Before 'Peacemaker,' John Cena Teased His Star Power in This Underrated 89% RT Crime Comedy Series

Before his starring role in the irreverent DC Universe series, Peacemaker, John Cena appeared as a guest star in one of the best series on the USA Network, Psych. Cena appeared only once in the series, during the Season 4 episode, “You Can’t Handle This Episode,” and had a brief additional cameo in Psych: The Movie. Cena portrayed the role of Ewan O’Hara, the older brother of Detective Juliet O’Hara (Maggie Lawson), the main love interest of series protagonist Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez). Although Cena made only one appearance on Psych in 2010, he teased his major star power that would lead to his transition from the professional wrestling world of WWE to the world of big-screen entertainment and the DC Universe. It’s time for a look back at John Cena’s appearance on Psych!

John Cena’s Role on ‘Psych’ Showcased His Range as an Actor

Image via NBCUniversal

Before appearing on Psych, Cena starred in schlocky B-level action movies, such as The Marine or Twelve Rounds. Those were attempts by WWE to exploit Cena’s star power as their marquee attraction, but the WWE misunderstood and underutilized Cena’s talents and charisma through weak scripts and shoddy direction. Wrestling fans who had been following Cena’s career for years already knew Cena was a charismatic and versatile talent with a wider range of personality than a mere stoic action hero. His role as Ewan O’Hara in Psych allowed Cena to experiment and perform outside his usual film parameters through his onscreen interactions with series stars Rodriguez, Dule Hill, Timothy Omundson, and Lawson.

Cena shared great chemistry with the rest of the cast, especially his amusing rapport with Rodriguez’s Shawn. Throughout the series, Shawn and Gus have a habit of making esoteric or random references to television, movies, and, of course, pro wrestling. Ewan hilariously matched Shawn and Gus’ energy by making similar references to random actors and films, even throwing in one for the classic sci-fi flick, Enemy Mine, so it’s no wonder that Ewan eventually forms a friendship with Shawn and Gus. Cena’s conspicuous presence as Ewan shakes up the format for Psych. The attention Ewan gets from everyone makes Shawn jealous and throws the private detective off his game. Shawn habitually hams it up and acts extra in any situation because he loves being the center of attention. It was nice to see Cena’s Ewan upstage Shawn by taking away his spotlight. Watching Shawn get jealous of another character, portrayed by the larger-than-life Cena, elevates an already fun episode.

John Cena Started Taking More Interesting Roles After Appearing on ‘Psych’

Cena’s guest appearance on Psych marked a notable progression in his acting career, demonstrating that Cena was capable of so much more than subpar action movies. After showing his versatility as a performer in Psych, Cena started going against the grain with his roles, rather than starring in knockoffs of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, or Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. Cena picked roles that stretched his acting muscles, allowing him to become more than a shallow, lumbering action hero and showcase his funnier, jovial, and charismatic sides. Eventually, he would land a featured role in the 2015 Judd Apatow comedy, Trainwreck, opposite Amy Schumer. Cena delivers a terrific, memorable, and hilarious performance in the film as Steven, the quirky, buff boyfriend of Schumer’s character, Amy. In Daddy’s Home 2, Cena portrays the cool dad, Roger, building off of his cameo in the previous movie, and he shines in that film, working alongside Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. Cena went radically against his usual type in the comedy, Sisters, sharing the screen with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as the eccentric, tattooed drug dealer, Pazuzu.

Who would have thought the key to Cena gaining legitimacy as an actor in Hollywood would occur by appearing in goofy, comedic roles? After proving his acting chops in several major comedies, Cena gradually began booking bigger and more prolific parts. He starred as the eponymous Ferdinand the Bull in the hit Blue Sky Studios animated family film, Ferdinand, and he also co-starred in the Transformers spin-off movie, Bumblebee, as the heroic Agent Burns. Bumblebee remains the best-reviewed live-action Transformers movie to date, and Cena’s great performance and one-liners played a significant role in that film’s overall success.

Around this time, Cena began to focus more on his acting career in Hollywood and less on wrestling in WWE. He eventually landed breakout roles in F9: The Fast Saga, portraying Jakob Toetto, followed by DC’s The Suicide Squad, playing Task Force X member Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker. In Cena, filmmaker James Gunn found a new creative muse. They worked together so well that Gunn crafted a new television series specifically around Cena’s Peacemaker, which became a gigantic hit for Warner Bros. The second season of DC’s Peacemaker is now streaming on HBO Max. Cena’s unconventional journey to Hollywood stardom arguably started in WWE, but appearing in a dramedy series like Psych certainly helped him along the way.

‘Psych’s “You Can’t Handle This Episode” Features Another Fun Connection With ‘Peacemaker’

peacemaker-robert-patrick-john-cena — Auggie Smith stands in the garage with Christopher Smith in DC’s Peacemaker.

Cena’s appearance on Psych features another fun connection to the Peacemaker series. Another guest star in the episode is veteran character actor Robert Patrick, who portrays Major-General Felts. Felts initially appears as a murder suspect in the investigation conducted by Shawn, Gus, Ewan, Juliet, and Carlton Lassiter (Omundson). Psych actually isn’t the first time Cena and Patrick shared the screen. Patrick portrayed the villain, Rome, opposite Cena in the wrestler’s big-screen debut, The Marine, a few years earlier. Following their episode of Psych, Patrick and Cena would later reunite in the first season of Peacemaker, where Patrick plays Auggie Smith, the abusive, white supremacist father of Christopher.

It’s fascinating that Patrick and Cena have now worked together on multiple projects, all during wildly different periods of Cena’s career. In The Marine, Cena was the top WWE wrestler struggling to become a movie star. In Psych, Cena was still a regular top superstar in WWE, but the role helped him broaden his horizons as an actor. By the time Peacemaker rolled around, Cena had practically transitioned to a career as a full-time Hollywood actor, with WWE becoming a part-time gig for the 17-time world heavyweight champion. Patrick and Cena re-team in Season 2 of Peacemaker, at a time when Cena is embarking on his farewell tour in WWE, where he permanently leaves his wrestling career behind in December. It’s fun to re-live one of the actor’s more underrated collaborations in a one-off episode of Psych. Cena’s Psych performance showcases his impressive progression as an actor. He’s come a long way from his “Ruthless Aggression” days in WWE.