5 times John Cena put over over other wrestlers

John Cena has been the face of the company for more than 12 years. Part of the famous OVW class of 2002, John Cena won his first world championship when he defeated John Bradshaw Layfield for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 21.

Since then, the Franchise Player never looked back. Cena went on to add 15 more world title reigns to his name, tying Ric Flair's record of 16 world championships.

In his tenure as the face of the company, Cena has seen several wrestlers come and go. For them to succeed, they often had to go through the Cenation Leader himself.

One of the main criticism that John Cena has faced in his career is how he has often "buried" several new superstars. While that could be said for a few cases, the Dr. of Thuganomics didn't shy from taking the pin on several occasions. Here are 5 wrestlers who were put over by the veteran John Cena.

#5 Finn Balor

Finn Balor, the first ever Universal Champion, has spent most of his time in the mid-card since relinquishing his title

On the 14th January 2019 edition of Monday Night Raw, Finn Balor had one of the biggest wins of his career. After defeating Jinder Mahal in a singles match, Balor competed in a fatal four-way match to determine the number 1 contender for the Universal Championship. The match also involved Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and John Cena.

Finn Balor was able to win the match despite all the odds against him. However, interestingly, the man he pinned was none other than John Cena. It was interesting because Baron Corbin could have taken the pin as well since he isn't exactly in a very strong position on the main roster. If taking the pinfall wasn't enough, Cena went on to endorse Balor after the match, stating that he believes in him.

#4 Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens defeated John Cena in his debut match on the main roster.

John Cena did his best to restore the prestige of the United States Championship, the first singles championship he had won in WWE. Cena defended his U.S. title in an open challenge against multiple opponents.

One such opponent was the then NXT Champion, Kevin Owens. While KO didn't actually face Cena for the title, the altercation led to a champion vs champion match at the Elimination Chamber PPV.

At the PPV, Owens shocked the world by defeating the Cenation Leader clean. This victory came at a point when NXT wasn't as big as it is now. The win was a huge boost not just for Kevin Owens but also for NXT, which was merely considered as a development system at that time.

While Cena did go on to win the feud between the two, a win over a multiple time world champion made Kevin Owens a force to be reckoned with.

#3 Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura defeated the likes of John Cena and Randy Orton within first 5 months of his debut

Shinsuke Nakamura was the hottest wrestler in NXT of his time. The two-time NXT Champion made a historic debut on April 4th, 2017 edition of Smackdown Live. While Nakamura was well over with the crowd, he still didn't have many credible wins on the main roster.

His most notable wins were against Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin. However, all doubts were put to rest when Nakamura faced the Chain Gang Soldier on an edition of Smackdown Live to determine the number 1 contender for the WWE Championship.

John Cena once again happily laid down for the latest sensation as Nakamura pinned Cena, clean. However, during the match, Nakamura botched his inverted exploder suplex which led to Cena landing awkwardly on his neck. John Cena, however, came in to support the King of Strong Style, taking full responsibility for the incident.

#2 Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns has main evented Wrestlemania 4 times in a row

Ever since Roman Reigns received his mega push, comparisons between the Big Dog and John Cena started emerging. Well, the comparisons were justified as Roman Reigns was being built as the next face of the company, a spot that John Cena had held for more than a decade. Hence, a match between the two was inevitable.

A match between the two was set after Cena called out "The Guy". The build-up for the match saw both of the superstars cutting various shoot promos. While it could be said that the Cenation Leader got the better of Reigns on the mic, Cena did not hesitate to put over The Big Dog at No Mercy.

Roman Reigns went on to beat 16-time world champion clean at the event. The match was seen as John Cena passing the torch to Roman Reigns as the new face of the company.

#1 Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan defeated John Cena at Summerslam to win his first ever WWE Championship

Daniel Bryan was easily the hottest thing in professional wrestling in 2013. The Yes! Movement was at its peak and WWE had no option but to put Bryan in the main event. On an edition of Raw, John Cena handpicked Daniel Bryan to face him for the WWE Championship. The match was scheduled to take place at Summerslam 2013.

At the biggest event of the summer, the American Dragon defeated John Cena with Triple H as the special guest referee, ending the latter's reign at 133 days. The match was a pivotal point in Daniel Bryan's career it cemented him as the biggest babyface of the company.

John Cena worked the match despite an injury as he announced on the following night on Raw that he would be taking time off to undergo surgery for a triceps tear. The Cenation Leader's will to work the match despite a severe injury earned him the respect of even his harshest critics.