‘I said, can you imagine if – a nude man ran across the stage today? Wouldn’t that be crazy?

Cena backstage then said: ‘Psst! Psst, Jimmy! Come here.’

John Cena, 46, appeared on the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood at Sunday’s 96th Academy Awards in a bit with host Jimmy Kimmel, 56

Kimmel said: ‘I can’t come there – do the thing! Excuse me for a second. What’s going on? You’re supposed to run across the stage’ as Cena said: ‘Yeah, I – changed my mind. I don’t want to do the streaker bit.’

‘I just don’t feel right about it. It’s an elegant event, you know, you should feel shame right now for suggesting such a tasteless …’

Kimmel said: ‘You wrestle naked, why not?’ as Cena said of his trademark ring attire: ‘I don’t wrestle naked, I wrestle in jorts!’

Cena walked sideways onto the stage with the envelope for Best Costume Design covering his genitals. He said, ‘Costumes – they are so important – maybe the most important thing there is.’

He acknowledged that he was unable to open the envelope, at which point Kimmel took over.

Cena – who defended embattled former WWE boss Vince McMahon earlier this month – later covered up with a gold toga to conclude the presentation.

Kimmel earlier in the evening roasted Robert Downey Jr’s manhood and past drug use in his bombshell opening monologue. The host, returning for the fourth time, left the A-listers grinning and cringing in equal measure as he took to the stage.

Downey Jr. 58, who won Best Supporting Actor for Oppenheimer, was stony-faced as Kimmel made a crass joke at the start of the ceremony – referring to his past addictions.

The WWE star-action film staple was summoned by Kimmel, who referenced the 50-year anniversary of a streaker running onto the stage at the ceremony , interrupting late actor-presenter David Niven

Cena told Kimmel, ‘Yeah, I – changed my mind. I don’t want to do the streaker bit’

The two exchanged words as Cena got very shy when the task at hand was in front of him

Cena walked sideways onto the stage with the envelope for Best Costume Design covering his genitals

The sports entertainment superstar played it like he was overwhelmed with the exposing segment

He said, ‘Costumes – they are so important – maybe the most important thing there is’

Cena later covered up with a Wrestlemania 9-worthy gold toga to conclude the presentation

Poor Things costume designer Holly Waddington accepted the statuette from Cena

He said: ‘And Robert Downey Jr., one of the highest points of his career. But Robert has been’ – as RDJ pointed at his face, leading Kimmel to add: ‘Was that too on the nose or a drug motion you made?

‘But look at him, he’s so handsome, so talented, he’s won every award there is to win. Is that an acceptance speech in your pocket or do you just have a very rectangular penis?’

The joke fell flat as RDJ looked somber while staring at the camera while fans slammed Kimmel for his ‘bottom of the barrel’ jokes about substance abuse.

Downey Jr. had previously spent time behind bars in 1999 after a long period of substance abuse which stifled his career.

The 96th Academy Awards honored the best films of 2023 – with the glittering ceremony held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The most hotly anticipated movies of the past year – Barbie and Oppenheimer – lead the nominations.

Oppenheimer has bagged 13 nods, including best picture and best actor for Cillian Murphy – who is favorite to win the major category after scooping a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and SAG award for his role as physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer.

The impressive total – which also includes best supporting actor and actress for Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt, as well as best director for Christopher Nolan – is just one nomination short of the all-time record set by Titanic in 1998.

Last year’s other smash hit movie – Barbie – was nominated for eight awards, but also fell victim to notable snubs from the Academy.

Kimmel roasted panned Madame Web, Barbie’s Oscars snubs and Robert Downey Jr. in his bombshell opening monologue on at the 2024 Oscars on Sunday

Downey Jr., 58, who won Best Supporting Actor for Oppenheimer was stony-faced as Kimmel made a crass joke at the start of the ceremony

The joke fell flat as RDJ looked somber while staring at the camera alongside wife Susan

The resilient film star had the last laugh as he collected his first Oscar for Oppenheimer

Its star Margot Robbie was not nominated for best actress, while Greta Gerwig was not nominated for best director.

Another surprise saw America Ferrera nominated for best supporting actress over her role in Barbie, with pundits saying her character’s impassioned speech on feminism had sealed the deal.

Barbie’s other nominations include best picture, best supporting actor for Ryan Gosling and two nods for best song – including Gosling’s famed ‘I’m Just Ken.’

The second most-nominated movie was Poor Things, a graphic art house movie starring Emma Stone that has wowed critics but so-far failed to set the box office alight.

Stone plays a 𝑠e𝑥-crazed young woman, with her performance wowing critics. She previously won best actress in 2017 for her performance in La La Land.

For best actor in leading role Bradley Cooper and Cillian Murphy are set to duke it out for the award. Colman Domingo, Paul Giamatti and Jeffrey Wright received nominations as well.

Leonardo DiCaprio was not recognized for his acting on Killers Of The Flower Moon.

Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things took home 11 Oscar nominations and Killers of the Flower Moon landed 10.

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was nominated for best director and a host of other awards

What Was I Made For and I’m Just Ken from Barbie received their expected nominations for best original song

Lily Gladstone is the first Native American nominated for best actress, for her performance in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon

Annette Bening, Lily Gladstone, Sandra Huller, Carey Mulligan and Emma Stone have been nominated for best actress in a leading role.

Gladstone is the first Native American nominated for best actress, for her performance in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon – and is the favorite in the category thanks to her wins at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards,

What Was I Made For by Billie Eilish and I’m Just Ken performed by Ryan Gosling from Barbie received their expected nominations for best original song.

Sterling K. Brown, Robert De Niro, Robert Downey Jr., Ryan Gosling and Mark Ruffalo received nominations for best actor in a supporting role.

Emily Blunt, Danielle Brooks, America Ferrera, Jodie Foster and Da’Vine Joy Randolph received nominations for best actress in a supporting role.

Joy already has  Golden Globe, Bafta, Critics Choice and Screen Actors Guild awards and is favorite for an Oscar for her performance as a bereaved cook in The Holdovers.

Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer were nominated for best directing, snubbing Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.

Gerwig was nominated for best director in 2018 for her solo directorial debut, Lady Bird. Only three women have won Oscars for best director – Kathryn Bigelow, Chloe Zhao and Jane Campion.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph was nominated for best actress in a supporting role for her part in The Holdovers

Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo were both nominated for their roles in Poor Things

Bradley Cooper was nominated for best actor, but was snubbed of a directing nod for Maestro

Though Nolan is regarded as the big-budget auteur of his era, he’s never won an Academy Award, nor have any of his films won best picture.

Bradley Cooper was not nominated for directing Maestro but he was recognized for his acting in that bio movie.

American Fiction, Anatomy of a Fall, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things and The Zone of Interest landed best picture nominations.

The 96th Academy Awards will be held on March 10 at 7 pm ET/4pm PT live on ABC, hosted for a fourth time by Jimmy Kimmel.