John Cena has been handed the nickname ‘the greatest of all time’ in the twilight of his WWE career, which has undoubtedly been one of the most gripping to watch.

The 17-time world champion initially struggled to get over with fans, but made an attitude adjustment and soon talked the talk and walked the walk, putting on several classic matches as the years flew by with him serving as the company’s poster boy.

There perhaps isn’t a Superstar in professional wrestling history with a better catalogue of rivalries than Cena, and more often than not, they conclude in a show-stealing main-event bout. He waged war with the likes of Randy Orton, Edge, CM Punk, and The Rock, and every time he squared off against such rivals, it made for Hollywood blockbuster viewing.

But which of his legendary tussles against some of WWE’s all-time greats rank as his very best? We have determined the 10 that rank as timeless masterpieces for The Doctor of Thuganomics.

Ranking Factors

• Quality and Legacy of Match: How fans celebrate said match, its importance and what it involves, such as near falls or twists and turns.
• John Cena’s Personal Opinion: What Cena has said about the match or the feud it was included in.
• Cagematch Rating: How high is the match ranked by Cagematch, which is fan-voted data.

10

John Cena vs Randy Orton (I Quit Match)

Breaking Point 2009

Randy Orton is John Cena’s longest and perhaps fiercest arch-nemesis, and their rivalry was never-ending when both were actively competing full-time in WWE. Their constant battles at one stage drew the ire of fans because of how often they were paired together in the main event picture, but there was good reason behind this as they knew how to put on a clinic.

The pick of the bunch was their ‘I Quit Match’ for the WWE Championship at Breaking Point in 2009. The rivals pulled out all the stops to try and get the other to utter those two dreaded words, but The Viper’s sadistic mentality was matched by the babyface Cena that night.

The match was intense and full of clever storytelling that epitomised their long-term feud, with Orton handcuffing Cena to the turnbuckle and using kendo sticks to whip him. That image is synonymous with their rivalry, but the Cenation Leader would prevail, making the Apex Predator submit with an STF while handcuffed to one another.

9

John Cena vs JBL (I Quit Match)

Judgment Day 2005

WWE

There’s an argument to be had over John Cena possessing the best collection of ‘I Quit’ matches of any Superstar in WWE history. The best was his gruelling and bloody encounter with JBL (John Bradshaw Layfield) at Judgment Day for the WWE Championship in 2005, and it was the perfect example of the babyface overcoming the dastardly heel.

Cena and JBL’s rivalry got personal, and the latter was detested in the build-up to the main event at Target Center in Minnesota after weeks of tormenting the then-WWE Champion. Their ‘I Quit Match’ was a physical ‘slobberknocker’ of a match that left the champ bloodied and needing to summon his inner-underdog mentality to beat his opponent.

The match lasted 22 minutes and was the bloodiest in modern WWE history in a drama-filled spectacle that you dare take your eyes off. It was the perfect way for WWE to showcase the face of the company and foreshadowed just how much of a superhero he’d become.

8

John Cena vs Daniel Bryan

SummerSlam 2013

WWE

The early 2010s was an intriguing period in John Cena’s career as he turned his attention to helping out the new generation of WWE stars looking to shine in the main event picture. Daniel Bryan moved into such a spotlight in 2013 with fans fully behind him en route to challenging then-WWE Champion Cena at SummerSlam.

For many, this back-and-forth classic was the Match of the Year for all professional wrestling, and there were several twists and turns. The pair brought out the best in one another with close falls, incredible storytelling, and a passing-of-the-torch moment once Bryan hit a running knee and the 1-2-3 on Cena to win the WWE title.

Cena exchanged words with Bryan before lifting his arm in victory, and both Superstars could hold their heads high, having put on a SummerSlam main event for the ages. This was the American Dragon’s night, and his story was the focal point, including Triple H as a special guest referee, which made their main event feel all the more special. The aftermath was just as historic amid The Game’s betrayal and Randy Orton’s shocking cash-in, although Cena wasn’t party to that.

7

John Cena vs Edge (TLC Match)

Unforgiven 2006

While Randy Orton is John Cena’s longest rival, there’s little dispute over who holds the most entertaining feud with the Chain Gang Soldier — he went to the depths of hell with the Rated-R Superstar, Edge, and the peak of their rivalry was their incredible TLC match for the WWE Championship at Unforgiven 2006.

Cena was willing to go to any length to defeat the Ultimate Opportunist in his opponent’s hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was this maniacal storytelling between the pair that resulted in their best battle at Unforgiven, with the use of the TLC stipulation making it that much more brutal as the challenger needed to keep an eye on Edge’s partner at the time, Lita, who interfered.

That said, Cena took Lita out with an FU before ensuring he could place a third WWE title into his trophy cabinet after he threw Edge through two tables off a ladder with an FU for the finish, and he wasn’t overly celebratory once he’d brought an end to their war because he ‘didn’t want to end anyone’s career, but had to do all it took to win.’

6

John Cena vs The Rock

WrestleMania 28

It might not have been ‘Once in a Lifetime’ because they locked horns again the following year at WrestleMania 29, but John Cena and The Rock left it all in the ring in the first of their two ‘Mania matches. The world had waited for two of WWE’s Mount Rushmore to collide, and it was well worth the wait after a year’s build-up with corny promos and personal back-and-forths.

Many expected Cena to win because Rock was a part-timer who’d returned for the match, but in a surprising turn of events, The People’s Champion had his arm raised at the end of WrestleMania 28. The finish was cleverly booked as the Cenation Leader got overconfident and tried using Rocky’s People’s Elbow on his rival, only for The Brahma Bull to hit Rock Bottom for the pin.

Fans will recall the image of a disappointed Cena sitting on the entrance ramp ruing his missed opportunity, although it was to serve up their second encounter at The Showcase of the Immortals, in which he avenged his defeat and the pair made amends. Their first match was definitely the better of the two, though.

5

John Cena vs Brock Lesnar

Extreme Rules 2012

Brock Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012 after leaving the UFC and immediately set his sights on John Cena. This was a different Beast than Cena had encountered during the former UFC Champion’s first run with the company, as he was booked as a mixed martial artist who legitimately used his fighting skills to blur the lines between kayfabe and reality.

The Beast Incarnate’s first match back with the Stamford-based promotion was a dominant showing against Cena after he’d hit him with an F5 on his return to Raw. They clashed in an Extreme Rules match at the PPV in 2012, and they lived up to that stipulation with a brutal affair that sometimes made for uncomfortable viewing, including the 287-pound Lesnar flying at Cena, who’d chained his hand up to lay his rival out.

There was some frustration among fans when Cena defeated Lesnar because it felt like the Next Big Thing should have won back the victory in his first match to solidify his UFC gimmick. That aside, it was a unique WWE match that was more of a fight than anything fans had seen in the modern era.

4

John Cena vs AJ Styles

Royal Rumble 2017

These two always delivered when facing one another, and their all-time classic, which is among John Cena’s best matches, was their Royal Rumble battle in 2017. AJ Styles headed into the match as WWE Champion while Cena was the challenger, eyeing Ric Flair’s record at the time of 16 world titles.

It was a masterpiece of wrestling between two of the all-time greats that was made that much more impressive by their ability never to leave the ring during their match. There were several close calls and moments with fans on the edge of their seats, not least Cena pulling out a sunset flip, which was unheard of for the 251-pounder.

Cena won after reversing a Phenomenal Forearm and hitting a third and fourth Attitude Adjustment on Styles. Both of them acknowledge the bout as their best, and rightly so, as it’s still discussed as the best title bout in Royal Rumble history.

3

John Cena vs CM Punk

Raw (25th of February 2013)

This match is possibly the best technical wrestling match of John Cena’s storied career and might have reached the number one spot had it taken place on a grander stage. That’s not to say that his scrap with CM Punk for the right to face The Rock at WrestleMania 29 for the WWE Championship wasn’t big-time, and the pair performed to the best of their abilities and more.

Cena pulled out a hurricanrana while Punk delivered a piledriver, the latter of which was a banned move at the time. A 27-minute viewing of wrestling brilliance went the way of the West Newbury, Massachusetts, native, who punched his ticket to the main event of ‘Mania. Their effortless classic came at a time when the Second City Saint was disgruntled and pondering his future.

This was the end of the Cena-Punk rivalry, and it was a remarkable way to close the curtain on one of the best feuds of WWE’s modern era. It’s up there with the very best main events in Raw history, and the variety of moves used was a testament to Cena’s eagerness to put on a show on any given night.

2

John Cena vs Shawn Michaels

Raw (23rd of April 2007)

WWE made the brave call to book John Cena in a babyface feud with Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship in 2007, and he prevailed in the main event of WrestleMania 23 in impressive fashion, although rumour has it HBK wasn’t too pleased with how it panned out.

Nevertheless, Cena and Michaels went at it again on the go-home show before their Backlash fatal-four-way match against one another, Edge, and Randy Orton. They decided to take their ‘Mania performance and show fans just how much chemistry they shared with one of the best bouts in Raw history. Michaels’ extraordinary selling abilities were on display, while Cena showcased his adaption to a different style of opponent than the usual big-man rival he’d come across.

London witnessed a stunning back-and-forth that perhaps was only missing a heel element, and somewhat surprisingly, ‘Super Cena’, who had been starting to draw disdain from a section of the WWE fan base, was defeated after HBK reversed the Attitude Adjustment and hit a quick Sweet Chin Music.

1

John Cena vs CM Punk

Money in the Bank 2011

“Do I have everybody’s attention now?” asked CM Punk after attacking John Cena at the end of the 27th of June 2011 episode of Raw before dropping his famous pipebomb. Ironically, the best match of Cena’s career is not only one in which he was defeated, but also one in which he unintentionally played the antagonist role.

Punk marched to Allstate Arena in his hometown of Chicago, with his contract set to expire once the clock struck midnight, and the stage was set for the Best in the World and the Greatest of All Time to put on a match for the ages. They did just that with some of the best in-match storytelling of any in WWE history, and Cena played the role of the ‘company’ champion to perfection.

There wasn’t a fan in the arena on Cena’s side, but his performance perhaps quietened constant arguments over his ability to produce main-event-worthy showpieces. The chemistry, the fate, and the drama had fans glued to their TVs, and once Punk hit a GTS for the pin, and ran into the crowd away from a desperate WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, you knew one of the best productions in company history had just taken place.