Top 10 Greatest John Cena Matches
There aren't any. Just kidding. Welcome to Watchmojo.com and today we're counting down the very best wrestling matches of John Cena.
For this list we're looking through the storied catalogue of the 16-Time world champion, John Cena. C'mon, It's pretty passé to boo the guy at this point. Or at least maybe this countdown will convince you so, because for heaven's sake, the bloke's been in some pretty good matches – and he's a genuine star outside the ring too. He's a Make-A-Wish Hero, a movie star, and best of all he likes Fist of the North Star. Bless his soul.
#10: Vs. Seth Rollins
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Summer Slam 2015 Nothing says blockbuster confrontation like a Championship vs. Championship match aaand it also kinda helps if one of the lads broke the other’s nose not too long ago. Many fans weren’t expecting too much from this match, but it some how validated Rollins as the World Champion, after a long series of weak title defences. With a solid performance by both guys, and one of the loudest dueling chants of ‘lets go Cena / Cena sucks’ of his entire career, this match defied expectations. Sure, the whole Jon Stewart thing was a complete ass pull and nothing really came from it, but it was a daft wee moment you’ll never forget.
#9: Vs. Triple H
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Wrestlemania 22 This is a match that is pretty much forgotten because all anyone seemed to care about was the fact that Cena won, but that’s actually a testament to how invested we all were in the story it was telling. Right from the beginning with its over-the-top entrances, which lord knows we need more of, this all set the scene for a proper Wrestlemania main event. What followed was a heavy hitting war, which proved that Cena could go the distance, and whether or not you agree with the outcome, the actually in-ring performance eclipses a lot of the other Wrestlemania main events in recent memory.
#8: Vs. The Rock
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Wrestlemania 28 A match we never thought we’d see and certainly one we never thought we’d love. When the bants started between two icons from different wrestling eras, people were already softly whispering dream-match. And that it bloody well was. Despite our fears, The Rock hadn’t lost a step and didn’t get gassed before you can say ‘Doom’. Instead we were given this cracking contest, and the surprise of The Dwayne actually winning (like we all obviously wanted). It truly was a once in a lifetime experience… which they completely buggered a year later.
#7: Vs. Edge
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Unforgiven 2006 Hey, let’s make the hometown hero lose that’ll send everyone home happy. Well if you manage to stop seething with rage, this match was actually pretty fun. Yes we used the f word. A dramatic end to their rivalry (at that point at least), and leading off from Edge’s upset win at Summerslam in Cena’s hometown, this match embodied all the hyperbolic nature of professional wrestling – right down to the overly choreographed but nonetheless beautiful finish.
#6: Vs. Kevin Owens
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Elimination Chamber 2015 What is the absolute best way to build new stars? Put them up against John Cena. Just ask the nexu---uuhh, Damien Sando---uhh, uhm, yeah never mind. Well somehow, Owens came out relatively unscathed after this brilliant champion versus champion showdown. Probably the best of their series of encounters, since the others pretty much followed suit, this match provided a clash of wrestling styles that somehow worked pretty damned well. And Kevin won! wuhayy!
#5: Vs. Daniel Bryan
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Summer Slam 2013 Fans had been gagging for D-Bry to rise to the top of the ranks for a long time, in one of the most organic pushes in WWE history. So, when he was faced with Vince’s posterboy the odds were certainly stacked against him, and the stage was set for a classic. But it wasn’t just the American Dragon who got some character development in this bust-up – if anything the whole subplot of Cena seeking validation as a professional wrestler was just as endearing, as was the pay off of him getting slapped in the chops. And Daniel Won! Wuhayy!
#4: Vs. Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar
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Royal Rumble 2015 High octane action, a pure slobber-knocker, and any other commentary cliché I can think of, this one was off the wall. With all three guys busting out their big guns, including a lovely phoenix splash, and the underlying narrative of trying to keep the beast down long enough pick up a win, it's hard to find another triple threat match that has quite so much character. It may have been a throw-away defense for the belt to hype up the Wrestlemania main event, but let's be honest, it had way more going for it than that match. And lesnar won…eeeeeeh.
#3: Vs. AJ Styles
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Royal Rumble 2017 It’s honestly incredibly difficult to pick which of these two’s matches is the best, but if we’ve gotta narrow it down, it’d have to be this final battle. Yes, its incredibly hard to have a bad match with the phenomenal one, but even still, seeing two guys who honed their skills on opposite ends of the industry throw everything they have at each other and somehow make it work, was nothing short of amazing. Plus it marked the 16th title win for big match John – somehow making it a match with a lot more significance than we give it credit.
#2: Vs. Shawn Michaels WWE Raw While their Wrestlemania match was pretty good in its own right, the one everyone remembers was this hour long contest in the UK – and yes, the crowd are partially to thank for that. Michaels’ excellent pacing coupled with emotional intensity of the two superstars undeniably brought this match up a level. The Heartbreak kid has cited it as one of his favourite match, and he’s certainly not alone there. It once again proved that Cena could take on all manner of challenges.
#1: Vs. CM Punk
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Money in the Bank 2011 CM Punk has one foot out the door. Cena’s gonna win right? Done deal. Well, no, this match took everything we expected and flipped it on its head – and the result was nothing short of wrestling storytelling at its finest. Even meltzy-weltzy gave it five stars, if that means anything to ya. Taking place in front of an absolutely nuclear Chicago crowd, Cena played his role perfectly as the one last hurdle preventing punk from sticking it to the man. The vince mcmahon if you will. The two had unbelievable chemistry, and it set the stage for a new era in professional wrestling, being one of those few moments that made you still proud to be a wrestling fan…
