A new look at the wrestler’s bodybuilding history.

The term “iron willed” is often thrown around with little ease. Many people do have remarkable dedication and resilience, yet they could lack the drive to push forward when faced with adversity. Those who are truly iron willed can take an unfortunate situation and make it work in their favor. It’s what makes athletes so impressive, that they’re able to overcome odds that many others would find impossible to conquer. But that’s what makes certain athletes so special.

John Cena is as tough as they come, there’s no doubting that. The WWE star proved as much after suffering a horrible nose break during a wrestling performance this past summer. After receiving surgery on his mangled nose, Cena’s immediate response was to head back to his personalized gym and start at his Olympic lifts as usual. Despite doctors orders to keep away from both training and competition, Cena opted to use some of that iron will of his and continue to do what he loves, undeterred by the consequences of such an act.

Besides his wrestling and lifting exploits, John Cena was once known as a different kind of athlete. The WWE star was in fact once a highly regarded competitive bodybuilder in his youth. We’ve covered that before – but recently more images have surfaced of the wrestling icon’s prior exploits in the bodybuilding world.

When you consider how tough it is to body build, to pack on muscle through lifting and dieting, it’s no surprise that Cena is made of tougher stuff. The same determination he used to improve his physique and bring it to competition level is exactly what he used to get over his devastating injury. It’s crazy to believe that if Cena wasn’t inside a wrestling ring that he’d likely be on a posing stage going up against the likes of Phil Heath and Kai Greene.
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How do you think John Cena would have done in bodybuilding? Let us know what you think in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.

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