John Cena loves the ladies, and if you don't believe us then just listen to the string of stories about him from years gone by in the media. He's had a few flings within the WWE alongside his marriage, if you trust the reports, that is. However, nowadays he seems happier than ever with his girlfriend Nikki Bella by his side. Which, you know, is fair enough.
But throughout his time in the WWE, Cena has had more than his fair share of mixed tag team partners, which should give him the upper hand heading into his mixed tag bout alongside Nikki against The Miz & Maryse at WrestleMania 33. It may not be the match that everyone wanted for Big Match John, but you can't say that it won't have the world watching.
The talent levels in terms of in ring ability vary greatly throughout this list, but it's a pretty fascinating range of names nonetheless. So whether you love him or you hate him, you can't deny that Cena has always been a big advocate of this particular match type, despite the fact that it never really seems to be used all too regularly in WWE anymore.
With that all being said, let's take a look at John Cena's five best mixed tag team partners.
#5 Dawn Marie
Yes, Dawn Marie was involved in some pretty weird storylines during her time with WWE - but she was a pretty capable in ring competitor when she needed to be. What she lacked in athleticism she more than made up for in character development, and if you don't believe us then just ask Torrie Wilson. Come on, you all know what we're talking about.
Anyway, back to Cena. The Doctor of Thuganomics teamed up with Dawn pretty early on in his WWE career, to the point where he was still wearing boots and tights that corresponded with the sports colours of the city that he was in.
The two went up against the aforementioned Torrie Wilson & Billy Kidman at Rebellion in one of the more forgettable matches you're ever likely to see. Marie and Wilson had a controversial feud, that involed Marie having a relationship with Wilson’s real-life father, Al Wilson.
Onto another feisty brunette.
#4 Candice Michelle
Candice Michelle pretty much represents everything that WWE fans hate about female wrestlers of the noughties. She was beautiful, sexy and was great for marketing purposes - but she wasn't the best wrestler in the world. That being said, she always gave it her all when she was put out there, and at one point she even became the WWE Women's Champion.
In fact, it was that reign that apparently spurred a fascinating mixed tag match - that actually only involved one woman. Candice and Cena went up against the team on Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch & Umaga in a match so convoluted, that it was probably the equivalent of Disneyland for Vince Russo.
Then again, there wasn't anything available on a pole, so maybe not. You can look, but you most certainly cannot touch.
#3 Nikki Bella
Nikki Bella is not a natural babyface. In fact, she's potentially one of the most obvious heels in the history of professional wrestling and yet the writers on SmackDown Live continue to try and paint her as this hero that needs to save us from the evil ways of Miz and Maryse.
Oh, and did we mention that those two are pretty much right about everything they say where Nikki is concerned?
Nikki and Cena had their first mixed tag match together just last week against James Ellsworth and Carmella, and good God was it cringeworthy. The two performed the same moves together in sync, smiled to the crowd and pretty much just squashed Carmellsworth into the dust. But hey, at least we got to see them kiss on live television so that's something. Not.
Onto one of the most underrated divas ever.
#2 Maria
How ironic is it that we follow Nikki Bella's entry up with someone she probably still despises to this day. Maria Kanellis has done some phenomenal work in both TNA and ROH over the last few years, proving that she was so much more than just a pretty face, which is exactly what WWE painted her as.
Still, she was there for quite a while, so she must have been doing something right.
During her time with the company, she was even involved in one of the more interesting mixed tags of recent times, and she joined forces with Cena to go up against Edge and Lita. It was one of the more fascinating versions of the concept because at the time, not a lot of people thought Maria could wrestle beyond 30-45 seconds.
Still, it was pretty entertaining. We conclude with potentially the greatest female wrestler of all time.
#1 Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus is absolutely tremendous, even to this day. The former multi-time Women's Champion was able to transition from a swimsuit model into a professional wrestler with flawless ease, and alongside Lita, she helped to revolutionise women's wrestling in the early noughties. Seriously, go back and watch some of their matches together - they're magical.
Trish retired in 2006, however, she's made a few comebacks here and there over the years, with one of them coming in December 2008 when she returned for a mixed tag team match alongside John Cena. They went up against the bizarre team of Beth Phoenix and Santino Marella, which is ironic considering Trish is supposedly one of the outside contenders to induct Phoenix into the Hall of Fame this year.
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