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John Cena officially announced his entry into this year's Royal Rumble match this past week on RAW. Cena is back in the WWE, at least until the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania season. Cena is a 16-time WWE World Champion who is only one title away from breaking Ric Flair's record and becoming the only wrestler in the WWE history to win 17 world titles.
John Cena is one of the few wrestlers to make an unforgettable debut, and capitalizing it to reach unscalable heights. Cena made his debut on June 27, 2002, by answering an open challenge by Kurt Angle.
He lost the match but gained the respect of the locker room. Cena has been part of some memorable feuds with Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Kane, John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL), Batista, The Rock, The Undertaker, Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, etc. during his tenure in the WWE.
Let us take a look at the top 5 matches in John Cena's career till date.
#5 John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield (Judgement Day 2005)
Cena feuded with John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL) since WrestleMania 21 where Cena won his first WWE Championship. The contest at Judgement Day was a conclusion to their epic rivalry, which was an "I Quit" match. It was Cena's bloodiest encounter in the years to come. JBL busted open Cena's forehead with a chair shot, but Cena returned the favour by throwing JBL through a television monitor.
Both the wrestlers were bleeding during most of the match that lasted almost twenty-three minutes. JBL said " I Quit" when Cena was prepared to attack him with an exhaust pipe and thus, retained his WWE Championship. After the match, Cena stood tall on top of the ring with blood covering his entire face.
#4 John Cena vs. Randy Orton (Bragging Rights 2009)
John Cena and Randy Orton's rivalry always had amazing storytelling whenever they faced each other. Both of them started their careers in 2002, and their paths kept crossing throughout their WWE careers. They feuded for the WWE Championship innumerable times.
Randy Orton is a 13-time WWE World Champion, only three titles behind John Cena. At Bragging Rights, Orton faced Cena in a 60-minute "Iron Man" match for Orton's WWE Championship. It was an entertaining contest between the two future WWE Hall of Famers as they battled for 60-minutes and gave it everything they had. Cena won the match by pinning Orton 6 times during the match and became the five-time WWE Champion.
#3. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules 2012)
John Cena called out The Rock on RAW after losing to him at WrestleMania 28. Cena wanted to shake hands with the People's Champion and congratulate him on defeating him, but Brock Lesnar came out instead, to a roaring reception from the WWE Universe. Lesnar returned to the WWE after eight years and gave an F-5 to Cena, thereby setting up a match at Extreme Rules.
Lesnar made Cena bleed by punching him with a vicious elbow at the start of the contest. Lesnar started dominating Cena by performing German Suplex on him one after the other. Cena bled throughout the match but managed to win by hitting Lesnar with a metal chain and by delivering an Attitude Adjustment onto the steel step.
#2 John Cena vs. CM Punk (Money in the Bank 2011)
The rivalry between John Cena and CM Punk is considered to be one of the best feuds in WWE history.
CM Punk's real-life contract negotiations were used as a storyline in this feud. CM Punk challenged John Cena for the WWE Championship and was planning to leave the WWE with the title on his shoulders. Vince McMahon had threatened to fire Cena if he lost to CM Punk.
Vince and John Laurinaitis interfered and ordered the referee to ring the bell in John Cena's favour which was reminiscent to the Montreal Screwjob in 1997. However, John Cena wanted to win fair and attacked Laurinaitis, which distracted him and Punk delivered a Go-To-Sleep on Cena and pinned him for the WWE Championship.
It was a memorable match not only because of the athletism of the wrestlers but also due to the adept storytelling. CM Punk left the arena with the WWE Championship and left Vince McMahon red-faced.
#1 John Cena vs. AJ Styles (Royal Rumble 2017)
It was not the first encounter between these two legendary wrestlers but was undoubtedly their best match together. The WWE Universe never thought that these two outstanding wrestlers would wrestle against each other someday. AJ Styles defended his WWE Championship against John Cena. It was an instant classic with a lot of near-falls throughout the match. A must watch encounter for the WWE fans who have doubted Cena's wrestling abilities during his illustrious career.
Both Cena and Styles displayed their strength and technical capabilities throughout the match. Another memorable win for Cena as he became the WWE Champion for a record-tying sixteenth time. Cena would lose the title at the next pay-per-view to Bray Wyatt, and would not challenge for the championship after. The upcoming Royal Rumble would make it two years since Cena held the WWE title. It would be an unforgettable moment if Cena wins the Royal Rumble and headlines WrestleMania 35, by winning his seventeenth WWE Title.
