In October 2020, actor and TV personality John Cena shocked all his fans when the news broke that he had secretly married his girlfiend, Shay Shariatzadeh, after dating her less than two years. Apparently, John had always planned to get married "out of the limelight" — even after spending years in a public relationship with the now reality TV star and former WWE wrestler Nikki Bella. So when he decided to marry his new-ish girlfriend, Shay, no one even knew he was engaged until after the wedding itself.
That's definitely quite the feat to pull off for a pervasive public figure like John, who was married once before. But he's been incredibly private about his personal life since his relationship with Nikki ended.
But court documents revealed that he married Shay — who studied to be an engineer and works as a product manager in the tech field — in Tampa, Florida. The couple, apparently, met and started dating in Vancouver, Canada. While they've been spotted out a few times throughout their relationship, and Shay has joined John on the red carpet here and there, the public still isn't privy to much information about their relationship. Keep reading to find out the details we do know about their whirlwind romance.
April 2018: John & Nikki Call Off Their Engagement
After quite famously getting engaged at WrestleMania 33, with thousands of people watching in person and from home in April 2017, John and Nikki split up a year later. The wrestling superstars had already been together for six years when they broke off their engagement, so the breakup definitely took fans by surprise. After just a month, John confessed on Today that he still loved Nikki and wanted to be with her. The couple reunited shortly after, but by July 2018, they had broken up for good.
July 2018-March 2019: John Is Solo
Post-breakup with Nikki, John was usually spotted solo. Throughout the rest of 2018, and into the beginning of 2019, there didn't seem to be a lady in the picture. Presumably, he took some time to figure things out before jumping into a new relationship. During that time, John Cena was busy filming the family movie Playing With Fire with John Leguizamo and Keegan-Michael Key in Vancouver, Canada.
March 2019: Shay Surfaces
In March 2019, John was spotted with a mystery woman who turned out to be Shay Shariatzadeh. (John and Shay were caught on a dinner date in Vancouver at the time.) Shay went to college in Vancouver and had been living there for years, so they likely met while he was in Canada filming Playing With Fire.
March 2019: Marathon Dinner
While it's unclear exactly how long John and Shay had been dating by the time they were first seen out together, they seemed to enjoy spending time with each other right off the bat. Reports of a dinner that lasted four hours even surfaced shortly after their first public appearance, signaling that the two were already quite into each other.
April 2019: Dating Days
Fans documented John and Shay's budding relationship throughout spring 2019. The new couple was spotted out and about together at least twice in San Diego. John apparently wanted to spend some time wining and dining his new lady before taking the next big step in their relationship, which he did not long after.
June 2019: Meet the Family
After a few months, John was confident enough in his relationship with Shay that he was ready to introduce her to his family, so she joined him for a family gathering in June 2019. John's fans were thrilled to see him so happy, and whenever a picture surfaced on social media, many were quick to express their support.
July 2019: Officially a Couple
By summer 2019, John and Shay were spending quite a bit of time together and were clearly a couple. That July, Shay attended a WWE Raw taping with John. John was "really into Shay and excited about their new relationship," according to an Us Weekly source who said she was "really smart and easygoing [and] great for him."
October 2019: Red Carpet Debut
In October 2019, John and Shay made their relationship official when she joined him on the red carpet for the first time. They attended the premiere of John's film, Playing With Fire, with John looking dapper in a blue suit, and Shay wearing a flirty sequined mini dress. The couple was all smiles and clearly thrilled to be on each other's arms.
November 2019: John Shut Down Critics
During a Today appearance in November 2019, John addressed individuals claiming that Shay looks like his ex-fiancée, Nikki Bella. "Thank you so much for asking that question, but I'll keep that as your question and keep those details to myself," he answered when Hoda Kotb and Andy Cohen asked him about the speculation. His response wasn't terribly clear, but it was obviously a comparison he wasn't interested in validating.
November 2019: Learning Experiences
"Every experience in life is a chance for us to know who we are and who we're not, and just because I went down one avenue in life doesn't mean I'm going to repeat going down that avenue," John said during the same television appearance. "I think if there is a learning experience for me and a takeaway for me, it's OK to be who you are and it's OK to establish boundaries. I can say with great confidence I'm extremely happy."
January 2020: PDA
John and Shay attended the premiere of the film Dolittle together in January 2020. The couple packed on the PDA during the event, making it clear that they were not in hiding, and that their relationship was strong and going quite well. Shay and John looked so happy and in love the entire time. It was arguably the biggest event they attended together.
February 2020: Engaged or Not?
A month later, in February 2020, onlookers noticed Shay wearing a large diamond ring on her left-hand ring finger while the couple was spending some time in San Diego. The rumor mill started churning, but neither John or Shay either confirmed or denied that they had gotten engaged. If so, it would've meant they were engaged less than a year after they started dating.
February 2020: The Ring
"I noticed a huge ring on her left hand ring finger," a source who had seen the couple in San Diego reported to Us Weekly. "It looked pretty big," the source said. But then the global health crisis kept most Americans at home for weeks, if not months, and celeb sightings became rather rare. It likely made it a lot easier to keep their engagement under wraps.
March 2020: Quarantine
When many states went under stay-at-home orders early in 2020, John and Shay decided to quarantine together. A source told Life & Style that the couple was spending their quarantine working out together. "He and Shay have a blast exercising together — either outdoors or in his amazing home gym," the source reported.
October 2020: Surprise, We're Married!
In October 2020, reports surfaced that the couple had tied the knot at a Tampa courthouse, without ever even confirming that they had gotten engaged. Two weeks later, the couple still hasn't addressed their nuptials publicly, but they're likely still enjoying their newlywed bubble. Maybe John will share more deets once he has a reason to get on the media circuit again.
