John Cena to prep three projects in 2018 with Nickelodeon and more!

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Nickelodeon announced today that WWE superstar and accomplished comedic actor John Cena is gearing up to execute some big moves in 2018, by partnering with the timeless family-friendly company for three upcoming projects, including making a return as host of the 2018 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards.

As per the deal with the legendary cable network, Cena will get into character by lending his voice to an original villain named Baron Draxum in the brand-new 2D animated series RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, premiering late 2018; and is executive producing the brand-new competition series, KEEP IT SPOTLESS, where teams of kids go head-to-head in a battle to stay clean. Whoa, what? That sounds to me like it's some manner of bizzaro Double Dare, no? Oh Nickelodeon, you so crazy!

In commenting on the deal, Cena excitedly told reporters that he's “thrilled to partner with Nickelodeon on three big projects that run the range of what kids love–slime-filled live events, awesomely cool animation and competition shows where kids take their shot at being the best. It’s an honor to come back a second time to host the biggest, slimiest party of the year, the Kids’ Choice Awards," Cena continued. "Not only do I get to be a cartoon character in the new Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, but I get to be a villain, too. And to top it all off, I’m stepping behind the camera to executive produce Nick’s new competition series Keep It Spotless, which gives a whole new meaning to staying clean.”

Nickelodeon’s 2018 Kids’ Choice Awards will hit the airwaves live on March 24, from 8-9:30 p.m. (ET/PT), and celebrates kids’ favorites from across the worlds of film, television, music, pop culture, animation and more.  With stunts and surprises at every turn, the show will return to the “Fabulous” Forum in Inglewood, California, and will be seen by kids around the globe on Nickelodeon channels in more than 170 countries and territories. Additional Kids’ Choice Awards news, including categories and presenters, will be announced in the coming weeks.

For RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, Cena will voice the show's newest villain, Baron Draxum. Draxum is an alchemist warrior mutant who seeks to turn all of humanity into mutants. Cena’s reoccurring character will appear in the premiere episode and throughout the series, which follows the band of brothers as they encounter new mutants and villains and discover a mystical world they never knew existed beneath the streets of New York City. From what I've heard, the show will offer a more comedic bent on the classic turtles formula, featuring world-building dynamics like that seen in Cartoon Network's SAMURAI JACK series. RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES will arrive later this year.  

KEEP IT SPOTLESS, Nickelodeon’s new competition series, is executive produced by Cena and features kids competing in a variety of physical and paint-filled challenges designed with one goal in mind–to stay as clean as possible.  After each game, a 360 degree scanner will measure each teams’ mess to determine just how spotless they really are.  The winning team will face The Gauntlet, a multiple-challenge obstacle course, where they can turn their cleanliness into cold hard cash.  KEEP IT SPOTLESS is produced by ITV Entertainment and Hard Nocks South Productions, based on a UK format from Possessed, and scheduled to premiere later this year.

See, I told you KEEP IT SPOTLESS would be a bizzaro DOUBLE DARE! Fun Fact: I once went to Double Dare Live at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York, and was picked out of the crowd to participate in the event by Mark Summers himself! He asked me to name one of the programs associated with Nickelodeon's late night lineup at the time, called SNICK. I shouted my answer of REN & STIMPY into the microphone, and won a Nickelodeon-brand hat. It was way too big for my head and clashed with everything in my closet at that time.

Be sure to catch John Cena when he stars in the raunchy parents vesus kids comedy BLOCKERS, which is set for an April 6th release.