John Cena heads into this year’s Royal Rumble as the No. 1 contender for AJ Styles’ WWE Championship. Cena does quite well at the event if past performances are anything to go by.
Cena is a two-time winner of the Rumble match and even though he is not advertised to participate in the match this year, WWE Universe knows how much of a juggernaut Cena is when it comes to grade-A Pay Per Views.
Cena’s twin-Rumble victories came in 2008 and 2013 and it is interesting to note that both of that victories came on the same date – January 27. This edition of ‘This day..’ recaps Cena’s Rumble wins and also looks at the time when one of Cena’s biggest rivals decided to leave the promotion.
#1 John Cena wins the 2008 Royal Rumble – 27th January 2008
John Cena wasn’t even advertised for the 2008 Royal Rumble, having been out of action since October with a torn pectoral muscle. The Rumble match began with a bang as last year’s finalists Undertaker and Shawn Michaels opened proceedings.
The match opened up as the duo were eliminated before the latter stages and Triple H – having entered at No:29 – looked odds on to win. However, Cena’s familiar music hit when the buzzer sounded for the final entrant and Madison Square Garden erupted on seeing the man.
Cena would eliminate Carlito, Mark Henry and Chavo Guerrero to set up a showdown with Triple H. Cena would counter a Pedigree and then boot Triple H out of the ring with an AA to win the Rumble and go on to Wrestlemania.
#2 John Cena wins the 2013 Royal Rumble – 27th January 2013
The result of the 2013 Royal Rumble was never in doubt – The PPV was used to set up the Rock vs John Cena II main event for the ensuing Wrestlemania and both wrestlers had to win their respective matches to gather momentum for their showdown.
The Rock was going to wrestle in a WWE Championship match for the first time in a decade against the champion CM Punk and the company wasn’t going to let the Hollywood superstar lose before ‘Mania.
Consequently, Cena would have to win the Rumble match to challenge the Rock once he became the WWE Champion.
Thus Cena winning the Rumble was a foregone conclusion and he did so emphatically, last eliminating the then-relevant Ryback. Cena would challenge the new WWE Champion Rock at ‘Mania and beat him to win the title and tie their head to head score 1-1.
#3 CM Punk leaves the WWE – 27th January 2014
Ironically, WWE granting two straight Wrestlemania main events for Rock vs Cena would draw the ire of CM Punk and the ultra popular superstar’s frustrations would reach boiling point a year later as the company made it clear that it would be part-timer Batista who would headline that edition of Wrestlemania.
The night after Batista won the 2014 Rumble, Punk would have a heated discussion with Vince McMahon and Triple H which would result in the straight edge superstar walking out of the company.
The date was 27th January, exactly a year after he had his record 434-day WWE title run ended at the hands of the Rock.
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