John Cena Opens Up On Making Nikki Bella Sign A 75-Page Agreement To Move Into His Home

It’s been nearly one year since John Cena popped the question to Nikki Bella during WrestleMania 33 in the middle of the ring, but in an appearance on NBC’s TODAY on Thursday, Cena said that he regrets not asking his fiancée to marry him years ago. Cena also addressed the infamous 75-page contract Nikki Bella signed before moving into Cena’s home.

Cena and Bella began dating in 2012, the same year Cena went through a divorce with his first wife. In an episode of Total Bellas that aired in 2016, Cena revealed that he had Bella sign an agreement as a “failsafe in case something happens.”

Years later, Cena admits that he wasn’t as soft as he is now.

“I asked Nicole to move in with me, simply because we both were living busy lives and I wanted to show her I was ready to be more serious.

“Now when I look at what I had done then as to what I would do now, I just wish I had asked her to marry me then.

“I guess I wasn’t [ready], but I was ready for her to live in the space I call mine and share everything and do all that. That didn’t start out like that. I was very abrasive and stern and she had to sign this huge, crazy agreement to come in the front door. So since then I’ve kind of softened.”

When TODAY hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb expressed shock at the agreement, Cena explained that Bella’s willingness to sign it changed his perspective.

“Just some sort of thing where I would be protected in case of a disaster. She [signed it], totally without question, and it made me feel super bad, which I should have, but it also made me realize – and this was early on in our relationship – it made me realize ‘this is one young woman I should not let get out of my life.’ Because when she says ‘I’m with you because I love you, here’s proof I would still like to be here.’”

Cena also said that he and Bella will sign a prenup before marriage.

“Yes, to protect her. Because she is an independent woman and she has made her own money and she is proud of that. She stands for that.”

Cena also talked about his new movie “Blockers,” which hits theaters next Friday. In the comedy, Cena plays a protective dad who doesn’t want his daughter to “waltz into womanhood.”