Who is John Cena’s Iranian engineer wife Shay Shariatzadeh? After splitting from Nikki Bella, the Argylle actor and former WWE wrestler first met his then future partner when she asked for a fan photo

Mar 14 , 2024

John Cena and his wife Shay Shariatzadeh have been married since 2020. Photo: WireImage

Cena’s nude appearance at the Oscars 2024 was one of the most talked-about moments of the evening, but his wife Shay Shariatzadeh has seen it all before …

Iranian-born Shariatzadeh studied electronics engineering and now works for Microsoft, and first met Cena in Canada when her pal asked him for a fan photo

John Cena’s nude appearance at the 2024 Oscars stole the spotlight and quickly became one of the most talked-about moments of the evening.

John Cena on stage during the presentation of the Oscar for Costume Design during the Oscars on March 10. Photo: Reuters

The former WWE wrestler shuffled onto the stage clad only in Birkenstocks to present an award before Hollywood’s luminaries. In a playful exchange with host Jimmy Kimmel, Cena remarked, “The male body is not supposed to be funny,” to which Kimmel quipped back, “Mine is.”

Wrestler-turned-actor John Cena and his wife Shay Shariatzadeh kiss as they arrive for the premiere of The Suicide Squad in 2021. Photo: AFP

Whether it was a strategic move aimed at increasing viewers – which, if so, appears to have worked given that Variety reports this year’s Oscars as having the highest ratings since 2020 – or simply Cena staying true to the eccentric persona he often presents, we’ve all seen a little more of the actor than we expected to this week.

Back home, however, Cena seems to have a much more relaxing time alongside his partner Shay Shariatzadeh. Here’s what we know about the Argylle actor’s significant other.

What does Shay Shariatzadeh do for a living?

John Cena’s wife Shay Shariatzadeh works at Microsoft. Photo: Getty Images for A24

According to People, Iranian-born Shay Shariatzadeh, 35, studied electronics engineering at university, and according to her LinkedIn page, she now works as a program manager at Microsoft. Prior to that she landed a gig at enterprise software company Sonatype in Canada back in December 2019.

In an interview with Motorola Solution’s subsidiary Avigilon in March 2019, Shariatzadeh said: “I have always enjoyed math and physics. My brother studied engineering in school, and I remember one day he came home with a project, and it was an autonomous car – and that was it!”

Shariatzadeh attends red carpets with Cena

Shay Shariatzadeh and John Cena wear matching black outfits at the premiere of Argylle on January 24 in London. Photo: WireImage

While it’s unclear whether Shariatzadeh attended the recent Oscars, she did show her support by attending the Ricky Stanicky premiere with her beau in early March, as reported by JustJared.