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#4 AJ Styles
If someone would've told us a decade ago that not only will Styles and Cena face off against one another but they will end up having one of the most memorable feuds of the decade, we would have laughed at their face.
It was almost impossible to imagine seeing Styles inside a WWE ring. The Georgia-native was such an integral part of TNA, WWE's biggest competitor in North America, that one thought that Vince McMahon & Co would never sign him.
But following a contract dispute, Styles would leave the promotion in December 2014. The Phenomenal One would then move to New Japan Pro Wrestling where he would win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in his debut match with the promotion. Styles would leave NJPW following Wrestle Kingdom 10. And then the unthinkable as Styles finally arrived in WWE at the 2016 Royal Rumble.
Styles and Cena were the antheses to one another which is what made their feud so memorable. The two first lock horns at Money In The Bank where Styles would come out victorious following interference by Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. The trio would be defeated by the team of Cena, Enzo Amore and Big Cass at Battleground 2016 with Cena pinning Styles.
Cena and Styles were drafted to SmackDown in the 2016 Brand Extension Draft. They would clash once again at SummerSlam 2016 with Styles once again coming out on top. After Styles won the WWE Championship from Dean Ambrose at Backlash 2016, Cena would challenge The Phenomenal one for the title. This resulted in a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship between Styles, Cena and Dean Ambrose which Cena would lose after getting pinned by The Phenomenal One. The final chapter of the Cena- Styles trilogy took place at the 2017 Royal Rumble where Cena finally defeated Cena to win his 16th World Championship.
The rivalry between Cena and Styles was great due to a variety of reasons. Firstly, it helped establish Styles as a main event player in WWE. Secondly, after years of being ridiculed for his in-ring style, the series of matches against The Phenomenal One made fans realize that Cena wasn't a slouch inside the squared circle. And third and most importantly, it re-affirmed the fact that Cena and Styles were two of the best in-ring performers of our generation.
