10 greatest John Cena matches of all time

For long, John Cena has been “The face that runs the place” in the WWE.

Love him or hate him, Cena’s long run at the top of the food chain in the world of professional wrestling and sports-entertainment has seen the WWE’s resident Superman carve out a unique niche for himself in the business.

Despite the criticism against him for focusing more on the aesthetic aspect of pro-wrestling rather than the in-ring department, Cena has time and again proven that he’s much more than a mere bodybuilder. The Champ has put on several top-notch matches over the course of his career, and his consistency is a testament to his legendary status.

Ahead of his match against Triple H at WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble PPV, today, Sportskeeda looks back at the 10 greatest John Cena matches of all time—

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#10 John Cena vs JBL (Judgment Day 2005)

Cena and JBL partook in the bloodiest match in WWE history

Often referred to by fans as the bloodiest match in WWE history, John Cena’s epic clash with John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) at Judgement Day in 2005 is an all-time classic.

Cena did battle with JBL in an “I Quit Match”, and with the WWE Championship on the line, Cena pulled out all the stops in a hard-hitting encounter with his arch-rival. In the end, JBL mouthed the words “I Quit”, however, that didn’t stop a fired up Cena from ramming a steel vehicle guard into JBL—sending the latter crashing through the entrance ramp’s glass.

#9 John Cena vs Edge (Unforgiven 2006)

Cena and Edge put on an amazing match at Unforgiven 2006

Yet another high stakes matchup which saw the WWE Championship hang in the balance, witnessed Edge defending the title against John Cena in a Tables, Ladders & Chairs Match at Unforgiven back in 2006.

Cena put on one of his career-best performances against the Rated-R Superstar, as both Superstars sustained a ton of punishment over the course of this long, grueling matchup. In the end, Cena sent Edge crashing from the top of a ladder right through a couple of tables—winning the WWE Championship.

Till date, fans credit the aforementioned clash at Unforgiven as a key factor behind Cena and Edge going on to have one of the most important rivalries in WWE history in the years that followed.

#8 John Cena vs Daniel Bryan (SummerSlam 2013)

Cena vs Bryan is regarded as one of the best matches in WWE history

John Cena and Daniel Bryan engaged in one of the most memorable professional wrestling matches of all time, as the duo went to war against one another for the WWE Championship.

Most fans may recollect the infamous “slap-fight” as a rather hilarious yet intense mini-segment during the matchup. Cena and Bryan traded several hard-hitting maneuvers, as “Special Guest Referee” Triple H officiated the matchup.

In the end, Bryan ended up defeating Cena and emerged as the new WWE Champion. Nevertheless, the effort put forth by Cena was commendable, and till date is regarded as one of his best performances ever.

The cherry that topped off the excellent match is the fact that Randy Orton cashed in his Money In The Bank contract, and with Triple H having just hit Bryan with a Pedigree, Orton pinned Bryan to become the new WWE Champion.

#7 John Cena vs AJ Styles (Money in the Bank 2016)

Styles and Cena showed excellent mat wrestling in a chaotic match at Money in the Bank

Well, a certain man who loves to “beat up John Cena!” had one of the most legendary feuds in recent times with Cena.

The critically-acclaimed John Cena vs AJ Styles rivalry produced many a great matches. One of their classics came at the 2016 edition of Money in the Bank, where Cena clashed with Styles for the WWE Championship.

Cena came dangerously close to beating Styles, however, the latter’s team-mates Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows interfered in the matchup—helping Styles defeat Cena and walk away with the WWE Championship.

The match earned both Cena and Styles considerable praise in the weeks that followed—not only for the mat-work but also for the ring psychology exhibited by both Superstars throughout.

#6 John Cena vs Seth Rollins vs Brock Lesnar (Royal Rumble 2015)

Lesnar, Rollins, and Cena tore down the house back in 2015

Perhaps the greatest match of the 2015 calendar year, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar defended his title in a Triple Threat Match against Seth Rollins and John Cena.

The match garnered high praise, primarily owing to the sheer physicality featured in it. Lesnar dominated the initial phase of the showdown, however, the majority of the in-ring work was executed by John Cena.

In the aforementioned match, Cena put on what’s oft-noted as the best performance in a multi-person match, going toe-to-toe with a game Seth Rollins (who had J&J Security in tow) as well as a deadly Brock Lesnar. In the end, Lesnar ended up pinning Rollins to successfully defend his title.

#5 John Cena vs CM Punk (Money in the Bank 2011)

CM Punk was involved in an all-time-classic with John Cena in 2011

Widely regarded as one of the most important matches in modern WWE history, John Cena’s all-time-classic with CM Punk at Money In The Bank in 2011 was immortalized by the in-ring excellence displayed by Cena in the matchup.

While Cena and Punk engaged in a back-and-forth affair, the WWE attempted to recreate the Montreal Screwjob which saw Vince McMahon screw Bret Hart out of the WWF Championship in order to crown Shawn Michaels as the WWF Champion. Similarly, McMahon and on-screen authority figure John Laurinaitis made their way down the ring and tried to screw Punk out of the WWE Championship.

Regardless, Cena refused to partake in the treachery and turned his attention to Laurinaitis—attacking the latter. Punk then took advantage and hit Cena with a GTS, pinning him to win the WWE Championship.

What made the matchup even more memorable is the fact that the storylines then had Punk walk away from WWE, while disrespecting Vince McMahon in the process. Regardless, the true star of the matchup was indeed “Big Match John”, whose wrestling prowess truly shined through at the star-studded event.

#4 John Cena vs Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules 2012)

Cena and Lesnar put on a match for the ages at Extreme Rules 2012

It was in 2012 that Brock Lesnar returned to the WWE, amidst his battle with diverticulitis. Having retired from MMA at the time, Lesnar seemed focused on becoming the face of WWE—a storyline that was pushed heavily by WWE at the time.

Cena battled Lesnar in an Extreme Rules Match at the Extreme Rules PPV, and the matchup was thoroughly dominated by Lesnar, particularly in the early stages. Lesnar almost submitted Cena on the steel steps that were placed in the middle of the ring.

Nevertheless, Cena staged a comeback for the ages and dinged Lesnar with his signature “Thuganomics” metal chain—bloodying Lesnar up and eventually slaying the Beast. Cena and Lesnar’s Extreme Rules Match is widely considered to be one of the best pro-wrestling matchups of 2012 and earned widespread praise from both fans and experts alike.

#3 John Cena vs AJ Styles (SummerSlam 2016)

Yet another match featuring John Cena and AJ Styles served to captivate professional wrestling fans the world over, as the two icons went to war in a WWE Championship Match at SummerSlam in 2016.

Cena and Styles left it all inside the ring, as the crowd cheered raucously for Styles—replete with mixed fan-chants for and against Cena. In the end, Styles clipped Cena with a Phenomenal Forearm for the final time, before securing the pinfall victory.

While Styles walked away from the event as WWE Champion, Cena received a standing ovation from the fans after his legendary performance.

#2 John Cena vs Batista (Over The Limit 2010)

John Cena beat Batista at Over The Limit in 2010

John Cena put on perhaps one of the most intriguing performances of his career at Over The Limit back in 2010.

Defending his WWE Championship against Batista in an “I Quit" Match, Cena exhibited excellent in-ring maneuvers coupled with an unmatched knack of storytelling. Cena and Batista took the WWE Universe on a wild ride at the event, with the crowd absolutely electrified over the course of this highly physical contest.

In the end, after exhausting their arsenals of respective signature moves, Cena threatened to launch Batista onto the entrance ramp one last time, all while hoisting The Animal over his shoulders on top of a car. Batista screamed “I Quit”, only for Cena to put him through the entrance ramp’s floor regardless.

The match was excellent, and the show saw Sheamus hit Cena with a Brogue Kick to cap off the night.

#1 John Cena vs AJ Styles (Royal Rumble 2017)

This matchup is often ranked as the best of the John Cena and AJ Styles rivalry.

Not only did Cena defeat Styles to win the WWE Championship and tie Ric Flair’s record for most world title wins in WWE history, but also did so in style. Cena displayed his vast array of technical skills over the course of this matchup.

Additionally, Cena’s ability to sway the momentum of the match, while adapting to fan-reaction in real-time, is indeed considered to be one of the key factors in making the matchup all the more fascinating.

Love him or hate him, John Cena is indeed a bona fide WWE legend.