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Here’s what really went down behind the scenes of John Cena’s streaking moment at the Oscars

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Photo Credit: Getty Images

As ever, last night’s 96th annual Academy Awards were both a celebration of the past year in film and a reverent ode to the grand tradition of cinema.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of The Godfather, Part II Al Pacino adorably fumbled his way through presenting Best Picture to Oppenheimer, Ryan Gosling’s highly anticipated “I’m Just Ken” performance paid tribute to Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and even Twins stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito reunited on stage.

But one part of film history we didn’t anticipate getting a shout out? That time at the 46th Oscars in 1974, when a man (later identified as photographer Robert Opal) streaked across the stage, interrupting host David Niven and giving Hollywood’s best and brightest in attendance an eyeful.

Of course, this wasn’t the first naked man to make an appearance at the show—after all, the statuette of Oscar himself is in the buff, aside from a conveniently place sword. But it was a real shock to see someone’s golden globes dart across the stage, livening up the occasionally stuffy affair.

When host Jimmy Kimmel referenced the event at this year’s ceremony, we were almost certain we were about to see Barry Keoghan take the stage, nodding to his infamous final scene in Saltburn where he skinny-shimmied to Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder On The Dance Floor.”

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Instead, we got something even better as wrestler-turned-actor John Cena popped his big square head out from side-stage, trying to get Kimmel’s attention. Turns out, he got cold feet (and possibly other body parts?), and wanted to bail on the bit that would have him darting across the dais in his birthday suit.

“I just don’t feel right about it,” Cena whispered to the host. “Man, this is an elegant event, you know? Honestly, you should feel shame right now for suggesting such a tasteless idea.”

“It’s supposed to be funny,” Kimmel shot back. “The male body is not a joke,” Cena replied. Touché!

Still, Cena had a job to do: present the next category. After the host handed him a comically oversized envelope, he side-stepped his way out to the mic in nothing more than a pair of sandals. Sure, that envelope was big, but not nearly big enough to cover every inch of the former wrestler’s hulking frame.

The kicker: He was there to present Best Costume Design, stressing that costumes are “so important—maybe the most important thing there is.” Kimmel came back out to help him present, and by the time we finished getting a look at the nominees, Cena was decked out in a gown made from the theater’s curtains.

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But that perfectly executed bit left us with a number of questions, like: Just how naked was Cena behind that envelope? What did the in-theater audience see of his quick-change while those of us at home watched the clip reel? And also: How does Cena have perfect comedic timing and the body of a Grecian statue???

Thankfully, photographers and members of the press were on hand to answer our burning questions (well, the first two at least). The Hollywood Reporter‘s Chris Gardner kept his camera rolling, showing us what went down as the lights dimmed. Specifically, a team of four rushed to the stage to quickly wrap the dress around him—in 10 seconds flat!

And, from writer Matt Belloni’s angle, it would appear that Cena was actually naked behind that envelope—at least, there didn’t seem to be anything keeping the star’s massive cakes in check:

But as the context added to Belloni’s tweet notes, Cena was actually wearing “skin-colored adhesive underpants”—somewhere between a Speedo and a diaper, which don’t need any sort of waist straps and were able to show off some sufficient side-cheek.

So, a big thank you to the members of the members of the press corps, dutifully covering this crucial moment of Academy Awards history. And thank you to John Cena for (a) looking like that, and (b) always committing to the bit.

Outside of the night’s big winners (and that aforementioned “I’m Just Ken” performance), the moment will no doubt go down as one of the most talked-about of the ceremony—at least on Gay (and Lesbian!) Twitter™. Scroll down below for a few of our favorite reactions and jokes riffing on Cena’s big, fleshy surprise:

Also, by the way, this was Cena’s last tweet prior to the Oscars. Was this about the streaking? Either way, LOL!

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