‘The greatest of all time’ John Cena has recently posted a video on his official TikTok account showing just how jacked he looked before he became famous with WWE.

@johncena “The Prototype.” #wwe #upw ♬ original sound – John Cena

We all remember back in 2002 (was it really 21 years ago!?) when Cena started his journey in WWE, and the now very famous “ruthless aggression” line when confronting Kurt Angle, but not many people will know what The Leader of the Cenation looked like before he made his debut on SmackDown.

Well, the footage recently shared by the man himself shows the GOAT in some very skimpy shorts that he got from a place that sold clothes for exotic dancers, perhaps not one of his best decisions!

 When we say they are very skimpy, let’s just say they leave little to the imagination. Very little! Cena, however, looked in incredible condition, and the definition of his muscles is seriously impressive.

 He may have an impressive physique, but his hairstyle is very questionable, which followed him during the early part of his wrestling career.

Cena has gone through obvious body transformations over the years, having started as a bodybuilder before making his way into wrestling. A journey a lot of Superstars have made before Cena.

 Known as ‘The Prototype’ on the independent circuit at Ultimate Pro Wrestling, where Cena’s TikTok post is from, he still showed some signs of his bodybuilding past. When he moved to OVW, he became leaner than in the footage below.

Cena’s abs and big pecs were on display, and it was clear he had been a frequent visitor to the gym in the early days. He had become vascular, which resulted in his muscles appearing to be more defined and bulging.

His physique was certainly not a natural appearance, and the amount of work and time Cena had been putting in the gym was clear.

The 16-time WWE Champion’s natural talent for strength training stretches back to the late ’90s and early 2000s.

 Cena frequently broke records at the original Hard Knocks gym in Massachusetts, with many of his records still standing more than 20 years later.

From an early age, Cena was determined to have a great body, and his move into wrestling made it imperative for him to keep that physique.

When did Cena start weight training, we hear you ask? Aged 12, yes, just 12 years old. When he graduated from high school, he weighed around 240lbs.

Cena has kept himself in unbelievable shape over the years, as seen in his recent WWE return. It’s not all about gym work and lifting the heaviest weight imaginable. Cena sticks to a strict diet, too.

His diet plan consists of seven meals a day, all of which are high in protein. His strict diet is essential for maintaining his physique, and one of the reasons it takes him little time to get up to speed when stepping back in the ring.

Cena’s diet is arguably one of the most difficult to follow due to the amount of discipline and commitment required.

“I have a very specific diet,” Cena told Business Insider. “It is not easy, but it’s not as difficult as people make it out to be.”

His diet hasn’t changed much over the years and is one of the vital aspects of maintaining one of the most recognisable physiques in WWE.