John Cena has become the big old bad guy of WWE after beating up Cody Rhodes in a heel turn of the ages. But away from the ring, he also came across as pretty wild when it came to a long list of relationship rules he had for his former fiancée, WWE superstar Nikki Bella.
Hands down one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Cena is calling it a day on his in-ring career at the end of 2025 as Father Time catches up with his ability to give his best performances for paying customers in arenas and at home watching live on Netflix.
Focusing on his acting career and as a WWE ambassador, the 47-year-old will be using the microphone and not his Five Knuckle Shuffle before we know it.
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And while he is best known for his film roles, Cena dabbles in TV - most notably as the main man in Peacemaker as well as a recent episode of The Bear.
But it was a show from almost a decade ago that saw Cena reveal his viral relationship contract that he once created for his former partner.
It was revealed on reality TV show Total Bellas, focusing on the lives of WWE superstars The Bella Twins, Brie and Nikki.
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With Cena's girlfriend-turned-fiancée being Nikki, he naturally featured a lot in the show before they broke up in 2018.
It was during the first season of the show that a reported 75-page contract between Cena and Bella was mentioned. According to People, it read: "Although I do not wish to be formal, I do not want there to be any misunderstanding regarding your presence at the home as my guest.
“In the event that I ask you to vacate the home, you agree to immediately vacate the home and remove any and all items you have brought into the home as soon as possible.”
All in all, there were 15 rules in the relationship contract between the pair, with Bella being a 'guest in Cena's home' just the start of it.
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Filmed when he wants it and calorie tracking
Another one of the rules in the contract was that the Total Bellas camera crew could only film him when he agreed to it - fair enough with this one, really. It's the likely reason behind why a lot of scenes involve the Bella sisters with Brie's husband, former WWE superstar Daniel Bryan (real name Bryan Danielson), with Cena nowhere to be seen.
Controversially, Cena would make Bella track her calorie intake. Though initially something she wanted Cena to be in charge of, she quickly got sick of his strict routine.
Evening meals and a tidy house
When it came to sitting down for an evening meal, Cena treated it like a formal event. One clip from Total Bellas shows Cena telling the Bella sisters and Danielson that dinner is a formal event where you get dressed up.
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And his reason for this is pretty acceptable, with Cena explaining he had very little growing up and wants to show his appreciation for all the positive things he has in life. He's not taking it for granted, in other words.
On keeping the house tidy, Cena was incredibly strict. He'd actively lose his cool on camera if he came across even the smallest mess, such as a spill of water on the kitchen floor.
Money and photos
Cena wanted to keep his earnings his, basically. Something strengthened by the fact he was financially supporting his wider family of his mother and siblings.
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While some might have taken issue with this, it is pretty common until couples are married. And even then, prenuptial agreements exist.
Another rule was that Cena wouldn't let Nikki take personal photos of him without his permission. Bit of a more left field one, we think.
Bella's laundry separate to Cena's to wash pile
Yes, really. She had to put her dirty clothes in a separate clothing hamper to Cena's. See, for Cena, he had two hampers in the bathroom strictly for his gym wear and then his fancier clothing. Safe to say Bella wasn't impressed.
As well as laundry, Cena had a ban on pets.
Bella once brought a puppy home with Cena making her give it back. He said: “I know I cannot handle raising a child. It’s like with the dog. My biggest thing to Nicole about the dog was: Love dogs, but I can’t contribute to taking care of one. I don’t have the time."
WWE is not to be disrespected
We don't speak ill of those who pay the bills is somewhat of a life rule for Cena.
And while it wasn't in the relationship contract, it is definitely an unwritten rule to his life. Give that Bella was also employed by the WWE, it is simple business sense not to get fired by not being disrespectful to the bosses.
Power of attorney
Bella wanted Cena to be her power of attorney, which would give him the legal power to conduct her private affairs, business, or some other legal matter, should she become incapacitated.
He wouldn't do it. And more so, he wouldn't let her be his power of attorney should the situation be reversed.
Fire time in the evening and coffee in the morning
Cena loves nothing more than sitting around a fire in the back yard with company, enjoying a drink and appreciating what he and his guests have.
Bella actually liked this one, saying it helped everyone form strong bonds and get to know each other rather than being stuck to phone screens in the living room.
At the other end of the day, coffee had to be had together in each other's company.
He said on the reality show: "Every morning we will have morning coffee together, we will have an evening fire outside. If you guys are gonna be up late, please text me or tell me. Do you have any questions?"
No children for Cena
Cena doesn't want to have children. He's spoken about this before.
Bella really wanted kids, with this being quoted as something that led to them breaking up. For Cena, time was everything and, specifically, a lack of it to be a good dad to a child that would need a lot of attention and TLC.
"It's hard work. It's hard work to balance the time. I need to run myself correctly," he said.
"It's hard work to be the best partner and husband I can be to my loving wife. It's hard to keep connections with those in my life who I love, and it's also hard to put in an honest day's work.
"This is just my perspective, again, totally not qualified, but I think just because you might be good at something is not a strong enough reason to do that."
Topics: John Cena, WWE, Sex and Relationships, US News, Entertainment, Netflix, Celebrity, TV, Film
Tom Earnshaw