John Cena has had the same buzz cut hairstyle for years. It's a look fans have grown used to seeing on the wrestler-actor.
So when he returned to the ring during the "WWE Super Show-Down" at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 6 sporting longer locks with a side part, the internet had some very strong opinions about it, which even the WWE had some fun pointing out.
Some fans compared John's new hairstyle to Ned Flanders' look on "The Simpsons." Others commented that he now resembles Mark Wahlberg, Captain America, the host of "Blue's Clues," Teddy Perkins from "Atlanta," Homer Simpson in a toupee or a detective. Still others wondered if he's having a midlife crisis.
"John Cena has arrived with a combover and instantly looks deep into his 50's and divorced," tweeted one account.
"I can't get over John Cena's hair. Put a mustache on him and he looks like Ned Flanders without a shirt on," wrote another. Yet another tweeted, "Good to see John Cena and his totally not a midlife crisis hair at WWW Super Show-Down." Noted another social media user: "You know with hair John Cena looks like if Matt Damon was just massively jacked."
Some fans even poked fun at John by referencing his headline-making breakup this summer with longtime love and fellow wrestler Nikki Bella. "'See Nikki, I can change. My hair says it all.' Things John Cena probably wanted to say," read another humorous post.
John, however, took the ribbing in stride, posting a few things on social media making it clear that he received the messages loud and clear. On Oct. 7, John took to Instagram to share an image of Homer Simpson with a toupee that's a dead ringer for his new 'do.
A day earlier, he referenced his bold new look in a tweet. "Thank you #WWESSD @WWE @WWEUniverse for an amazing evening. Thank you @JCLayfield for the grooming tips. Thank you @EyeOfJackieChan for the the [fist and lightning bolt emojis]," John wrote after the show, referring to his new lightning-fist finishing move and, clearly, some comments he got about his hair. (The tweet came after retired WWE champion-turned-commentator John Layfield — who has a similar hairstyle — weighed in with a post of his own: "I personally think @JohnCena's new haircut is awesome! Only real good looking dudes have hair that cool," he wrote.)
So what's the real reason for the new hairdo? WrestlingNews.co reports that John's sporting the longer haircut for a movie he's shooting in China with Jackie Chan, "Project X-traction."
The site also pointed out that during his WWE match, John didn't take any bumps. Though some fans wondered if it was due to an injury, the site reports that it's actually because John had to fly back to China for two more months of filming and couldn't risk any injuries that could delay the project.