WWE star and actor John Cena opened up recently about his choice to get hair transplant surgery. He expressed this decision after being doggedly mocked by WWE fans for leaving the show—and mostly for a bald spot. The popular wrestler and actor expressed his frustration during a candid discussion, revealing that the reaction from fans significantly affected him emotionally.
Cena, known from movies like “Ricky Stanicky,” had a surprise appearance on 4/20/25. Here he is soon after that surgery in Las Vegas, Nevada. The former WWE champion has been an ambassador in the battle against male pattern baldness. This relatively frequent condition affects 30-50% of men by the age of 50 years. Rather than simply accepting the situation, Cena took action, stating, “I got a problem. I try to fix it. That’s what I’m doing.”
The character’s hair loss was then a subject of ridicule, making the actor feel ashamed and humiliated herself. As Cena referred to the experience as “just bullying,” it’s a testimony to the emotional toll in piercing prerogatives of such fan commentary, boosting the blow to his vulnerabilities.… You yell and you put me down and you shame me. Y’all don’t know what that’s like. That is straight-up bullying. That’s just not cool. I don’t like it.”
In an endearing moment, Cena joked about his illness. He explained, “I just spotted it on most bald spot signs! He told me hair tends to start shedding immediately after the procedure. This occurs as newer strains begin to take hold. He continued, “So the old one goes out,” alluding to the science behind the art of hair restoration.
As Cena goes through his recovery, he faces various hurdles, but maintains faith in the outcome. He says he remains hopeful that progress can be made in the coming months. He remarked, “I’m not going to tell you who did it because I’m still waiting for it to get better. When it actually works out and I’m about to have the flowing mane, I’ll be like, ‘Yo, go see this dude. So I’m working on it. Work in progress, work in progress.
Cena’s story demonstrates the impact that public scrutiny can have. This is particularly the case for people who take center stage. He acknowledged the role of fan comments in prompting his decision to pursue surgical hair replacement: “So, thank you for bullying me into getting surgical hair replacement. That’s how far y’all push me.”