John Cena Wears Kowloon Restaurant Sneakers at WrestleMania

Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions, or personal experiences.

To those who haven’t been paying attention, John Cena’s loss at WrestleMania 39 was a big story (it’s actually been an insanely long time since Cena won a wrestling match).

The big story, however, was the West Newbury native’s footwear. It didn’t take long for eagle-eyed viewers (and yours truly) to recognize a familiar design belonging to a beloved New England restaurant on the feet of the one-time Doctor of Thuganomics.

Cena paid tribute to his favorite restaurant by wearing a pair of the limited Nikes designed in partnership with the Kowloon Chinese Restaurant on Route 1 in Saugus. The shoes sold out when they went on sale earlier this year; you might even say you “can’t see them.”

But the New England native and future “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” star apparently snagged a pair to wear during the opening match of WWE’s signature event.

The Kowloon has a long history as a hangout for WWE Superstars. In fact, on the restaurant’s website, there is an entire page dedicated to the signed headshots of wrestlers that hang on the wall inside the Kowloon.

“To Kowloon Rest – You’re the Best”, wrote Hulk Hogan. “To Kowloon – the ONLY place to eat in Boston” adds Mick Foley, over a photograph of the wrestler using his Mankind persona (which I assume he sheds during his yearly visits to a New Hampshire amusement park).

They join photos and messages from the likes of The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Shane McMahon, “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, Randy Orton, Kurt Angle, Trish Stratus, Chris Jericho, Kevin Nash, Matt and Jeff Hardy, the Dudley Boyz, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, and Bobby “The Brain” Heenan.

Also featured prominently are a number of other WWE Superstars who hail from the region, among them the late Walter “Killer” Kowalski. A legend in the squared circle, he is also famous for training New Hampshire native Triple H.