John Cena made some big news this week, as I’m sure you’re well aware of by now. I’m talking, of course, about his hair replacement revelation. (What’s that you say? He also just won a record-breaking 17th World Championship at WrestleMania 41, during his farewell tour before retiring from wrestling altogether? Well good for him!) Cena appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday (ah, as a victory lap for WrestleMania, it all makes sense now) which is where he made his full-throated declaration in front of a live audience… who he pretty much blamed for driving him to take action with his hair. Wrestlers’ feelings can get hurt just as much as their bodies, and Cena claimed he’d had enough of fans loudly calling out his bald spot(s). As he put it: “Thank you for bullying me into surgical hair replacement.” But we still have to wait for the results, as he’s still donning baseball caps until the follicle fruits of his November procedure fully settle in.
You can’t see John Cena’s hair right now.
That’s because the WWE icon is waiting for it to grow out after undergoing hair transplant, a procedure he sought out after facing criticism from wrestling fans over what he called a “bald spot” on his head.
“You guys ripped me to shreds for a genetic problem that I can’t control,” John quipped to the crowd during a public taping of The Pat McAfee Show on April 21, one day after defeating Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41. “In unison, you chant and make me feel small and embarrass me.”
Sharing that he’s also seen “so many bald spot signs,” the 47-year-old continued, “That is straight-up bullying and not cool. Thank you for bullying me into surgical hair replacement. That’s how far y’all pushed me.”
John said he underwent the procedure in November, when doctors took hairs from the side of his head to “plant them in on top.”
“There is no shame in that,” he shared of his hair transplant, noting that balding “happens to seven out of 10 dudes.”
“I got a problem,” John admitted. “I try to fix it.”
Describing his hair journey as a “work in progress,” the Peacemaker star added, “Hopefully in a couple months, it looks better.”
But there is another hairy situation for John. As he explained, “I can’t grow a mustache.”
“Dude, I can’t grow facial hair,” he light-heartedly confessed. “I haven’t shaved in 10 years.”
John quipped that he may only be able to grow a ‘stache if he were to transplant hairs from “up top.”
“See, I listen to you idiots,” he joked. “You take the lawn over here and put it on the dry spot.”
I watched this part of the interview, and to me it genuinely seemed like Cena was trying to be joking and playful with the audience, as opposed to making serious accusations of bullying. Though, of course, humor is often deployed to mask pain… But I stand by my take that he’s solid and comfortable with his decision. I also don’t think he would really turn to surgery over taunts from the public, but hey, it’s not like I know the guy personally! I do enjoy that men are talking more openly about their own cosmetic procedures (#AskHimMore), like Ike Barinholtz revealing he undergoes platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections for his hair. If you have the means, it’s not hurting you or anyone else, and, most importantly, it makes you feel good about yourself, then maintain your masculine manes in good health. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cena gets tapped for an endorsement deal, once he’s ready to unveil his coif. He’s got the perfect slogan ready to go: “You take the lawn over here and put it on the dry spot.”
"There's another headline for ya..
I had a hair transplant" ~ @JohnCena #PMSLive https://t.co/Ui7HbM7WUp pic.twitter.com/2sj1rlJXsa
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 21, 2025
photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Dave Allocca/Starpix/INSTARimages, Getty
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