John Cena sets ‘herculean’ record for most wishes granted to children
After vanquishing seemingly countless foes in the ring as well as on the screen, the US pro-wrestler and actor John Cena has notched one more mark on his body count.
He has set the new record for the most wishes granted through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the nonprofit that helps fulfil the wishes of children who are gravely sick or dying, according to a recent press release from Guinness World Records.
Cena achieved the record after granting 650 wishes to kids between the ages of two and 18 whose families contacted Make-A-Wish, said Guinness officials, who verified the tally on 19 July. The Guinness World Records site hailed the effort as “herculean” – no one else has granted more than 200 wishes.
Described by Make-A-Wish as the celebrity whom children most often ask to meet, Cena has sought to strike a humble tone whenever he speaks about his work with the foundation founded in 1982.
“If you ever need me for this ever, I don’t care what I’m doing – I will drop what I’m doing and be involved because I think that’s the coolest thing,” Cena said in a Reuters interview excerpted by the Guinness site.
He has also said: “I just drop everything … If I can offer a fantastic experience, I’ll be first in line to do my part.”
Children who participate in Makea-Wish can choose to meet a celebrity, go to an event or even present a gift to someone else.
Cena’s visits for the foundation frequently involve him bringing one of the championship belts he’s held during his 20-year career with World Wrestling Entertainment. He mostly also hangs out with them, poses for pictures with them and has been known to sometimes bring them with him in between the wrestling ring’s ropes, the Guinness site noted.
He began working with Make-AWish in 2002. Coincidentally, 10 years later, Cena granted the foundation’s 1,000th wish to a fan of his named Cardon.
As a crowd favorite, or “face” in industry parlance, he has reigned as the WWE’s top champion 13 separate times and has collected other less luminous titles from the promotion on a handful of occasions.
The 45-year-old has also spearheaded the WWE’s anti-bullying initiative, which the promotions calls its “Be a Star” campaign.
He translated his prominence in WWE into several high-profile profile roles in action and comedy films, including in 12 Rounds, Trainwreck, the 10th Fast & Furious movie, and The Suicide Squad between 2009 and 2021. He’s also the star of the television series Peacemaker, which is a spinoff from The Suicide Squad movie.