John Cena

hadn't always worked for

Palintir

. Before going around saving rare species of butterflies by breaking people's thumbs for

Peter Thiel

, he had once been a wrestler... the 'fake' kind of wrestling that is.

His finishing move was called the

F.U

as a phonetic acronym for "fuck you", which the announcers loved screaming. "OH MY GOD HE JUST HIT HIM WITH THE EFF-YOU!!!"

Those were hectic days. The road schedule was tough and he never had a place he could call home. Luckily for him he was mostly single and young. It didn't weigh him down too much to be the star of the

WWE

and performing F.Us and performing rap battles. But eventually he longed to feel more grounded.

He tried out acting, naturally, and that's how he one day met Peter Thiel. After getting off early because of some equipment error at supposed longday of shooting, John Cena was chilling at a bar. He was playing a charismatic role for the film. In preparation for it he had practiced striking conversations with strangers. He must've gotten pretty good at it, because somehow he and Peter Thiel -- who had happened to just be at the bar -- got to playing a game of chess. Peter Thiel was impressed by how John Cena did. Not because John Cena was any good at it, but he was good for someone who didn't play.

"You seriously never play?"

"Never."

"Here. Let me get your number."

"Uh... yeah sure."

John Cena had provided a fake number. He didn't need any creepo chasing him down. At the time he had no idea who Peter Thiel was.

At his loft a few days later Peter Thiel dialed the number he received. He quickly figured out it was a fake number. It was only a few weeks later during a meeting when someone was watching a

Youtube

clip at the Palantir office that Peter Thiel had been walking by and spotted the man from the bar performing an F.U.

"Get me that guy's number." he had told his assistant. And then the rest was history. 

When they finally met in person again, Peter Thiel had asked John Cena, "do you know why I wanted to meet you?"

"Because I was so good at chess?"

"No. I mean at first that's what I wanted to meet you for. But if the call hadn't gone through the first time, I might've never called back."

"Mmmhmm."

"But you had given me a phony number. Who gives me a phony number? I thought to myself. That's why."

"Mmmm. That makes sense, Peter."

"Do you know what I love about you though?"

"Mmm?"

"You're smart. But you know you're not that smart. I like that."

"Mmmm. You don't like people who think they are smarter than they are?"

Peter Thiel's face grimaced. Then smiled. 

"Mmmm."