John Cena in suit waving at camera

American actor and WWE superstar John Cena has set a new record for the most wishes granted through the Make-A-Wish Foundation with 650. 

Cena began his career in professional wrestling back in 1999 and has since gone on to become one of the most popular athletes of all time; he is a 16-time world champion in WWE. 

He was often portrayed as a crowd favourite character and as such has been the face for WWE’s "Be a Star" anti-bullying campaign. 

This then moved outside of WWE to Make-A-Wish when he granted his first wish in 2002.

John Cena in suit and yellow tie waving at camera

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a non-profit organization that helps fulfill the wishes of children who have been diagnosed with a critical illness. 

Targeting children between the age of 2 and 18, they can choose to meet a celebrity, go to an event or even give a gift to someone else. 

The foundation has been often referenced in popular culture, including in the film The Fault in Our Stars.

As for Cena himself, he is the most requested celebrity. No one else has ever granted more than 400 wishes in the 42-year existence of Make-A-Wish. 

He told Reuters: "If you ever need me for this ever, I don’t care what I’m doing, I will drop what I’m doing and be involved because I think that’s the coolest thing."

"I just drop everything," Cena said when he was honoured for granting 500 wishes. 

"If I can offer a fantastic experience, I’ll be first in line to do my part."

Once receiving the opportunity to meet Cena, children take photos and hang out with their favourite wrestler and sometimes even venture inside the ring ropes! 

Cena is usually accompanied by one of his championship belts: He has held the WWE Championship 13 separate times, the World Heavyweight Championship three times and the United States Championship five times. 

Other celebrities who have granted wishes include Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez and Samuel L. Jackson.

Correction: A previous version of this article stated that John Cena granted Make-A-Wish’s 1000th wish in 2012, however he did not. Additionally it stated he was the only person to have granted more that 200 wishes - this figure has been changed to the correct total of 400. This article was updated on 03/10/2022.