It’s Love! See John Cena and Shay Shariatzadeh’s Relationship Timeline

Winter 2019

The couple met at a restaurant in Vancouver while the actor was in town in February and March filming Playing With Fire. Costar Keegan-Michael Key told Entertainment Tonight that the WWE star later dished, “There was one woman I was looking at and I couldn’t take my eyes off her … That’s when it started.”

March 2019

By the end of the month, the couple were spotted holding hands as they walked around the city. Reports said they shared a four-hour dinner — and the photos showed they couldn’t stop beaming.

March 2019

They weren’t hiding from anybody. Nina Safai, a Canadian blogger, told Life & Style she ran into the couple on “multiple” different occasions. “I’ve seen them together four times now. It started on March 3, and I’ve been running into them once or twice a week since then,” she revealed.

April 2019

Once filming was over, the duo continued their romance in the United States. They were spotted on back-to-back dates in San Diego. “They looked happy and peaceful and would occasionally touch each other’s legs. It was quite a romantic dinner!” an eyewitness told Life & Style.

October 2019

A few months later, they made their red carpet debut at the Playing With Fire premiere. We think that’s a pretty appropriate event to go public, considering the movie brought them together!

January 2020

John and Shay stepped out onto the red carpet once more at the Dolittle premiere. They even shared a smooch as they cuddled up in front of cameras. “John and Shay arrived hand in hand to [the] carpet and walked into [the] carpet holding hands,” an insider told Life & Style. “He whispered a few things in her ear to reassure her on [the] carpet, a few gentle kisses on [the] lips. Very sweet. She seemed totally comfortable and happy to be by his side.”

February 2020

Are wedding bells ringing? The day before Valentine’s Day, the wrestler shared a photo of a man holding up a purple candy heart that read, “Say Yes.” Text over the image captioned it “Stone Cold Sweethearts,” though the Instagram photo itself didn’t have a caption.

February 2020

Two days later, an impressionist painting of what looked like a bride and groom appeared on John’s feed, further hinting that they may have taken a big step as a couple.

February 2020

On February 17, Shay was seen sporting some major bling on her ring finger when the couple stepped out together and snapped some photos with fans.

March 2020

Amid the coronavirus quarantine, John and his lady have been staying together and focusing on their fitness. The couple that sweats together, stays together, right?

October 2020

Officially husband and wife! John and Shay tied the knot in a secret wedding ceremony on October 12, 2020, Life & Style confirmed. They got married in Tampa, Florida

July 2022

On July 15, John and Shay said “I do” again in a Vancouver ceremony, according to photos obtained by TMZ.

July 2024

John made a rare public comment about his relationship with Shay while speaking to WSJ. Magazine in July 2024. When asked what his most prized possession was, John responded, “The relationship with my wife.”

He then shared what he believes is the key to a happy marriage and relationship. “Honesty, communication, genuine love, gratitude and vulnerability have helped us tremendously,” the Blockers star told the outlet.

August 2024

While appearing on an August 2024 episode of the “Club Shay Shay”podcast, John revealed he and Shay had “open conversations” about their decision to not have children.

“The [decision to not have kids] immediately puts you in a category, and we can’t help but judge. [It’s] human nature and we’re all judgmental,” John explained. “I’d like to believe that I operate under the construct that everyone’s OK living their life. I can tell you this is not like a knee-jerk reaction. I’ve thought long and hard about this.”

John added that he made sure to have serious conversations with Shay during their first few dates. “It was great because we got to lean into those uncomfortable conversations and address this stuff,” he said. “Now, we’ve actually built this foundation where whenever one of us is feeling bothered, nothing’s off the table. We handle them right then and there and nothing is too uncomfortable to be unapproachable.”