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Who is John Cena’s Iranian engineer wife Shay Shariatzadeh? After splitting from Nikki Bella, the Argylle actor and former WWE wrestler first met his then future partner when she asked for a fan photo

John Cena and his wife Shay Shariatzadeh have been married since 2020. Photo: WireImage
John Cena’s nude appearance at the 2024 Oscars stole the spotlight and quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the evening.
John Cena on stage during the presentation of the Oscar for Costume Design during the Oscars on March 10. Photo: Reuters

The former WWE wrestler shuffled onto the stage clad only in Birkenstocks to present an award before Hollywood’s luminaries. In a playful exchange with host Jimmy Kimmel, Cena remarked, “The male body is not supposed to be funny,” to which Kimmel quipped back, “Mine is.”

Wrestler-turned-actor John Cena and his wife Shay Shariatzadeh kiss as they arrive for the premiere of The Suicide Squad in 2021. Photo: AFP
Whether it was a strategic move aimed at increasing viewers – which, if so, appears to have worked given that Variety reports this year’s Oscars as having the highest ratings since 2020 – or simply Cena staying true to the eccentric persona he often presents, we’ve all seen a little more of the actor than we expected to this week.

Back home, however, Cena seems to have a much more relaxing time alongside his partner Shay Shariatzadeh. Here’s what we know about the Argylle actor’s significant other.

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What does Shay Shariatzadeh do for a living?

John Cena’s wife Shay Shariatzadeh works at Microsoft. Photo: Getty Images for A24
According to People, Iranian-born Shay Shariatzadeh, 35, studied electronics engineering at university, and according to her LinkedIn page, she now works as a program manager at Microsoft. Prior to that she landed a gig at enterprise software company Sonatype in Canada back in December 2019.

In an interview with Motorola Solution’s subsidiary Avigilon in March 2019, Shariatzadeh said: “I have always enjoyed math and physics. My brother studied engineering in school, and I remember one day he came home with a project, and it was an autonomous car – and that was it!”

Shariatzadeh attends red carpets with Cena

Shay Shariatzadeh and John Cena wear matching black outfits at the premiere of Argylle on January 24 in London. Photo: WireImage

While it’s unclear whether Shariatzadeh attended the recent Oscars, she did show her support by attending the Ricky Stanicky premiere with her beau in early March, as reported by JustJared.

She’s also attended his Argylle and The Iron Claw premieres in the past few months.

How did John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh meet?

Shay Shariatzadeh and John Cena met in a restaurant after her friend asked him for a photograph. Photo: Getty Images for Universal Pictures

Apparently, the two first met at a restaurant, according to Cena’s February interview on The Howard Stern Show. He said he was out for dinner with friends in Vancouver, when one of Shariatzadeh’s friends came over to ask for a photo.

So I got a picture with her, and then she brought by my wife-to-be over. We have our first fan photo, which we hang proudly where we hang our hats. It’s awesome,” he said.

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“I asked her for her number and she gave me her number, and I didn’t wait like the two days [to reach out]. I left the restaurant and on my walk home I [texted], ‘It was so nice to meet you, you’re beautiful, I’d like to get to know you more if you have any free time coming up I’ll make time for you.’ She’s like, ‘You want to go out this weekend?’ I said, ‘Sure.’”

They’ve been romantically linked since March 2019, according to People, and tied the knot in October 2020.

Do John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh have kids?

John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh say they are enjoying life without children. Photo: GC Images

John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh do not have children. The 46-year-old actor previously said he didn’t see himself being a father in an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show. “I really enjoy my life. I have been riding a lightning bolt for quite some time now. I have been given opportunities to do and see things that man, I didn’t even dream of, and I had some pretty lofty dreams,” he said.

Who is John Cena’s first wife?

Cena was married to his high school sweetheart, property agent Elizabeth Huberdeau, from 2009 to 2012, according to The Sportster. Their split led to a US$55 million dollar divorce settlement, according to Essentially Sports.

After Huberdeau, Cena famously started dating fellow wrestler Nikki Bella on and off until they called it quits for good in July 2018, per Us Weekly.
  • Cena’s nude appearance at the Oscars 2024 was one of the most talked-about moments of the evening, but his wife Shay Shariatzadeh has seen it all before …
  • Iranian-born Shariatzadeh studied electronics engineering and now works for Microsoft, and first met Cena in Canada when her pal asked him for a fan photo