John Cena garnered skyrocketing popularity as a professional wrestler in 2001 after signing with the WWE (World Wrestling Federation). He later rose to stardom after making an appearance in the 2006 film, The Marine. Currently touted as one of the most successful professional wrestlers, the 43-year-old actor was once so impoverished that he had to enter a pizza eating competition to score a meal.

Opening up about a rough patch in his life when he did not have much money, Cena explained how he became a pizza-eating champion. Cena is no stranger to struggling financially, and he lived on a tight budget for a long time before making a name for himself in the wrestling industry. As a result, he worked multiple jobs, including cleaning toilets and folding towels at a gym.

Aside from that, Cena worked as a limo driver. Despite doing so many jobs, he did not have enough money to spare. In an interview, Cena told WrestleZone that he is a "Zeppy’s pizza-eating champion." As part of its promotion at the time, the restaurant would give its thick dish pizza to a customer who could eat the whole thing.

He went to the restaurant on a lunch break and ate the whole pizza in about 20 minutes, and the pizza parlor guy was understandably surprised, Cena noted. The pizza parlor guy did not realize Cena did not have money at the time.

The Bumblebee star did the same thing the next day and was granted a free slice at any time. In addition to being resourceful, Cena showed he had a lot of skill to eat the whole pizza in just 20 minutes. Fast forward to today, Cena is one of the highest-paid wrestlers in the WWE.

Cena not only makes money from his successful wrestling career, but he also gets income from his acting roles. In 2018, he grabbed the number two spot behind Brock Lesnar as one of the WWE's highest-paid superstars by ranking in $8 million. His earning has increased since then, and he has an estimated net worth of $75 million, according to WrestlingNewsNow.

On top of that, Cena earns from product endorsements, such as Crocs and Tapout Body Spray. He also published a series of books for kids called Elbow Grease. The series revolves around a monster truck and his friends. Did you know about John Cena's struggle before rising to stardom? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.