John Cena Reveals Doing Hair Transplant at 48 and Why He Wished to do It 10 Years Ago

Pink Villa

a day ago

John Cena may be fearless in the wrestling ring and on the big screen, but he recently shared that hair loss was one thing that quietly bothered him. The WWE icon and actor revealed he underwent a hair transplant in November 2024 after fans repeatedly pointed out his thinning hair.
John Cena shared with PEOPLE that the turning point came when he tried to hide his hair loss during wrestling matches, only for the audience to notice. 'As I was trying to hide my hair loss, the audience was bringing it to light,' he recalled. 'I saw their signs that said 'The bald John Cena.' They pushed me into going to see what my options were.'
The procedure, according to Cena, was straightforward. 'They don't do anything except move your hair, one by one, from one area to another,' he explained. Since then, he has committed to a maintenance routine of red-light therapy, minoxidil, vitamins, shampoo, and conditioner.
Cena admitted that stigma around hair loss kept him from addressing it earlier. 'I hate the fact that if there wasn't so much shame around it, I'd have gotten it done 10 years ago,' he said. 'I thought I was alone, but seven or eight out of 10 men suffer from thinning or baldness. If somebody's going to sweat me for that, I don't think there's any shame in that. It completely changed the course of my life.'
Here's how it boosted his acting career
The hair transplant, Cena shared, has opened up new opportunities in acting. 'A different hairstyle can identify a part that can get me more work, do the thing I love to do,' he said to PEOPLE. His Hollywood career has been on an upward swing with roles in Trainwreck, Fast & Furious, and his hit HBO Max series Peacemaker, which returns for season 2 on August 21.
'This has changed my life,' he said of playing Peacemaker. 'It's a great show that's more than just action. It's a love story. It's a workplace comedy.'
Cena is currently in the middle of his WWE farewell tour and plans to retire from professional wrestling in 2025. He shared that age has played a role in his decision, as he is no longer as strong or as fast as he once was, and had promised himself that he would step away when he slowed down.
Married to engineer Shay Shariatzadeh since 2020, Cena shared that his focus has now shifted toward health and family, with his well-being and commitment to his partner being his top priorities.