John Cena will be the first person to tell you that he’s made some seriously bad decisions over the years, and if you don’t believe him, then just go and ask The Nexus. The record-breaking World Champion has been at the top of the card for well over a decade now, and when something like that happens, you tend to have your fair share of highs and lows.
Well fear not, as we’re here to focus on the positives as opposed to 95% of the internet who enjoy looking at the negatives. You see, Cena has this ability to put talents over in a way that nobody else can do. His position in the company is so strong that a win over him is essentially the equivalent of winning a World Title these days.
When there are young superstars waiting to break into the main event, it can be tempting to have them go over other grizzled veterans, but in these five instances going with Cena as the one to take the fall was definitely best for business. Oh, and before you ask, no, not all of these were squeaky clean.
With that being said, here are five examples of Cena being the ideal choice to put someone over.
#1 Daniel Bryan
The leader of the Yes Movement was well and truly on the rise back in the summer of 2013, with his meteoric surge towards the main event picture soon to be complete. Hence, when John Cena was tasked with selecting his own opponent for a big WWE Championship match at SummerSlam, there was only one man for the job.
Bryan and Cena traded back and forth with some of the most fascinating promos in years leading up to the bout, with Bryan essentially calling Cena a parody of a wrestler. It was a program that made complete sense because if anyone was going to fit that description then, of course, it’d be Big Match John. Plus, of course, the match itself was sensational.
The Voice of the Voiceless...
#2 CM Punk
CM Punk’s new found main event status came after his tremendous pipebomb promo six years back, with the Straight Edge Superstar venting his frustrations on everything that he believed to be wrong in WWE. The end result was one of the most incredible matches in the company’s history, which took place at Money in the Bank 2011.
Punk and Cena spent half an hour painting the perfect masterpiece, and the reason it worked so well was because Cena was standing up for the company that he’d spent so many years trying to improve. As the face of the brand, it made sense that the pressure was on John’s shoulders as opposed to someone like Randy Orton or Triple H.
They don’t want none.
#3 AJ Styles
Nobody had quite managed to get the best of John Cena like AJ Styles did back in 2016, with the former Bullet Club leader outsmarting and outperforming Mr Hustle Loyalty Respect time and time again. Styles was attempting to prove to the world that he was the new face that ran the place, and of course, he’d be taking that mantle from Cena himself.
It was a natural story that just came so organically, and it allowed us to see a much edgier side to John than we’d seen in years. AJ was the new kid on the block and in terms of timing, it was perfect because Cena was slowly transitioning into becoming a part-time superstar. Styles won clean at SummerSlam, and from then on, he was a made man.
Don't mess with KO.
Also read: 10 WWE Superstars that were overshadowed by a more famous sibling
#4 Kevin Owens
When Kevin Owens confronted John Cena back in 2015, he didn’t get the kind of reception that many would’ve hoped. Alas, that didn’t matter all too much because within a month or so quite literally everyone would know who Kevin Owens was. Why? Because he forced them to watch and listen.
Owens beat Cena clean at Battleground, becoming the first upcoming superstar to beat John in a long time convincingly. The story behind this revolved around the idea of Owens’ son being a huge John Cena fan, so naturally, the conflict of having Owens go over Cena made for some tremendous television. Bravo, WWE.
The whole F’N show.
#5 Rob Van Dam
There’s an argument to be made that Rob Van Dam is one of the most underrated superstars in WWE history. Sure, he was afforded a lot of opportunities, but the company never really seemed to grasp just how popular this guy was. Seriously, he was up there with the Jeff Hardys of the world when it comes to this category
Back in 2006, RVD cashed in his MITB briefcase to face John Cena for the WWE Championship, with Cena’s slow turn towards being hated by the fans being completed at One Night Stand. Nobody would’ve been able to elicit such a strong heel reaction like Cena that night, and the “If Cena wins we riot” sign tells the entire story.
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