Not a lot of WWE superstars can say that they were successful both in the ring and in Hollywood and John Cena is part of the elite circle that could brag about it. The multi-time professional wrestling champion is riding a huge wave of momentum right now thanks to his involvement in several huge franchises, including the DC Extended Universe. Now, he's starring in James Gunn's The Suicide Squad spinoff series Peacemaker which has been getting a ton of positive reviews.
Appearing on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, the 16-time WWE champ revealed that he actually auditioned for two major Marvel and DC characters before landing the Peacemaker role. According to Cena, he tried auditioning for the Shazam and Cable roles but was unsuccessful. "I can't tell you how many superhero roles I've been rejected for. Shazam is certainly one. There was a brief try at the Deadpool universe, rejection."
Despite the rejections, Cena stayed true to his "Never Give Up" catchphrase and continued trying out for other roles until he found the part that would fit him. He continued: "Shazam! was Dikembe Mutumbo. There was a few in the Marvel universe, rejected. But you know, I kept trying."
Also Read: Peacemaker Episode 4 Trailer Shows the Team Saving the World from Butterfly Invasion
I gotta say, it would have been cool to see him as Shazam especially with his good pal Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Black Adam. They could've easily continued their high-profile wrestling rivalry to the big screen but I guess that wasn't meant to happen. As for his chances of ever getting to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you can never say never, and given his current Hollywood status, I'm sure Marvel Studios is watching.
Meanwhile, Peacemaker is now streaming on HBO Max.
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