At that point, the 16-time WWE champion was just stepping into the Hollywood scene and had recently taken on his first villain role in over two decades. He was cast as Steven, the overly buff, gym-obsessed boyfriend of Schumer’s character, Amy Townsend.
The movie kicks off with a daring and intimate scene between the two characters, blurring the line between outrageous comedy and on-screen realism. Schumer later joked that Cena “was actually inside me” during filming, a tongue-in-cheek remark that quickly caught fans’ attention.
When the cameras rolled, Cena was already in a serious relationship with Nikki Bella. But instead of preparing her for what she was about to see, he admitted on Conan that he put off the conversation until the film was already in motion.
Her reaction was far from subtle. “She has such beautiful brown eyes, but they glowed with red hellfire,” he joked, before adding, “She has such a great smile, but in that moment she turned into the alien and the predator at once.”

In another interview on Club Shay Shay, he described Schumer as “an angel” and said she made the whole experience feel “so comfortable” despite the obvious awkwardness of the work.
Even though much of the buzz around the scene came from its humor and over-the-top nature, Cena has since reflected on how it probably deserved more of a conversation beforehand — especially with someone he was planning a future with.
“Imagine seeing your man do a sex scene and having the whole world see his big butt,” she said later. “You get visuals. I swear, I couldn’t masturbate forever because I just thought of the sex scene.”
And in 2017, he popped the question in the middle of the ring at WrestleMania 33 after they teamed up to beat The Miz and Maryse, as reported by PEOPLE.
Unfortunately, the engagement came to an end in 2018. Cena later met Shay Shariatzadeh while filming Playing with Fire, and the pair began dating not long after. They tied the knot in a private ceremony on October 12, 2020.

In hindsight, Cena’s mix of humor, honesty, and slightly delayed communication makes this story one of those celebrity moments that fans can’t stop bringing up.
And given the laughs, awkwardness, and lessons learned, it’s likely one he won’t forget anytime soon.