Ford sued WWE star John Cena for $500,000

John Cena once found himself in some pretty hot water with leading car giant, Ford.

The WWE star is thought to have generated quite the car collection over the years.

As of 2021, the Ricky Stanicky actor was said to have several cars as part of his fleet.

According to GQ, Cena had luxury cars like a 2009 Chevy Corvette ZRI, a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner Superbird and his infamous ‘Corvette InCenaRator’.

But the car that got him into a bit of trouble was the wrestler-turned-actor’s 2017 Ford GT.

Cena purchased the car upon the year of its release, which was reportedly priced at over $450,000 at the time.

Ford’s only thought to only produce a few hundred of the supercars each year, so the lucky individuals who buy one have to follow strict rules.

It’s said that the Ford GT owners were ‘hand-picked customers’ and are chosen through an application process.

One of the rules you have to follow as one of the special customers is that you can’t resell the vehicle for at least two years after purchase, but Cena sold his just a few months after buying it.

Whoops.

John Cena purchased a new Ford GT in 2017. (YouTube)

As Cena sold the car so soon, he violated the sales agreement and Ford wasn’t terribly happy about it.

Making things worse, the wrestler reportedly made a profit from the sale.

The suit stated, as per a 2017 Forbes article, that Cena ‘unfairly made a large profit from the unauthorized resale flip of the vehicle, and Ford has suffered additional damages and losses, including, but not limited to, loss of brand value, ambassador activity and customer goodwill due to the improper sale’.

The car manufacturer proceeded to sue Cena for $500,000.

By the following year, Ford and Cena settled the suit out of court.

They agreed on a monetary settlement – the amount of which wasn’t disclosed – outside of an official court setting.

John Cena settled the matter out of court. (Mike Marsland/WireImage)

The money wasn’t going straight into Ford’s pocket, however, but to a ‘worthy charity’ instead.

Cena also issued an apology. He said in a statement: “I love the Ford GT and apologise to Ford, and encourage others who own the car to respect the contract.

“I am pleased we could resolve this matter outside of court, and that a worthy charity will benefit from one of the most iconic cars in the world.”