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John Cena's WWE career is one that not many have been able to mimic, and he is a sure-fire future Hall of Famer. Cena has done it all in the squared circle and he always gets a big reaction out of the WWE Universe whenever he makes one of his rare appearances.
John Cena won his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21 where he defeated JBL for the coveted belt. Cena was immediately given a major push as a main event star following the win and WWE decided to make him the face of the company. Cena wrestled tons of matches against some of the very best the promotion had to offer over the next 14 years or so.
He was heavily protected, but there were times when John Cena put over other superstars as well. Let's take a look at five superstars Cena put over who were older than him.
(Note for reference: John Cena is currently 43-years-old; A big thanks to ProFightDB for the data used)
#5 The Undertaker vs. John Cena (WWE WrestleMania 34, 2018)
The Undertaker vs John Cena had become a dream match following the latter's rise to the top of the roster. The duo had wrestled a bunch of matches back when Cena was a mid-card guy on SmackDown in 2003. As WrestleMania 34 loomed closer in early 2018, John Cena challenged The Undertaker to a match at The Show of Shows.
Cena grew frustrated when The Deadman didn't respond and began berating him as the show came closer. Cena also made it clear he was mad at The Undertaker for not answering the challenge. The match did happen at WrestleMania though. John Cena had lost all hope when The Undertaker suddenly appeared and the match finally kicked off.
The Undertaker defeated John Cena in less than three minutes in what was a quick squash. Fans were aware The Undertaker wasn't in the best shape of his life but no one had imagined that The Phenom would dispose of John Cena in such quick fashion. The Undertaker was 53-years-old at the time of the match.
#4 Batista vs John Cena (WWE SummerSlam, 2008)
Batista and John Cena both won their first World titles on the same night at WrestleMania 21 in 2005. Their victories marked the dawning of a new era in WWE and it was clear as day that WWE wanted to build their product around these two megastars moving forward. Both John Cena and Batista enjoyed main event runs and World titles on their respective brands over the next three years or so.
John Cena and Batista turned into major names by the time 2008 came around and fans were clamoring to see a dream match pitting the two superstars against each other on a big stage. Many fans hoped the battle would take place at a future WrestleMania event, but WWE surprised them by kicking off the feud on the road to SummerSlam 2008.
The two megastars faced off at The Biggest Party of the Summer in a 15-minute outing. A second Batista Bomb on Cena gave Batista the pin and The Animal came out victorious in this first-ever major singles battle between the two superstars. It's interesting to note that Batista is almost nine years older than John Cena and was 39-years-old at the time of their SummerSlam match.
#3 Edge vs John Cena (WWE New Year's Revolution, 2006)
John Cena successfully defended his WWE title in a brutal Elimination Chamber match at New Year's Revolution 2006. Cena was put over big time as he defeated Carlito, Kane, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, and Chris Masters to retain his belt inside the hellish structure.
Vince McMahon came out following the match and announced that Edge was going to cash in his Money In The Bank contract on Cena right away. Edge emerged to a huge pop and handed his briefcase over to McMahon. John Cena was in no condition to compete after what happened inside the Elimination Chamber.
Edge secured the win over John Cena in a matter of seconds to win his very first WWE title. Edge had been a regular mid-card attraction for years at that point and this particular moment was the beginning of his main event push. John Cena took the title back from Edge in a matter of weeks at the 2006 Royal Rumble event, but The Rated-R Superstar was going to win several World titles over the next five years or so. Edge was 32-years-old when he won his first WWE title from Cena.
#2 The Great Khali vs John Cena (WWE Saturday Night's Main Event, 2007)
John Cena defeated Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 23 to retain his WWE title and defeated Michaels, Edge, and Randy Orton at Backlash 2007 in another big title win. John Cena then kicked off a feud with The Great Khali who was possibly the biggest challenge he had ever faced at that point in his career.
John Cena and The Great Khali feuded over the WWE title on the road to Judgment Day 2007 and many believed the Indian giant would take the title from Cena at the event. John Cena somehow managed to defeat Khali at Judgment Day via submission to retain the belt. The feud was far from over though, and the two superstars met again in a non-title match at Saturday Night's Main Event.
John Cena suffered a pinfall loss to The Great Khali who was then given another opportunity at the WWE title at One Night Stand 2007. Khali was 35-years-old at the time of this victory, while Cena was 30.
#1 The Rock vs John Cena (WWE WrestleMania 28, 2012)
John Cena was feuding with The Miz over the WWE title in early 2011 when The Rock made his much-awaited return to the company following a 7-year hiatus. The Rock had last wrestled at WrestleMania 20 alongside Mick Foley in a losing effort against Ric Flair, Randy Orton, and Batista. The Rock helped The Miz defeat John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 27 and proceeded to attack The Miz following the latter's victory.
The Rock and John Cena shook hands on the RAW after WrestleMania 27 and made a singles match official for one year down the line. WWE built up the match for the next 12 months and the two icons finally collided in the main event of WrestleMania 28 in 2012. The match is regarded by many as one of the greatest outings in the company's history simply because of the names involved. John Cena vs The Rock helped WWE break WrestleMania 23's pay-per-view buyout record that had stood for five long years.
The Rock emerged victorious when all was said and done on that night. It should be noted that The Rock is five years older than John Cena.
