Elizabeth Huberdeau: John Cena’s First Wife, the 2012 Divorce and What Is Actually Verified

Elizabeth Huberdeau is best known as the first wife of WWE star and actor John Cena. Reputable reporting describes her as his high school sweetheart. The couple married in July 2009, and Cena filed for divorce in May 2012. The matter was settled privately in July 2012, with confidential terms. As of October 2026, she has kept a very low public profile.

That low profile is why her name attracts so many confident but contradictory online biographies. This article sticks to what contemporary reporting supports and flags where the record runs out.

Who is Elizabeth Huberdeau?

Huberdeau did not build a career in wrestling or entertainment. Public interest in her stems entirely from her connection to Cena. The Boston Globe, reporting on the divorce in May 2012, called her Cena’s high school sweetheart and described Cena as a West Newbury, Massachusetts, native.

The Globe also reported that Cena’s wedding at the Boston Harbor Hotel was a very secretive affair. He would not even confirm it had taken place. That detail suggests the couple deliberately kept their marriage out of the entertainment spotlight.

The marriage: 2009 to 2012

Mainstream coverage gives the marriage as running from 2009 to 2012. Fox News’ report on Cena’s later wedding, for example, notes his earlier marriage to Huberdeau over exactly those years. Many sites give the wedding date as July 11, 2009, and I found no mainstream source contradicting it, but the exact day rests on secondary reporting.

There are no widely documented interviews in which Huberdeau describes the marriage herself. Details such as a “Liz Cena” nickname or a “First Lady of WWE” label come from fan and aggregator sites rather than contemporary reports.

The 2012 divorce: what the reporting shows

The divorce is the best-documented chapter of her public life. Three points come from contemporary sources.

Cena filed in May 2012, and Huberdeau contested it. The Globe, citing TMZ’s original report, said she asked a judge to dismiss the petition. Her objections were that it referred to her by her maiden name instead of her legal name, Elizabeth Cena. It also left out the couple’s prenuptial agreement and wrongly claimed there was no marital property. She asked that he be required to re-file.

She said she was blindsided, and her lawyer raised infidelity allegations. According to Wrestling Inc’s summary of TMZ’s reporting, Huberdeau felt blindsided by the filing. She believed Cena had been unfaithful and said she would try to prove it. Her attorney, Raymond Rafool, said they were receiving tips about alleged affairs that could affect the prenup.

The case settled. By July 18, 2012, Rafool told TMZ that all matters had been resolved amicably. The terms stayed confidential.

An important caution: the infidelity claims were allegations made during a legal dispute that ended in a private settlement. They were never tested in court, so they should not be treated as established fact. The same goes for stories naming third parties as the cause of the split. I found no confirmed reporting supporting any of them.

Life after the divorce

Cena’s life stayed in the headlines. He later became engaged to Nikki Bella, and that relationship ended before a wedding. He married Shay Shariatzadeh on October 12, 2020, in Tampa, Florida, according to a marriage certificate obtained by People.

Huberdeau’s path was very different. After the 2012 settlement she essentially disappeared from mainstream coverage. Whether that was a deliberate choice or simply the absence of anything newsworthy is unknown. Claims that she “chose peace” or “rejected fame” are interpretations, not documented statements. No reputable source reports that the couple had children together.

What circulates online but isn’t verified

Search results for her name are full of confident biography pages that do not agree with each other:

• Date of birth. Pages give 1977, September 28, 1979, and other dates. No authoritative source settles it, so her age cannot be stated reliably.
• Career. Many sites call her a real estate broker or developer. Others call her a fitness model, bodybuilder, model, architecture student or businesswoman. These descriptions contradict each other, and I found no company record, licence or reputable article confirming any of them.
• Education: Some websites claim that she studied at Springfield College. This appears to be copied from Cena’s own education history, and I found no reliable confirmation.
• Net worth. Figures such as $10 million are repeated without any source. Her finances are private and her settlement terms were confidential.
• Who filed for divorce. A few pages say Huberdeau filed. The contemporary reports above say Cena did.
• Reason for the split. Claims about a home renovation dispute or other specific causes have no solid sourcing.
• Current life. Statements about where she lives, whether she has remarried or what she does today are not supported by reputable reporting.

A useful test is to ask whether a claim traces back to contemporary reporting from 2009 to 2012 or only to other biography sites. If it is the latter, treat it as unverified.

Why her story keeps being searched

Cena remains one of the most recognisable names in wrestling and film, so new audiences keep discovering his relationship history. The 2012 divorce also drew heavy coverage, with a prenup, a property dispute and allegations all reported at once. Her near-total silence afterwards leaves a gap that content sites keep filling with guesses.

For other profiles of partners who stay out of the headlines, see our pieces on Caitlin Parker, Bobby Bones’ wife and Joanne Minardi, Rick Pitino’s wife.

FAQ

Who was John Cena’s first wife?

Elizabeth Huberdeau, whom the Boston Globe described as his high school sweetheart. They were married from 2009 to 2012.

Why did John Cena and Elizabeth Huberdeau divorce?

No single verified reason is public. Cena filed in May 2012, Huberdeau contested the filing, and the case was settled privately in July 2012. Infidelity allegations were raised by her lawyer but were never proven.

Did they have children?

There are no public reports confirming that the couple had any children together.

What does Elizabeth Huberdeau do now?

Her current profession is not confirmed by reputable sources. Some websites claim she works in real estate, but none provide supporting evidence.

Is Elizabeth Huberdeau on social media?

I found no verified public account for her, so treat any account claiming to be hers with caution.

Conclusion

Elizabeth Huberdeau’s public record is short: a long relationship with John Cena that began before his fame, a private 2009 wedding, a contested 2012 divorce and a confidential settlement. Everything beyond that, including age, career, education and net worth, is either unverified or contradicted by other sources. A careful profile accepts that gap rather than filling it.