John Cena in action against Cody Rhodes during WWE Elimination Chamber at Rogers Centre on March 1, 2025 in Toronto.Rich Freeda/Getty Images
Earlier this month at Toronto’s Roger Centre professional wrestler and Hollywood superstar John Cena set social media ablaze for two reasons.
The first was a dastardly heel turn. Aligning himself with Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson – currently portraying the WWE’s big bad – Cena became a bad guy for the first time in almost 20 years. The second was Cena’s bald spot. Posters claimed it was ruining Cena’s aura. That his hair loss was a symbol of their dying childhood. Other wrestlers suggested the 16-time world champ’s bald spot was worthy of its own area code, and longtime adversary CM Punk called both Cena and the Rock “bald frauds.”
While many balding men in the media have made the decision to shave it all off – Stanley Tucci, Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, to name a few – Cena is one of few big name actors to proudly sport a patchy crown. As a man who’s also thinning from the back, I found the decision to be a breath of fresh air.
“Some people want to tackle the issue while others just stop thinking about it and it’s fine. There’s no one answer and I try to help people embrace whatever they feel comfortable with,” said Dr. Gary Linkov, a hair transplant surgeon based in New York.
Even as one most sought after specialists in the United States with his own hair product line, Linkov is hesitant about the societal push toward medications or surgical intervention for hair loss. The doctor points to Cena as an example of embracing your natural hair loss.
“I think for sure, like social media is putting excess pressure on people, and then they want to try to address it...but there’s something to be said for the confidence that comes with just saying I don’t care.”
And that’s exactly Cena’s position. As he said on The Pat McAfee Show: “Man, I know I’ve got a bald spot on the back of my head.“ The 47-year-old continued, ”Me, you and like seven out of 10 dudes have them. So I don’t care, I’m not perfect, that’s not me.”
In a 2023 video, Cena didn’t shy away from showing off his bald spot during a match:
The double edged sword of cosmetic surgery is a challenge for many celebrities. Folks who allow themselves to visually age are bombarded with commentary about their looks. Others who choose to make the choice to intervene face criticisms about the procedures. It’s part of a larger trend away from the normal signs of aging represented in film and television.
While I’d never position John Cena – whose physique has always been closer to an action figure than a real human being – as a representative for the everyman, his choice as a rich and powerful person to not have a transplant is increasingly rare. His bald spot is a shiny beacon of hope for the follically challenged across the globe.
Walking into the main event of WrestleMania this April, Cena’s villain persona is a welcome throwback to the golden era of wrestling. His bald spot is also a throwback, proving you don’t need a full head of hair to headline wrestling’s biggest show. All it takes is being a massively popular moviestar and arguably the most successful wrestler of all time.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled the name of The Pat McAfee Show. This version has been corrected.