John Cena Opens Up About Meeting Wife Shay Shariatzadeh And Their Whirlwind Romance
In a candid interview on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show, John Cena reminisced about the serendipitous encounter that led him to meet his wife, Shay Shariatzadeh. The 46-year-old actor revealed that their love story unfolded during Super Bowl LIII in 2019 at a Vancouver bar.
“I wasn’t looking, but damn, man, it just found me,” the wrestler originally from Massachusetts, shared, recounting how he reluctantly stepped out of his Vancouver apartment to join a friend for the championship game.
Engrossed in the game, John’s attention shifted when a group of five people, including Shay Shay, entered the bar. Despite his initial hesitation, Cena couldn’t help but notice Shay, then 35, among her friends.
“So we watched the game, and then the table sitting right across from us — this group of five people walked in. Man, I stopped watching the game. I didn’t even know it was over,” he recounted.
When asked how he introduced himself to Shay, Cena reflected on his nerves at approaching her, stating, “I was such a dick, I was so bad. Here I am — hell this was half a decade [ago] — I’m 40 and I’m too scared to approach this girl.”
“So I got a picture with her, and then she brought by my wife-to-be over, we have our first fan photo, which we hang proudly where we hang our hats. It’s awesome. I asked her for her number and she gave me her number, and I didn’t wait like the two days [to reach out].”
After exchanging numbers and a heartfelt text, the two arranged their first date for the following weekend.
As John recalled, “I left the restaurant and on my walk home I [texted], ‘It was so nice to meet you, you’re beautiful, I’d like to get to know you more if you have any free time coming up I’ll make time for you.’ She’s like, ‘You want to go out this weekend?’ I said, ‘Sure.’ “
Their relationship blossomed quickly, with John proposing just one year into dating, a decision he made after realizing she was the one.
Their engagement, which occurred after John finished filming The Suicide Squad in 2021, was a heartfelt moment shared in the comfort of their home, deviating from John’s original plan due to his fear of misplacing the ring.
Reflecting on the spontaneous proposal, he expressed no regrets, emphasizing the beauty of the moment shared between him and Shay.
In his words, “It was beautiful and I had the ring in my pocket because I was afraid I’d lose it in my bag, by chance, and I [decided to] ask her right now. So I blew all the special plans and just said ‘Hey, there’s no better moment,’ because there wasn’t — it was so beautiful, still, we were both so open and it just happened right there.”
