John Cena Puts an End to Comparisons of Ex Nikki Bella and Girlfriend Shay Shariatzadeh

John Cena does not want his girlfriend Shay Shariatzadeh compared to his ex-fiancee, fellow WWE [...]

John Cena does not want his girlfriend Shay Shariatzadeh compared to his ex-fiancee, fellow WWE star Nikki Bella. Cena and Shariatzadeh, who is not in the entertainment industry, met while he filmed Playing With Fire in Vancouver earlier this year. They made their red carpet debut at the film's premiere late last month.

Cena appeared on the Today Show Friday for an interview with Andy Cohen, who commented that Shariatzadeh looks a bit like Bella. That prompted Cohen to ask, "Do you have a type?"

Cena, who has been very clear about not giving details about his relationship since he started dating Shariatzadeh, refused to spill the beans.

"Andy, thank you so much for asking that question, but I'll keep that as your question and those details to myself," Cena politely replied. "I can say with great confidence I'm extremely happy."

While Cena's relationship played out in front of the WWE cameras, he has no interest in repeating that with Shariatzadeh. In other words, don't expect Cena to propose to Shariatzadeh in the ring.

"Every experience in life is a chance for us to know who we are and who we're not," Cena explained to Cohen and Hoda Kotb. "And just because I went down one avenue in life doesn't mean that I'm going to repeat going down that avenue. If there's a learning experience for me, and a takeaway for me, it's OK to be who you are and it's OK to establish boundaries."

Cena said he hopes to learn from his mistakes after how his relationship with Bella ended.

"Just because a precedent was set doesn't mean you need to follow that precedent as long as you take ownership of who you are, and I think that's an important message for anybody watching out there," he told Today. "If you've done something before and it doesn't really mesh with who you are, it's OK to change and it's OK to develop and grow and that's the journey of life."

Cena and Shariatzadeh were first spotted in Vancouver in March and were seen again on a date in Tampa in July. They finally made their public debut at the Playing With Fire red carpet premiere in New York in October.

"It's a wonderful day for a movie premiere and I got a beautiful date," Cena told Entertainment Tonight at the premiere. "What's truly special about this one is that, no matter what projects I'm involved in the future, this one will always have a special meaning because I got to film a special project and meet someone special."

ET asked Cena for more details on the relationship, but he only replied, "It's going to be a wonderful night."

Shariatzadeh is a graduate from the University of British Columbia and a product manager at Avigilon. The firm provides "trusted security solutions to the global market," according to its website.

Playing With Fire is now in theaters. Cena is now working on Fast & Furious 9, which opens on May 22, 2020.

Photo credit: Jim Spellman/WireImage/Getty Images

0comments