John Cena Wants To Play Jazz After Learning Piano Since He Was 40

John Cena says learning piano has become a long-term personal project, with the WWE star now working toward playing jazz. While Cena has officially retired from WWE, he signed a five-year contract to remain an ambassador. He served as the host of WrestleMania 42 and appeared at Backlash to announce John Cena Classic, a competition that pits current stars against future stars.

John Cena discussed his piano journey during an appearance on Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, revealing that he taught himself piano on his 40th birthday, after years of believing he was not suited to playing an instrument.

He eventually bought a basic keyboard and began learning by “mashing keys,” giving himself five years to improve. (via Fightful):

“I mess around on piano. It’s strictly for me, not to monetize it or a skill to show; it’s a hobby. It’s a safe space for me. I wanted to play music so bad as a kid, and I look at my hands, and I have a catcher’s mitt and small sausages. It was easy for me to say, ‘I’m not built for this,’ and for the longest time, I did that. On my 40th birthday, I was like, ‘F**k it, you’re going to learn music. You’re just going to learn.’ I got a sh**ty keyboard, and I started mashing keys. I was like, ‘Man, I’ll be good at this in five years.’ In five years, I was better than I was when I was mashing keys, but compared to someone who is a musician, I still sucked. I’ve been playing for almost ten years, and I’m better than I was yesterday, but I still suck.”

His current goal is to learn jazz, including the fundamentals of blues, 12-bar blues, and cocktail jazz.

“Right now, I want to play jazz. I want to sit down with a scotch and jazz it up. That’s my goal. I know I’ll be there in five years. I’m just learning fundamentals, blues, and cocktail jazz. I try to put in an hour a day. I’m on my own speed. Because it doesn’t sound right right now, I don’t care. What’s it going to sound like in 2035? If I’m not there, I have to pivot. Each year, I take an assessment: ‘I’m not where I want to be, but you didn’t know how to play this last year.’ I’ll work on a piece for a year or the fundamentals.”

Cena’s piano playing was filmed in Peacemaker, where his character performs a rendition of ‘Home Sweet Home.’