John Cena kicked off WrestleMania 39 on Saturday with a heartwarming ring entrance.
The 16-time WWE champion entered his 16th WrestleMania to his iconic “My Time Is Now” theme song while wearing his patent jean shorts, t-shirt, and ball cap, as he greeted children from the Make-A-Wish foundation at the top of the entrance ramp. The WWE legend is seen high-fiving all of the Make-A-Wish kids at the top of the ramp before sprinting to the squared circle to take on Austin Theory for the United States title.
The power of @JohnCena‘s #WrestleMania entrance alongside these @MakeAWish kids is a dream come true. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/05ZLCIrj0b
— WWE (@WWE) April 2, 2023
Cena has granted more wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation than any other celebrity in the world. The wrestler turned movie star has made at least 650 wishes during his career, according to Guinness. The outlet reported that no other celebrity has even amassed 400 wishes in the four decade existence of Make-A-Wish.
Make-A-Wish gives critically ill children the chance to meet and hang out with their favorite celebrities. Throughout Cena’s WWE career, the wrestling promotion and the nonprofit has paired Cena with the kids to take pictures, have conversations, and get to know one another. WWE would then give the sick children front row tickets to their shows so they can escape from their illnesses for a while.
Cena’s involvement with Make-A-Wish exceeds any five-star match that he has ever had, or any championship that he’s ever won. His kindness and desire to help sick kids find happiness in the darkest of times is very admirable of him. It goes without saying that he’s doing his job at making the world a better place. (RELATED: WWE Announces SummerSlam Will Be Held In Detroit)
In the match itself, Austin Theory pinned Cena after a controversial ending. Cena made Theory tap out with one of his submissions but the referee was knocked out cold temporarily after being inadvertently kicked in the chest, in true WWE fashion. Theory would then hit Cena with a low-blow and then finish him off with his finishing maneuver called the “A-Town Down” to retain the championship.
Wrestlemania – John Cena vs. Austin Theory
(The usual ref gets knocked out and misses the win screw job ending.) pic.twitter.com/BU7d9IvKKd
— Bobert Raffert (@BobBaffart) April 2, 2023
It was tough to see Cena lose, but the out-of-body experience he gave to those children during his entrance more than makes up for it.