The Matchbox the Movie star revealed that his wife Shay Shariatzadeh was definitely nervous about his stunts in his new film but made sure to be there for him every step of the way.
“There were some days I gotta kind of give the Mrs. a danger grade on the days,” Cena shared with E! News during an exclusive interview, “and she knew the worst thing for me was going to be jumping off that building. And I love her for the fact that she was there.”
“She could easily have gone into the fear vacuum with me of, ‘Oh my god,’” the 49-year-old added. “No, she was totally supportive of like, ‘You got this.’”
And after he performed the dangerous stunt, Shariatzadeh—whom he married in 2020—came over and gave him “a great hug and told me how proud of me she was.”
Overall, Cena was grateful that she didn’t let her own fears make the “situation worse,” noting that she “put her personal emotions aside and helped support me in a time of need.”
The WWE star raved, “It’s why she's my best friend and my partner and a wonderful wife.”
Shariatzadeh’s reaction was exactly the calming force Cena needed as he undertook many of Matchbox the Movie’s wild stunts—all of which director Sam Hargrave felt confident he could.
“Normally, when Hollywood will say, ‘No, a stunt person's gonna do that,’ because of Sam's fluency, I got to face a lot of my fears,” Cena shared, “and do a lot of things that I'm uncomfortable with.”
Namely, Hargrave, a longtime stunt coordinator, helped him confront his fear of heights, which Cena believed stemmed from his years as a wrestler, knowing that each fall would be painful.
“I hadn't been able to tackle that fear,” he explained E!. “I was still very scared in doing all that stuff. I didn't overcome my fear, but I promised Sam I would lean into the uncomfortable and he promised me I would be safe and we both delivered on our promise.”
And thankfully, all the stunts Cena was most afraid of performing made their way into Matchbox the Movie—also starring Jessica Biel and Sam Richardson—which premieres globally on Apple TV Oct. 9.
Based on the New York Times best-seller, The Love Hypothesis follows Olive (Lili Reinhart), a Ph.D. candidate who impulsively kisses her department's most intimidating professor, Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman). Their mutual need for a fake relationship turns into an experiment in chemistry that might actually solve for love.
Inspired by true events, Unabomber follows Ted Kaczynski’s (Jacob Tremblay) transformation from Harvard prodigy into the infamous domestic terrorist. Also starring Russell Crowe, Shailene Woodley and Annabelle Wallis.
Adapted from Colleen Hoover's best-selling novel, this psychological thriller follows renowned author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway) and Lowen Ashleigh (Dakota Johnson), a struggling writer who relocates to the remote Crawford estate to ghostwrite for Verity.
Tom Cruise teams up with Oscar-winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu for this black comedy the world's most powerful man as he embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.
Josh Hartnett stars as a fisherman who must fight to hold his close-knit community together when an unidentified sea creature begins terrorizing his hometown.
A companion piece to 2010's The Social Network, writer/director Aaron Sorkin's new film is inspired by the true story of a young Facebook engineer (Mikey Madison) who enlists the help of a Wall Street Journal reporter (Jeremy Allen White) to go on a dangerous journey that ends up blowing the whistle on Mark Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong) and the social network’s most guarded secrets.
When their son is kidnapped, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate (Ben Affleck) and his wife (Kerry Washington) find themselves drawn into a web of deception.
Where to Watch: In select theaters and streaming on Netflix
Jessica Chastain headlines this horror about a sinister entity that threatens an eight-year-old girl and her family.
In this action-packed adventure inspired by the iconic Mattel toys, an undercover CIA agent (John Cena) returns to his small town and unwittingly gets his childhood friends embroiled in a frantic international pursuit to save the world.
This documentary feature follows a pivotal year in superstar LISA’s life, as, for the first time since childhood, she steps away from BLACKPINK for a year of independence.
Where to Watch: In theaters starting October 12, then streaming exclusively on YouTube Premium later this year
Daisy Edgar-Jones stars as Elinor Dashwood in this latest adaptation of Jane Austen's beloved novel. Also starring Fiona Shaw, Caitríona Balfe, George MacKay, and Esmé Creed-Miles.
A live-action version of the legendary arcade game, starring Noah Centineo, Jason Momoa, 50 Cent, and many more as the iconic fighters.
During a charity gala brimming with celebrities and billionaires, a movie star in the midst of an existential crisis (Chris Evans) is taken hostage by an eco-warrior (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her devoted followers.
Alexander Skarsgard transforms for his role as the Wicker Husband made for Olivia Colman's ostracized fisherwoman in this unconventional love story.
Where to Watch: In select theaters on October 23, expanding October 30, 2026.
LAIKA (Coraline, Kubo and the Two Strings) delivers another epic stop-motion animation fantasy that follows a girl's desperate quest to save her baby brother in a forbidden forest full of enchanted creatures.
This thriller follows a mysterious young man from a New York publisher (Alden Ehrenreich) who is sent to Switzerland to persuade the renowned writer Patricia Highsmith (Helen Mirren) to write one final installment of the Ripley anthology.
Based on the beloved Dr. Seuss book, this animated adaptation will feature the voices of Bill Hader, Quinta Brunson, Bowen Yang, and America Ferrera.
Adam Driver, Miles Teller and Scarlett Johansson star in this crime thriller about two brothers who get entangled in a dangerous Russian mafia scheme that terrorizes their family.
Nicolas Cage and Christian Bale star in this chronicle of football icon John Madden's life and career.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping - November 20, 2026
This highly anticipated prequel revisits the world of Panem and follows young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) twenty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games. Also starring Glenn Close, Whitney Peak, Elle Fanning, Ralph Fiennes, Mckenna Grace and Maya Hawke.
Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro reunite alongside Ariana Grande for this new chapter in the Meet the Parents franchise.
The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth - November 25, 2026
Brad Pitt returns to his Academy Award-winning role as Cliff Booth, only this time it’s 1977 and it’s a very different Hollywood. Directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, and also starring Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
Where to Watch: In IMAX theaters starting Nov. 25, then streaming on Netflix on Dec. 23.
This animated coming-of-age saga follows an impulsive teenage girl named Billie (Hailee Steinfeld) who discovers secret magical abilities which hurtle her into a spectacular journey out of suburbia and into a vast witch realm called Hexe.
When Santa’s (Arnold Schwarzenegger) magic bag is stolen, he turns to his naughty list to find Vance (Alan Ritchson), a thief, to help him get it back.
An insanely star-studded cast of MCU fan-favorites return to our screens in this fifth installment of the Avengers film series.
Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet return to deliver the epic conclusion to director Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy. Also starring Jason Momoa, Florence Pugh, Rebecca Ferguson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Pattinson, and Javier Bardem.
Director Robert Eggers (Nosferatu, The Witch) delivers his take on the classic horror beast. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe and Lily-Rose Depp.
The core cast (Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Jack Black and Kevin Hart) returns for this final installment of the reboot trilogy about a magical board game.
Johnny Depp, Madelyn Cline and Penelope Cruz star in this revenge thriller with a supernatural twist.