'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
John Cena was the flagship star of the WWE for 10+ years. He has had an excellent body of work in his time as the franchise player of the WWE, with a number of classics under his belt.
Even though he is regularly panned for being an average wrestler, his classics prove otherwise.
His age and schedule mean he is slowing down and he doesn't seem to be getting any better in-ring.
Here are 10 of Cena's best WWE performances ever.
#10 John Cena vs JBL I Quit Match for the WWE Championship - Judgement Day 2005
Cena's big WrestleMania coronation at WrestleMania 21 fell flat. It was a dull and uninspired effort by Cena against the heel 'Wrestling God' JBL. However, Cena probably had the most memorable title defence of all time.
JBL had stolen the original WWE Championship belt design which debuted in 2002 after Cena debuted a new spinner championship.
JBL resented the young up-and-comer's lifestyle compared to his more traditional approach. To teach him a lesson, JBL was to try and reclaim his belt in an I Quit match at Judgement Day 2005.
Cena and JBL went to war. Hatred spilled over in the arena in the form of buckets of blood that were shed by both men. The Cenation Leader bled profusely and fought the match as an underdog. JBL was put through an announce table, but Cena was put through hell.
Chair shots and brutality inflicted on Cena put him over as a resilient and tough wrestler. Cena picked up the win after threatening to pummel JBL with an exhaust pipe, and the celebrated with both belts.
#9 John Cena vs Edge TLC Match for the WWE Championship -Unforgiven 2006
John Cena was unstoppable after his win at Wrestlemania 21. The only person to actually challenge Cena and get a few wins over him was the Rated R Superstar, Edge. Edge cashed in the first ever Money in the Bank on Cena to win his first ever WWE Championship at New Years Revolution 2005. Cena won the title back at Royal Rumble, but his feud with Edge didn't end.
Cena would feud with Edge and RVD later, but was defeated by Edge at Summerslam for the belt. A final challenge loomed at Unforgiven 2006, in Edge's hometown, and in the match type Edge was undefeated in - Tables, Ladders and Chairs. The odds were stacked against Cena, but a cracker of a match saw Cena win the championship back.
Cena unleashed his brutal side, making Edge pass out with an STFU, in a match where Edge tapping out or passing out made no difference. He used the three components to inflict pain on Edge, and took a lot of offense from Lita and Edge too. Cena was not only fighting for the WWE Championship, but also his spot on Raw.
Cena took care of Lita by delivering an Attitude Adjustment (then FU) to her. The spot of the match was also the final spot, in which Cena FU'd Edge off the top of a ladder through two tables to win a hard-fought and wildly entertaining match.
#8 John Cena vs Kevin Owens - Elimination Chamber 2015
Many fans and critics wouldn't have pegged Kevin Owens to ever make it to WWE. He was not the archetypal WWE wrestler, as he was fat and was not a jacked up muscular beast. In that sense, he was the antithesis to John Cena.
Owens rise to the WWE was surprising, his rout of the entire NXT roster shocking, and his win over John Cena on his main roster debut, unbelievable.
Kevin Owens answered John Cena's US Open Challenge on Raw, but instead of fighting for the belt, he laid the champ out and stepped on the US title while raising his NXT championship high in the air.
He spoke passionately about how his son always idolizes Cena, and now KO is going to beat Cena. He spoke about how he is a more experienced wrestler because of his years on the independents. It had a big fight feel, and a supposedly foregone conclusion.
The match played on the dynamic of how Kevin Owens is a Prizefighter and needs to get the prize of beating Cena. Cena was sticking to his character and fighting with honour, while showing inhuman resiliency.
Cena withstood a lot of offense from KO, who was attacking the then 15-time world champion very aggressively. His beatdown, however, was actually successful, as Cena ate a pop-up powerbomb and actually stayed down for the count. Fight Owens Fight became Win Owens Win.
#7 John Cena vs CM Punk - WWE Raw (February 25, 2013)
This isn't the only Punk vs Cena match on the list (spoilers). Punk's 434-day title reign had ended at the 2013 Royal Rumble after The Rock beat him for the strap. Cena had won the Royal Rumble earlier in the night, setting up a Wrestlemania 28 rematch between The Rock and Cena.
However, Punk wanted to take the headline spot for himself, so Cena was made to defend the number 1 contenders spot against Punk on Raw.
This match was an absolute barnburner, as Punk and Cena's impeccable chemistry made this match an absolute delight. They pulled out new moves and dangerous spots to try and put each other away. The 250-pound Cena went for hurricarana, and ended up falling on his upper back.
Punk bust out a banned old-school sit out piledriver on Cena, the same one that broke Steve Austin's neck. Punk used aerial offence to keep Cena at bay, and hit him with two Go To Sleeps that Cena kicked out of. A failed elbow drop, hurricarana and Attitude Adjustment ended the match, as Cena confirmed his spot in the Wrestlemania 29 main event.
#6 John Cena vs Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship - Royal Rumble 2015
After John Cena's mauling at the hands of Brock Lesnar at Summerslam 2014 and title defense at Night of Champions, Lesnar embarked on his part-time world title reign. However, he was coming back at the Royal Rumble to defend the belt against John Cena, who had won a Hell in a Cell match against Randy Orton to become Number 1 Contender.
However, the Money in the Bank briefcase holder Seth Rollins was added last minute to the bout.
That addition proved to be the biggest change in WWE history, as Rollins was the absolute star in a match between the three. Michael Cole built up the significance of the match with just one sentence: 'Seth Rollins looking for his first world title, John Cena looking for his 16th'.
Lesnar was doing his regular shtick of inflicting damage on the competition, but WWE played up the psychology of keeping the two men at bay.
The numbers caught up, and Cena started attacking Lesnar by giving him an AA. Rollins also entered the fold with a curb stomp. Steel stairs were used against The Beast to try and lay him out.
What did lay him out was Rollins delivering an elbow drop on the table, eliminating Lesnar from the fold and causing him to be stretchered away. Lesnar didn't allow that to happen, came back and eventually pinned Seth Rollins to defend his championship.
This was frantic action that didn't pause for a second. All three competitors perfectly worked each other and everyone had a lot to do. Rollins used his crafty offence to take the fight to the two giants of the industry. Lesnar's strength was what made him defend the belt successfully. Cena was the tough and resilient fighter that needed to win his prize back.
They meshed perfectly together and had an absolute classic in front of the hardcore Philadelphia crowd.
#5 John Cena vs Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship -Wrestlemania 23
John Cena was portrayed as an underdog even when he was the most dominant wrestler on the WWE roster. He was in the midst of another lengthy WWE Championship reign and seemed dominant. However, when put up against Mr. WrestleMania himself, Shawn Michaels, Cena actually did feel like the underdog heading into the main event of WrestleMania 23.
The match was a fitting way to end that year's edition, as Cena and Michaels put on a very entertaining affair that proved all the doubters wrong. Cena went toe to toe with one of the all-time greats and held his own. Cena had a star-making performance and Shawn Michaels did everything he could to make Cena look like a million bucks and he did look like that.
The match started slow, but it burst into action towards the final sequence. Michaels connected with a Piledriver on the steel steps for a brutal spot. Both men tried to hit their big moves, but kept failing.
They went for cheap shots, roll-ups and distracting manoeuvres. They went all out to try and win the match and the championship. Cena just managed to lock in the STFU and made HBK tap out, just like he did to his partner Triple H a year prior.
They followed this match up with something even greater, and we will talk about it in just a bit.
#4 John Cena vs Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship - Summerslam 2013
Daniel Bryan's crowning moment came in one of the most entertaining and feel-good moments in WWE history. John Cena chose to face Daniel Bryan for his WWE Championship defense at Summerslam, in a move that excited the entire WWE Universe.
Bryan was by far the fan's hero and everyone wanted to see him succeed. He rode into Summerslam on a wave of momentum, being pushed by the fans and his rivalry with John Cena, in which Bryan deemed Cena to not be a wrestler.
Cena fought Bryan with a torn triceps muscle, which is an absolutely insane thing to do in the first place. He wrestled for 27 minutes with an elbow the size of a baseball, and not for one second did he miss a step. He went all out to put over Bryan. Cena allowed Bryan to work him and attack him properly, whereas Cena kept taking control back using his size and regular offense.
It was like a game of chess, but eventually, one person did take the advantage. Bryan escaped both an AA and an STF and was out of tricks to beat Cena. Bryan flew across the ring and connected his knee with Cena's head to pin him for the 1-2-3 and become WWE Champion in an instant classic of a match.
Bryan did lose the belt immediately to a cashing in Randy Orton, and he finally won it at Wrestlemania 30. Cena went on the injury table for 3 months, as he recovered from his triceps tear to comeback and win the World Heavyweight Championship.
#3 John Cena vs Shawn Michaels - WWE Raw (April 23, 2007)
Soon after their Wrestlemania 23 classic, Cena and Michaels went at it again for 1 hour in London in a non-title match. In a 2-hour broadcast, giving an hour to match like this was unheard of and was a massive deal.
Many people consider this to be the greatest Raw match to have ever taken place, as Michaels got a win over Cena in London, England. Just like they did at Wrestlemania 23, Cena and Michaels started off slowly and built the pace of the match.
They battled through five commercial breaks as people couldn't believe how either wrestler couldn't put the other away. Cena hit the FU, but Michaels escaped the STFU. Michaels hit Cena with a Sweet Chin Music, but Cena got out because of a rope break.
They sold exhaustion, frustration and the desire to win perfectly, as neither men would allow themselves to be defeated. After 56 minutes, Michaels connected with another superkick and collapsed over John Cena to pick up the victory.
This match was the definitive proof to all Cena haters that he could indeed wrestle, and if he wanted to and was given the time, he can wrestle damn well. This is one of the best matches ever produced in the WWE, and will always be a highlight in Cena's career.
#2 John Cena vs AJ Styles for the WWE Championship - Royal Rumble 2017
After Cena had lost at Summerslam 2016 to AJ Styles, he left his armband in the ring signifying something. Whether or not we understood what Cena was trying to say, the action before that said one thing and one thing alone: AJ Styles has arrived.
He was catapulted to the top after that win and met Cena again at the Royal Rumble, but this time as WWE Champion.
Cena was in the hunt for his 16th world title and redemption over AJ Styles. This was the motivation that he needed and the two men put on one of the best matches of the WWE in recent memory. No main roster match has surpassed the quality of this match since, as Styles and Cena made magic. They threw everything and the proverbial kitchen sink at each other. Big move, kick out, big move, kick out was the formula and it worked perfectly.
Both men were failing to get the better of the other. Cena is best when he is focused and frustrated, and Styles meshed perfectly as he was a tough nut to crack. The ending sequence with the follow through AA to ensure AJ had been beaten was a beautiful touch. Cena won his 16th title in the best way possible.
This was, in my opinion, a five-star match. The story built perfectly through the match. Cena had not gotten the upper hand over Styles in their previous interactions and he just needed this win and the title. The story was narrated perfectly and this was one of the best WWE matches ever.
#1 John Cena vs CM Punk for the WWE Championship - Money in the Bank 2011
There's no doubt in anyone's mind that this is the best John Cena match in WWE, and will probably never be crossed. Punk and Cena were in a white-hot feud and this was their big blowoff match. Punk was about to leave the company but he had a title match against John Cena the night his contract expires. He made his intention to leave with the belt, so Vince McMahon promised to fire Cena if he lost.
A hot Chicago crowd wanted nothing but their hometown boy, and one of the best in the world to vanquish the titan that was John Cena. Punk took a beating from Cena, as he took two AA's and kept fighting back. The interference by Vince McMahon, Laurinaitis and Del Rio added a layer to the story, and the characters of both men.
Cena getting pegged with the go to sleep and then the crowd going wild is a scene no one will ever forget. This match was a rollercoaster of emotions, as it gave someone everything they wanted. It had showbiz, compelling story and fantastic in-ring action. It is the recipe of the best match ever.
Even though the storyline bombed after this match, this match will go down in history as one of the best matches any wrestler has put up. Dave Meltzer gave it 5*, making it the first Meltzer rated 5* match after the turn of the millennium, and everyone could see why he did s.o This match was an emotional ride which was perfectly sold by the wrestlers part of it.
This is the greatest match in the storied career of John Cena, and probably the World Wrestling Entertainment.
