#3 John Cena vs Kevin Owens (2015)
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You only get one chance to make a great first impression. When Kevin Owens defeated John Cena in his first ever main roster match at Elimination Chamber 2015, he did exactly that. Cena then got his win back at Money In The Bank, which prompted this third match in their series at Battleground 2015. Cena even put his United States Championship on the line, so the stakes were high.
Cena and Owens put on a match similar to their two previous efforts, so that’s a slight knock in that regard. Even so, they paced the contest wonderfully. They traded big move after big move near the end, trying to find something in their bag of tricks that might put the other guy away.
Owens ultimately lost by tapout, which likely made some people mad in the moment. To be fair, he did kick out of quite a lot before getting to that point. KO even survived a pinfall after a Super AA. He still walked away looking tough.
Owens’ loss here at this Battleground was a big defeat but it didn’t ultimately harm him. He went on to carry RAW’s Universal Championship for a while and then generally feuded with top talent. Anytime he needs to rattle off his resume to remind people of his credentials, he can point out that he beat John Cena on his first night. Not surprisingly, he isn’t quite as quick to point out the finish of this excellent match.
