John Cena began working out 'out of self-defense' as a 13-year-old

John Cena didn't become a bonafide WWE star and 16-time world champion by accident, though his initial motivations for becoming a physical specimen were far more modest.

"My passion for strength was out of self-defense," the 44-year-old actor and professional wrestler told People. "I used to get picked on a lot because I was different in the way I dressed and expressed myself. As you're an adolescent, social cliques form, and I didn't fall into any one of those. So I got tired of getting beaten up and I asked my dad for a weight set and he got me one at 13. I started working out and I haven't stopped since."

"My quest for strength probably lasted, I don't know, until my mid-30s," Cena continued. "And now I'm on a quest for wellness, which is hopefully so I can continue physical fitness for the next, 30, 40, 50 years of my life."

Cena has done everything humanly possible to expose any and all of his former bullies as fools. His plate is as full as ever. Fresh off his role in F9: The Fast Saga, marking his debut in the Fast and Furious franchise, he made a highly anticipated return to WWE last week: