Do you recognize Tampa in these John Cena commercials?

Paul Guzzo, Tampa Bay Times
Updated ·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

TAMPA ― Between starring in the ring for WWE and in action and comedy movies for Hollywood, John Cena is likely often away from home.

Who can blame the 16-time WWE world champion for lobbying to film some material close to his Pasco County residence?

Over the last decade, Cena’s filmed spots in Tampa Bay for the Ad Council, Nickelodeon and Hefty.

“There have been a bunch more,” said Tyler Martinolich, head of Hillsborough’s film commission, Film Tampa Bay.

Cena’s latest local shoot was a series of vignettes promoting the ongoing Candy Crush All Stars Tournament. They were filmed during one day in early March at the Tampa Convention Center. So far, two have been released.

Wearing a whistle and Candy Crush-inspired sweat suit, Cena plays a coach rousing others to enter the tournament, which culminates with 10 finalists competing for a portion of a $1 million prize pot.

In one, he motivates two competitors with a moving speech. In the other, he uses only an intense glare to recruit social media influencer Frankie LaPenna, who has 8.5 million TikTok and 8 million YouTube followers.

While Martinolich doesn’t know how many videos will be released, “what’s been seen so far is tip of the iceberg,” he said. “There’s an entire campaign following the story of him coaching people for Candy Crush.”

Filming locally was likely Cena’s request, Martinolich said. “I think it was convenient for him ... he lives here. He doesn’t want to travel. But it’s also the fact that we had what they were looking for. They were able to take over the loading docks on the third floor behind the Tampa Convention Center and run the whole thing for the day. It was the perfect location for what they needed.”

And Cena’s wholesome fan-favorite WWE character seems to match his real-life persona while on a commercial set.

“Honestly, he’s just one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, totally genuine,” Martinolich said. “He thanks all the crew and says hi to everybody. I’ve worked with a lot of celebrities over the years and not all of them do that. He is a true people’s person and one of the most down-to-earth nice guys I’ve ever met.”