YouTubeJohn Cena isn't as tough as he looks. The Sisters star showed a more vulnerable side of himself on NBC's The Tonight Show Tuesday, opening up to host Jimmy Fallon like never before.
"It's always great having you here," Fallon said. "Everybody loves you."
"Ha!" Cena replied. "Love."
"I love you," Fallon said.
That's when Cena's performance art began. "What's love? Is it a feeling? Is it a thing? Maybe it's that voice in your head that says, 'Go for it all, buddy. If you fall I'll catch you,'" the professional wrestler said as the lights dimmed. "Cut to schoolyard playground, 1984. Her name: Stacy Henderson. There I am, little Johnny Cena. 'Stacy, I'm so gwad you're my girlfriend. I wuv you.' 'Sorry, Johnny'—she's Old South—'My family's moving back to California, but we can talk on the phone.' Ring, ring. Ring, ring. 'Hello?' 'Hello from the outside! Doing things that's trying to be—"
Confused, Fallon cut Cena off midway through the tough guy's rendition of Adele's "Hello." "John, John, John! What are you doing, man?" he asked. "Those aren't even the right words."
"I guess I've always had trouble finding the right words," Cena said.
Cue the second act. "If the opposite of wright is wrong, and the opposite of right is left, and left makes an L for love, does that love is wrong? Stop telling yourself that, Johnny! You'll never be happy, just running around in circles like a dog chasing its tale," Cena said before setting yet another sadscene. "Flashback! 1984: Me and my childhood dog, Ruffles. I can almost see him now. A boy and his dog. Sometimes I wonder where that boy went, that inner child, if I could only find him and tell him I'm still here. I'm trying to become a man. 'Hello from the outside…'" Just then, musical guest Troye Sivan appeared onstage, singing, "I wanna say I tried and tried."
"Wait, who are you?" Cena asked.
"It's me," Sivan replied. "Your inner child."
"Little Johnny? It's me! It's Papa John!" Cena said. "I finally found you."
Watch the video above for the surprise resolution.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon airs weeknights at 11:35.
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