John Cena confesses raw feelings for wife: Reveals first meeting details

John Cena is opening up in a way fans rarely get to see and it all comes down to the woman he calls his “partner in everything,” his wife Shay Shariatzadeh.

In a candid conversation with sports journalist Tom Rinaldi the WWE star revealed his soft corner for his wife when asked whose approval mattered most to him at this stage?.

“The answer would change over the years, but whose approval matters to me today? I certainly got to run it by my wife because she’s my partner,” he shared. “She’s the one person. We run a three-legged race. So it’s her, and that’s it.”

The heartfelt moment arrives just days before Cena steps into the ring for what he’s calling the final match of his legendary career.

Cena and Shay tied the knot during the COVID pandemic spread in 2020 in a private ceremony and have never been too public about their personal lives as a couple marking these statements as rare.

How did John Cena meet his wife Shay Shariatzadeh?

He previously told Howard Stern in 2024 the story of how they met a moment he still calls “awesome.”

He recalled taking a fan photo at a restaurant when Shay, who was there with a friend, caught his eye.

“I asked her for her number and she gave it to me,” he said, adding with a laugh that he didn’t wait the standard “cool-down period.” Instead, he texted her on his walk home: “It was so nice to meet you, you’re beautiful, I’d like to get to know you more.” To which she replied: “You want to go out this weekend?”

Cena didn’t miss a beat: “Sure.”

Now, with retirement ahead and his Hollywood career continuing to climb, Cena is making one thing clear the only approval that truly matters comes from the woman who’s been beside him every step of the way.