," Key recalled Cena saying, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. Clearly sparks flew in that moment for John Cena's wife, too, or she wouldn't have married him!
Cena and Shariatzadeh first stepped out on the red carpet at the premiere of "Playing with Fire" in October of 2019. That evening, Cena was all smiles, and Shariatzadeh was definitely the reason why. "What's truly special about this one is that, no matter what projects I'm involved in in the future, this one will always have a special meaning because I got to film a special project and meet someone special," he continued. He also called Shariatzadeh "beautiful," and said it was going to be a "wonderful night." Aww!
Fans suspected John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh were engaged in February 2020
While John Cena's romance with Nikki Bella was pretty high-profile — the pair were featured in reality show "Total Bellas," after all — it appears that Cena's relationship with his wife, Shay Shariatzadeh, is much more under the radar. For one, they didn't make a big announcement when it appeared they got engaged in February of 2020. In fact, the only reason people noticed it at all is because Shariatzadeh was spotted with a diamond on her ring finger. "She had a huge rock on her left hand," a source told E! News. "They were definitely holding hands, that's when I noticed him walk by."
That was also the conclusion that Cena's fans came to on Twitter, when they spotted the couple out and about in San Diego. "Not starting any rumors, but it looks like he might be engaged, Shay's got a ROCK on her finger," a fan account shared. Love was definitely in the air!
They tied the knot in a private ceremony
It appears that fan speculation that John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh were engaged was indeed correct, as on October 14, 2020, PWInsider.com broke the news that the lovebirds had tied the knot. According to the outlet, Cena and Shariatzadeh officially got married two days prior, on October 12, 2020. Looks like the pandemic couldn't cancel this wedding!
Cena and Shariatzadeh didn't throw a lavish, over-the-top wedding, however, or run off to get hitched in Las Vegas. Instead, Cena married his wife in a private ceremony at an attorney's office in Tampa, Florida, as noted by People. Perhaps that's the reason Cena got especially sentimental on Twitter three days before his wedding day. "Love involves constant effort," he wrote. "When you are truly ready to let love in and give to love all it needs to flourish, I feel there is no greater more rewarding connection." Congratulations, John and Shay!
She's a Canadian citizen
You may have noticed that John Cena's wife, Shay Shariatzadeh, has beautiful brown skin, as well as luscious dark hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes. Given that Shariatzadeh was born in Iran, according to TMZ, that makes sense. But Iran isn't where John Cena's wife lived when she first met the famous wrestler.
You see, in addition to having Iranian ancestry, Shariatzadeh is also a Canadian citizen. That would explain why Cena met Shariatzedeh at a restaurant in British Columbia — she lives there! Or she did until she met and married Cena, who has homes in the Tampa Bay area of Florida (where they got married) and San Diego, California (via Velvet Ropes). Since Cena and Shariatzadeh were spotted at a restaurant in Tampa (where they enjoyed a four-hour meal, replete with steak, wine, and a chocolate dessert), according to TMZ, it's safe to say she'll be by his side wherever he is.
This is who Shay Shariatzadeh looks up to
In addition to being serious about her husband, John Cena, Shay Shariatzadeh is also serious about her family. In fact, the one person she looks up to more than anyone else is her mother, who taught her so many things. "The biggest lesson she taught me was to be independent and fight for the things I want in life," she revealed in an interview with Avigilon. "She is a surgeon who worked day and night so we could have a good life."
John Cena's wife has huge respect for the sacrifices that her mother made, too. "While she was at the peak of her career, she gave it all up to move her family to Canada to give us a better future," she continued. "She is the reason I fight to be the best version of myself." Shariatzadeh also said that her mother is her hero, as no matter what hardship she was enduring, she did it with a smile on her face. What an incredible woman!
She's an engineer
One interesting thing about Shay Shariatzadeh is that, unlike John Cena, she's not a famous actor or wrestler. Rather, John Cena's wife is an engineer, and her engineering career was something she decided on early on in life. "I have always enjoyed math and physics," she explained in a chat with Avigilon. "My brother studied engineering in school, and I remember one day he came home with a project and it was an autonomous car — and that was it!"
Specifically, Shariatzadeh works as a product manager, which she likes because it allows her to utilize her diverse skill set; she's good at the technical, business, and people sides of things. "Today, I take pride working in the video security industry because our products help keep people and their assets safe," she continued. "That's my little contribution to our world." So if you've ever relied on a video security system from Avigilon, perhaps Shariatzadeh herself helped design it.
Shay Shariatzadeh studied at the University of British Columbia
If you want to become an engineer, you naturally have to go to school for it, so you can take the time to learn the profession. As for as John Cena's wife, Shay Shariatzadeh, she chose the University of British Columbia as her college, which makes sense given that she lived right in that area.
According to Shariatzadeh's LinkedIn profile, she attended the university from 2008 to 2013, for a total of five years. While enrolled, she studied electrical and electronics engineering, which is listed as her major. That's not all she did with her time at the University of British Columbia, though, as she was also active in sports and charity work.
Shariatzadeh spent her last eight months at the university as an engineering peer advisor, a position in which she helped her fellow students in a variety of ways, from facilitating workshops to assisting students in crisis.
She isn't after money and fame
If there's one thing that's abundantly clear about John Cena, it's that he's totally into his wife, Shay Shariatzadeh. The pair have been spotted canoodling in public, according to TMZ, showing just how much they're in love. "In John's eyes, Shay is the whole package," a source told Life & Style. "She's beautiful, intelligent, kind, independent, and family-orientated and there's rarely any drama between them." Family-oriented, you say? Given the reason for Cena's split from his ex-fiancée Nikki Bella — their differing opinions on marriage and children, as noted by People — it will be interesting to see if he and his wife start a family.
If you found yourself wondering if either one of these lovebirds is in the marriage for the wrong reasons, don't worry about it — these two are the real deal. "Shay isn't after his money," the source continued. "She's not that kind of girl and loves him for who he is." We are 100% here for this!
John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh enjoy working out together
Thanks to the year 2020, we're all too familiar with quarantine. And just like everyone else, John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh had to shelter in place — and of course, they did it together in Cena's sprawling Tampa Bay abode. Hey, if you have to be stay home, that's not a bad place to be!
That's not to say the pair just frittered around and watched "Tiger King" while tending a sourdough starter, however. While on lockdown, Cena and his wife got their sweat on. "John works out every day to keep in shape," a source explained to Life & Style. "He's also put together a couple's workout itinerary and he and Shay have a blast exercising together — either outdoors or in his amazing home gym."
Long, elegant dinners, couple's workouts, and red carpet events? Cena and Shariatzadeh certainly have a glamorous marriage!
Do they have any children?
Even though John Cena and wife Shay Shariatzadeh have been together since 2019 and have been spouses since 2020, the couple is apparently in no hurry to start a family.
As Cena explained during a 2022 appearance on "The Drew Barrymore Show," his career as an in-demand actor had grown so hot that he felt he just wasn't in a place where he could fully embrace fatherhood the way he feels it really should be done. Admitting that he'd been "riding a lightning bolt for quite some time now" while pursuing his "pretty lofty dreams," he's not quite ready to pump the brakes. "It's hard work to balance the time I need to run myself correctly," he said. "It's hard work to be the best partner and husband I can be to my loving wife. It's hard to keep connections with those in my life that I love. And it's also hard to put in an honest day's work."
Balancing all those aspects of his life is challenging enough right now without adding a baby to the mix. While he and his wife are not opposed to having kids at some point, he added, "I just know not now."