In this piece, PWP Nation contributor Victoria Tezangi lays out five key matches/opponents in John Cena’s career that proves he’s an all-time great.
Love him or hate him, John Cena is an all-time great.
Throughout the years, Cena has been apart of some of the best matches the company has ever seen and today we are going to be looking at 5 matches Cena proved to be exactly that, an all-time great.
There are so many more than just five matches but for today, I wanted to narrow it down and look at a few recent matches that really did remind fans of exactly why Cena is a future WWE Hall of Famer.
vs. Daniel Bryan
In 2013, Daniel Bryan really did come into his own. He was highlighted as the true people’s champion and the fan favourite all over the world. The WWE Universe fell in love with his underdog nature and wrestling brilliance and at the Summer Slam pay per view of that year, Bryan competed in what would become one of the best matches of his WWE career.
This was, however, also a very important night for Cena. Frustrated at Bryan’s comments in regard to his wrestling skill and in-ring versatility, Cena walked into this match determined to prove he was more than just “Cena the Entertainer.”
Throughout the match, John pulled out some dazzling move combinations fans hadn’t seen him deliver before. The tables had been turned as for the first time Cena was the one with something to prove and the new side of his move set he presented on the night went down a treat and as a result has been noted by fans and even the WWE as one of the companies’ greatest matches of all time.
The night did see Bryan pick up the victory but that in itself proved just why Cena is one of the best of the best and in this time a key and important figure in the industry in terms of helping the careers of new talent. A win over Cena for Bryan was huge and something people still talk about to this day.
To put someone over and keep people talking about your amazing performance also isn’t easy and Cena has done it with such ease. We’ve seen him do this since with the likes of Roman Reigns, Sami Zayn, and of course Cesaro!
vs. The Rock
There is no denying that The Rock and John Cena are two iconic WWE superstars. Two of the most popular, entertaining, and talented in-ring performers the pair have been leading faces in the world of World Wrestling Entertainment and so when the two collided and went one on one at WrestleMania 28 back in 2012 everyone was excited.
I’ve never been the worlds biggest John Cena fan, but 5 year old me did use to go to school and tell everyone The Rock was her dad so… Yeah, I was definitely excited for this match!
After The Rock cost Cena the WWE Championship at the previous WrestleMania, Cena challenged him to a match which they both agreed should happen at “The Grandest Stage of Them All.”
The fans in attendance took time to appreciate the match and what was about to happen. After acknowledging the fans cheers, the two stars locked up in a test of strength.The moments that followed would consist of intense, entertaining and totally gripping action and the match itself would be highlighted as one for the ages, a true classic.
The Closing Moments saw Cena decide to beat The Rock with his own move changing things up just a little, but things did not go to plan. The Great One popped up and delivered a Rock Bottom getting the 3 count and of course the victory. A classic match between two WWE icons that will forever be spoken about.
vs. Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules 2012)
In 2012, Brock Lesnar made his huge return to the WWE and who was the man he focused his attention on? John Cena. Now, while there are parts of this feud I didn’t like including the end result of this very match it’s important to note that this was a key contest in the career of both these men, especially Cena.
It was on this night John was pushed to brand new heights and for me as a kid that grew up loving Cena’s match against JBL at Unforgiven, there were a lot of similarities that jumped out to me. The barbaric nature of both these matches showed Cena to be a man capable of working a more extreme match; Cena, of course, has been apart of some brilliant matches that have leaned more on the “extreme” side but these two really do stand out!
His bout against Lesnar makes this list over the Unforgiven contest simply because of the year it took place. This match aired in a time where Blood was pretty much banned and so seeing such a bloody thirsty match take place became such a big talking point. It looked completely barbaric and it was one of many contests where Cena had to go further and not just rely on his strength and wrestling ability to get him through.
John was facing a beast and if he wanted to score the victory he was going to have to dive deeper, use his surroundings and go more Extreme then he ever has had to go.
The Kevins Owens Trilogy
Okay, so this may be considered as cheating but there was no way I was going to pick one out of these 3 matches to add to this list and so I have decided to talk about the entire trilogy.
Now, no one has quite made an early impact like Kevin Owens. Arriving up on the main roster still as the NXT Champion, Owens was out to prove he was the best in the world and boy did he do that. Every single match these two had against one another was considered to be iconic & noted also by WWE as some of the best matches the company has delivered.
Of course, at the time these matches focused on the new arrival, a new era, and Kevin Owens taking over but what it also did was once again show exactly why Cena is so important. The story between the two was sheer perfection and a brilliant way to introduce Owens to the bigger stage. This trilogy not only put Owens in front of a global audience but it also yet again forced Cena to add more moves to his repertoire and this feud as a whole became a true must see!
vs. CM Punk
I’m gonna say it… John Cena vs. CM Punk at Money in the Bank 2011 may be my all time favorite WWE match or at least in the top five! This was storytelling at it’s best and the wrestling was pure magic.
Everything you could want in a match was right here hence the reason The Summer of 2011 saw CM Punk expose the drama’s that took place behind the scenes of the WWE and one of my all-time favorite storylines was created. With his contract set to end the night of Money In The Bank, he was planning on leaving the WWE. However after he’d earned an opportunity at the WWE Championship against Cena in Punk’s hometown of Chicago, things got very interesting.
The night of the match was sure one to remember. The live crowd in attendance were more vocal than ever before with the majority siding with their hometown boy CM Punk and the roar of the crowd as Punks music hit is a sure goosebumps moment. The back and forth action had everyone on the edge of their seats and this was yet another night Punk proved he really was a top talent in the WWE worthy of this championship match and the best the company had to offer.
With so much on the line McMahon did all he could to keep the title on Cena ensuring the championship would stay with the WWE including calling Alberto Del Rio to come out and cash in his opportunity at the title but before Del Rio could Punk nailed him with a kick to the head and walked out the champ leaving the WWE (for a short while) with the WWE Championship in hands and an iconic goodbye to Vince McMahon.
vs. RVD (One Night Stand 2006)
And the final match I just had to include in this post today is Cena’s bout against Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand in 2006!
Okay, so this isn’t one of Cena’s best in-ring performances in my personal opinion but it’s one match that always sticks in my head. I remember watching this as a kid (definitely should not have been watching it at that age!) and being totally captivated.
Of course, this match is so popular because of the crowd reaction. An iconic audience Cena was faced head-on with more hate than ever before and the energy in the room was so strong, you could feel the passion burst out from the screen. This is such a key night in Cena’s career for how he performed, the reaction, and found himself inside an ECW ring. It’s one of the matches that stand out the most in Cena’s career and one I and everyone else will be talking about for years to come
