John Cena & Chime Aim to Make the Holiday Season More Rewarding [Exclusive]

It may be the most wonderful time of the year, but the next several weeks are no doubt going to take a financial toll on shoppers across the country.

Between gifting, hosting, travel, and everything in between, U.S. retail sales for the 2026 holiday season are projected to reach upwards of $1.71 trillion, and the Never Seen 17-Time WWE World Champ is here to lend a helping hand.

John Cena is expanding his partnership with Chime to present “The Most Rewarding Time of the Year,” a new campaign that showcases how the financial technology company can help members earn more on what they spend and save over the holidays this year.

"I love what this company is doing," Cena told The Takedown on SI. "They're providing a platform to financially educate folks. And I've found in my journey that a lack of true financial education is the foundation for a lot of financial misuse."

The holiday campaign builds on a partnership that launched earlier this year, with a premium membership tier that offers cash back, high-yield savings and benefits to everyday banking, with no monthly subscription fees. And while financial education is paramount, Cena says Chime isn't going to hit you over the head with it.

"You're allowed to pretty much live your life, and on the way, they're giving you advantages. Like a true 5% cash back on category of your choosing that really goes into a higher yield, 4% APY savings account or checking account. And at the same time, they're teaching you to be responsible, which leads to independence."

John Cena gets festive with new holiday commercial campaign for Chime

At the center of the campaign is a new TV commercial that follows a singing and dancing John Cena from a bustling grocery store to a festive family dinner table, while he brings a little humor to the familiar moments that make the holiday season both memorable and expensive.

After launching a few commercials earlier in the year, Cena was approached by Chime about the big Christmas musical number, which puts a playful twist on the classic holiday song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and he enthusiastically signed on.

"I'm like, 'Yeah, man. I'll try to brush up on my best Michael Bublé and see what I can do.' And I really think the campaign is fun. But the overreaching thing, and the thing I'm so proud about partnering with Chime, is its making banking beneficial for the person trusting the bank. And they do that simply by waiving a lot of hidden costs and empowering the consumer," Cena said.

Grammy-winning a cappella group Pentatonix will release their own take on the song later this month, but Cena — who is an accomplished recording artist in his own right — was more than up to the challenge of hitting some of the higher notes that Andy Williams first made famous in the 1960s.

"I'm just so grateful they chose a song that was kind of within my [vocal range]," Cena told The Takedown on SI. "It allowed me to have a lot of fun with it. It is this huge dance number around this initiative that you're trying to set forward for the holidays, which is... You can actually reap the rewards of the generosity that comes with the season."

With Chime Prime, members can unlock the rewards Cena spoke about earlier, including that 5% cash back on a monthly category of their choice with a Chime Card, like groceries, gas, travel and restaurants, as well as VIP perks like airport lounge access, concert tickets and entertainment experiences.

BREAKING NEWS: @JohnCena just announced the John Cena Classic will take place on Dec. 14 at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex! pic.twitter.com/VZk9lam17L
— WWE (@WWE) November 3, 2026

“The holidays are a time when even the best-planned budgets get stretched, and we believe your money should be working harder for you,” Chime Chief Growth and Marketing Officer Vineet Mehra said in a statement to The Takedown on SI. “We built this campaign around a simple idea: if you're spending more this season, you should be getting more back. That's what Chime is all about, during the holidays and beyond.”

Cena, who recently returned to WWE programming to begin the build to the inaugural John Cena Classic on Monday, December 14, still keeps an extraordinarily busy itinerary throughout the year, even with his days of in-ring competition behind him.

That schedule, however, now comes to a screeching halt during the holidays, which have become a very special time of the year for Cena and his family. He allows himself an extended break from any type of professional commitments, which is something he absolutely never did while he was amassing his Hall of Fame wrestling resume.

"When I was full-time with WWE, the most important thing was literally covering my tracks for being a workaholic. So, I was a big gift giver, thinking that I could kind of buy through my workaholism. And now the most important thing for me is to be with those and connect with those I love," Cena said.

The upcoming John Cena Classic is all about opportunity. It's Cena's way of giving back to the next generation of main eventers in WWE by inviting them to a showcase that also features some of the biggest stars of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.

Each invitee, of which two are publicly known; Cody Rhodes and Zilla Fatu, has a personal connection to Cena, he told The Takedown on SI. More participants will be revealed in the coming weeks, with Cena himself scheduled to make multiple appearances on WWE programming through December 14.

🚨🫡 @JohnCena is making a few stops on the road to the John Cena Classic!

Get your tickets now at https://t.co/Cjj8PrdUGG pic.twitter.com/WHlaJqsiyf
— WWE (@WWE) November 3, 2026

Enjoy the time you have with the Greatest of All-Time WWE fans, because as soon as the John Cena Classic comes to a close, you won't be able to see him anymore. At least not for a while. He'll be taking his opportunity to give his family the one thing he couldn't during his wrestling days: his time.

"I make sure around [December] 15th, I am a ghost and I will resurface about January 4th or 5th. And in that time, I make sure to spend 10 days in Massachusetts with my family and 10 days in Canada with my wife's side of the family. I'd say the past six years, that's been my path of action. And boy, it's really been rewarding and great."

The new holiday campaign with Chime rolls out today across national television, streaming, digital, and social platforms. Cena's biggest hope is that folks who are looking to get the most out of their holiday season will give Chime a look, because he truly believes they are redefining banking.

"I was a coffee can saver, and I came from a family of debt. I have my own trauma story to unpack, but I had my own journey with financial education and it took such a long time. I had so many mistakes... This just helps speed up the education process, and that's why I love Chime. They're making life better for the folks that bank with them."

We'll have more from our conversation with John Cena, including additional details on the John Cena Classic and his recent wardrobe change, dropping this week here on The Takedown on SI.

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