The Truth About John Cena's Wife

Remember the old saying, "A tiger doesn't change his stripes"? Welp... tell that to WWE star John Cena, who married his new blushing bride, Shay Shariatzadeh in October 2020 — after saying for years he would never tie the knot (again).

The world let out a collective gasp when news broke that the long-time bachelor had officially tied the knot with a mystery woman, as PWInsider.com first reported. While the professional wrestler had taken the leap of faith before during his former marriage to Elizabeth Huberdeau, he made it quite clear during his very public six-year-long relationship with former wrestler-turned-reality star, Nikki Bella, that he wasn't too keen on getting married. Per People, the story goes that Cena and Bella actually split just before they were set to say their nuptials. Ruh-roh.

But it appears that has all changed now that Cena is officially a married man again. So who is the woman to have finally persuaded Cena to take the long walk down the marital aisle? Keep reading after the jump to find out!

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, John Cena's Playing With Fire co-star, Keegan-Michael Key, spoke candidly about the first time the wrestler laid eyes on his future wife while in Vancouver filming the movie. While dining at a restaurant, Cena spotted Shay Shariatzadeh across the room, as Key told it. "'There was one woman I was looking at and I couldn't take my eyes off her,"' Cena divulged to the actor. And after that, the rest is pretty much history!

In October 2019, Cena and Shariatzadeh solidified their relationship, publicly stepping out together on the red carpet for the premiere of the movie that brought them together. "What's truly special about this one is that, no matter what projects I'm involved in the future, this one will always have a special meaning because I got to film a special project and meet someone special," Cena gushed to ET. Sounds pretty storybook, right?!

Fans first suspected that John Cena had popped the question when they spotted Shay Shariatzadeh sporting a larger than life diamond on her ring finger in February 2020. A source told E! News that they just so happened to notice the couple walking arm-in-arm during an outing in San Diego, California. "...They were very affectionate," the source revealed. "She was grabbing onto his arm the whole time and the ring was def on her left hand," they added.

Twitter was also abuzz with rumors that the pair were engaged to be married. A fan account tweeted a photo of Cena posing with a young boy and a caption that read, "Not starting any rumors, but it looks like he might be engaged, Shay's got a ROCK on her finger! If so, then congratulations on your engagement John!" And as it turns out... the rumors were true!

And just like their engagement, when it came time to solidify their union, the couple was just as low-key about their nuptials. PWInsider.com initially broke the story that the couple had officially tied the knot on Oct. 12, 2020. But instead of throwing an over-the-top affair, according to People, the couple opted to go the intimate route with a private ceremony in an attorney's office.

According to TMZ, John Cena's new bride, Shay Shariatzadeh, is originally from Iran — but became a Canadian citizen, hence the couple's chance meeting in Vancouver. Now, she's living the bi-coastal life with her new hubby, who has homes in Tampa Bay, Fla. and San Diego, Calif, as per Velvet Ropes. Ah, stars. They're just like us.

And while she may have moved to the United States for her new man — make no mistake about it: Shariatzadeh is successful in her own right. While she may not be a pro-wrestler or a famous actor, she does have an accomplished career in engineering. During an interview with Avigilon, Shariatzadeh gushed about her love of the sciences. "I have always enjoyed math and physics," she divulged. "My brother studied engineering in school, and I remember one day he came home with a project and it was an autonomous car — and that was it!" 

These days Shariatzadeh focuses on the product management side, marrying her love of engineering with her love of working with people. "Today, I take pride working in the video security industry because our products help keep people and their assets safe," she explained. "That's my little contribution to our world." Well that... and being the woman that finally tamed the famous John Cena.