5 WWE matches featuring John Cena that deserve more praise

#3 John Cena vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE SmackDown - August 1, 2017)

#SavageSoldiersJohn cena vs Shinsuke Nakamura : SD 1/8/17A Dream match for many... including Cena took place for the no.1 contendership on a SD Ep! the high calliber of this match can be credited to the two Superstars! After a classic battle Nakamura won It With a kinhasha!!! pic.twitter.com/LpZmfKkY31

— The Anshul Sehrawat (@AnshulSehrawat3) September 16, 2020

An absolute dream WWE match by any standard, this match pitting John Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the best television matches in recent memory, and it has surprisingly been ignored by several fans since it took place. The bout went down on WWE SmackDown in 2017, and many fans were left wondering why the match wasn't given the kind of build-up and story that it deservingly needed.

However, the match was a 15-minute masterpiece that didn't feature a single wasted moment throughout its running time. The veterans of the business went all out and gave their best in the ring. A Superstar of Cena's stature didn't need to have such a great match on free TV, however, he chose to put over Nakamura after a grueling battle that elevated The King of Strong Style to unforeseen levels.

Nakamura and Cena in action

The reason why this match has probably been forgotten is that even after Nakamura scored such a massive win, his eventual loss to Jinder Mahal at SummerSlam 2017 ruined almost everything that was achieved through Cena and Nakamura's clash.