John Cena beat me to win first title – now I run ‘Strongest Gym’ and have million-dollar empire

John Cena has the unique case of two very different bells being pivotal at both the start and end of his illustrious wrestling career.

The record 17-time WWE world champion will hear the chime of the ring bell one final time on December 13 – 20 years after a conversation with the Bell brothers saw him step inside the ropes.

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How John Cena got into pro wrestling

A video from Mark Bell in 2023 detailed how a chance meeting with the Peacemaker actor laid the groundwork for future WWE fame.

‘Smelly’ worked in Los Angeles with his brother Chris ‘Boar’ Bell, moving fitness equipment for a place called Mass Movement.

One of their employees put him in touch with a young Cena, who had planned to head out to LA to pursue a bodybuilding career.

The Bell brothers also trained at Gold’s Gym, Venice, which is where Cena ultimately ended up working in his youth for $6 an hour.

Cena himself explained on the Joe Rogan Experience: “When Stone Cold Steve Austin became big, the Rock became big, the Attitude era hit, and I was just working a dead-end job over at Gold’s Gym, Venice, and didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life.

“[I was] 21. I’d moved out to California. Not to be famous or anything. My degree was in Kinesiology, and that was the center of the fitness universe in ’99, 2000. So all equipment manufacturers are there.

“I’m like, ‘Man, I’ll go get a job with Hammer Strength or Cybex or maybe Gold’s or put that piece of paper on the wall to get a good-paying job.’ It did not work.

“So I ended up front desk, cleaning toilets, selling protein bars in that order. So don’t ever buy a protein bar. I’m just kidding.

“But no, I was kind of the jack of all trades over there. And a friend of mine, Chris Bell and Mark Bell…They literally were like, ‘Dude, you talk about WWF all the time. We train down in Orange County.’

“And at that time, Chris Bell was kind of writing for this promotion. Like, ‘Would you want to do it?’ And I… Man, that doesn’t happen without them accidentally saying, ‘Yo, we trained to do this.’”

From Gold’s Gym to WWE

Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW), a defunct California-based indie company, served as a breeding ground for future WWE stars.

Mark Bell explained: “We told John, we’re like, ‘dude, if you come to wrestling, UPW with us, you’ll probably get a contract in like six months.’

“Cause the guy that works there has got good access to WWE and stuff like that. He can get you looked at.

“John took us up on the offer, and then he worked his face off, and he ended up getting a contract with WWE in like five months.

“And I was like, hey, I’m sorry I lied to you. I said six months, but it only took you five.”

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‘You won’t find a bigger fan of John Cena’

Cena’s brief tenure in UPW saw him adopt his first wrestling gimmick, a semi-robotic persona called The Prototype.

He also held his first career title, beating ‘Smelly’ Bell to win the UPW Heavyweight Championship in 2000, before joining WWE a year later.

From there, the rest is history, with Chris Bell founding a film production company, Bigger Stronger Faster, which was also the title of his 2008 documentary about the use of steroids.

His brother Mark, a record-holding powerlifter, now owns the Super Training Gym, dubbed ‘The Strongest Gym In The West‘.

Tragically, their other sibling, Mike, who competed in WWE in the 1990s under the name ‘Mad Dog’, passed away in 2008, aged 37.

But touchingly, Chris Bell reacted to Cena’s appearance on Joe Rogan by calling him the fourth Bell brother.

“You won’t find a bigger fan of John Cena than Smelly and I. Mad Dog was his first coach along with our friend Tom Howard, Smelly was Cena’s training partner and nemesis in wrestling.

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“They battled over the UPW championship for about a year until the WWE came and took John. It wasn’t easy for him at all.

“They say bodybuilders all have 2 left feet and can’t wrestle. John was determined to prove everyone wrong. I’ve never seen someone attack a goal with such dedication and passion.

“John isn’t just special in the ring. He’s done more Make A Wish visits than any celebrity in the entire world. Mad Dog was one of John’s first coaches in UPW and when he died John called me to talk.

“At the end of the call he asked for my address. I thought he was going to send a card or flowers, but he Fed Ex’d a ridiculous check that more than covered all of the funeral and burial costs.

“I remember crying when I got it because our entire family was broke at the time. When I made Bigger Stronger Faster* John showed up on opening day in LA and even asked a question in the Q&A.

“He’s been super supportive of Mark and everything he’s done in fitness.

“My Dad had been even helping him with his taxes for 2 decades because he knew he could trust him. All around the guy is just a grade A human being and the world needs more people like him.

“It makes me so happy to watch it all happen, even though I can’t see him. Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect always pays off if you Never Give Up. I’m excited to see his final match on December 13th.

“It’s been one hell of a ride. It’s kind of crazy to say but a guy we met at The Mecca of Bodybuilding outworked everyone in the history of pro wrestling and became the greatest of all time!!!”