The curtain has closed on the most decorated career in WWE history. Last weekend, John Cena’s 25-year tenure with the promotion came to an abrupt end at the hands of the “Ringgeneral,” Gunther. The event capped off an 18-month-long retirement tour, giving the “never before seen 17-time champion” an opportunity to ride off into the sunset on his own terms.
When asked what his favorite match has been, Cena has said “the next one.” As evasive as the cliche may sound, the answer reflects the unique determination of the perennial main event player. For all of his flaws, Cena has never dwelled on the past; instead, choosing to live in the present and look towards the future. That mentality typified the card on last weekend’s “Saturday Night’s Main Event,” shining a spotlight on NXT standouts Oba Femi, Sol Ruca and Je’Von Evans.
There won’t be a “next one,” though. Cena died a warrior’s death. Now, it’s time to reflect on his illustrious career. I spent two weeks combing through the breadth of Cena’s catalogue. The task was daunting, but I’ve finally narrowed it down to 10 matches.
These are John Cena’s 10 best matches
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John Cena vs. Rob Van Dam
ECW One Night Stand
June 11, 2006
As an impressionable 9-year-old, the ECW alumni seemed like the parish of a fringe religion. Terry Funk was days away from turning 62, which meant he was only two years younger than my granddad. Masato Tanaka looked like the heavy in a bad yakuza movie, and my dad looked more athletic than Tommy Dreamer. Still, like all great cults, ECW’s devotees were sycophantic. In the absence of the vaunted ECW Arena, the Hammerstein Ballroom became their temple, and Rob Van Dam became their messiah.
The stars aligned in Manhattan for the “Whole F’n Show,” culminating in a coup de grace for fans of the extreme. The unique environment meant the WWE’s undisputed ace was cast as the villain, trying to rob Van Dam of his coronation. Cena embraced the circumstance, delivering one of the best heel performances in ECW history.
Rating: ****½
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John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels
Monday Night RAW #726
April 23, 2007
Fans romanticize the days of the traveling world’s champions, where hour-long broadway affairs were commonplace. Any hour-long match is an investment in itself, for both fans and wrestlers alike. Cena would be the first person to say that time is life’s most precious commodity and its most valuable currency.
Only weeks removed from their match at “WrestleMania 23,” Shawn Michaels believed they left money on the table. Cena concurred, conjuring even more of his magic to match the “Heartbreak Kid.” The result was an expertly paced, efficient masterclass in televised wrestling.
Rating: ****½
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John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan
SummerSlam
Aug. 18, 2013
It’s no coincidence that the greatest wrestler of the 21st century found his way onto this list.
By 2013, I wasn’t just sick and tired of Cena’s superheroics: I was completely apathetic towards it. I wasn’t the only one, either. The “Cena wins lol” meme had effectively become the WWE’s unofficial dogma. Daniel Bryan was the light at the end of the tunnel. Brilliant in the ring and uniquely charismatic, the “Yes Movement” simultaneously represented the yearning for an alternative and Cena’s potential successor. That dilemma is at the heart of this affair, emboldening Bryan to take the brass by force.
Rating: ****½
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John Cena vs. AJ Styles
Royal Rumble
Jan. 29, 2017
In the mid-to-late 2010s, Cena adopted a “smarter” quality to his work — attempting to shed the popular myth that the man with five moves of doom was a bad wrestler. The result was an iconic United States Championship run, a memorable string of matches with Kevin Owens, and his rivalry with AJ Styles. The latter of which ultimately defined this period of reinvention for Cena.
This was the best of their five singles encounters, allowing Cena to open the floodgates and go blow-for-blow with one of the most frenetic wrestlers of the 21st century.
Rating: ****½
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John Cena vs. Edge
Unforgiven
Sept. 17, 2006
If it wasn’t already apparent, I didn’t like John Cena as a child. I hated his weird accent and the “Spinner” belt. I thought he looked like Eminem on steroids, or a male stripper pretending to be a veteran.
Not to mention, my older sister was an Edge fan, which meant that I was an Edge fan.
As far as I was concerned, Edge could do no wrong. Steal Matt Hardy’s girlfriend and then whip his ass? Edge was just the better man. Slap John Cena’s dad? He should’ve stayed home, where he belonged. Defeat John Cena at “SummerSlam” in Boston? Maybe there is a god.
This TLC match was Cena and Edge’s twelfth encounter in 2006 alone, in the latter’s hometown of Toronto no less. Even still, the kindly Canadian crowd was uncharacteristically divided between brainwashed guinea pigs and sensible adults, eager to support their fellow countryman. With a “Cena fears workrate” sign front and center, Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect rose to the occasion — beating Edge at his own game, on the road.
Rating: ****½
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John Cena vs. CM Punk
Monday Night RAW #1031
Feb. 25, 2013
For much of my adolescent and adult life, CM Punk was my favorite professional wrestler. While recent events have complicated my feelings towards him, my affinity for Punk was exacerbated by my general disdain towards Cena. There’s no denying their chemistry, though. Punk was Cena’s most reliable rival in the ring, and this match from “Monday Night RAW” was arguably the finest of all their encounters.
I still loathe the outcome. What can I say? Consider me worked.
Rating: ****¾
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John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield
Judgement Day
May 22, 2005
Cena won his first of 17 world championships at “WrestleMania 21,” ending John Bradshaw Layfield’s 280-day reign with the WWE Championship. While Cena seemed destined to inherit the world according to Vince McMahon, JBL was reluctant to accept defeat. The result was this violent “I Quit” match, two months later at “Judgement Day.”
I’m a sucker for color. Here, Cena bleeds buckets, pouring himself into a performance that conveys sheer desperation. Juxtaposed to Cena’s superheroic exploits during the PG-TV era, this is more than a gem: it’s an oddity.
Rating: ****½
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John Cena vs. Umaga
Royal Rumble
Jan. 28, 2007
Despite all of his platitudes and superheroics, Cena always felt like an athlete first and caricature second. Such is the duty of the eternal ace. That’s what makes this Last Man Standing match against Umaga so captivating.
Governed by his primal urge for destruction, Umaga lures Cena out into the deep waters, forcing Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect to conjure a barbarity that was seldom seen. Cena can’t just beat Umaga; he has to slay him. And, it’s that quest for certainty that nearly robs Cena of his humanity.
Rating: ****¾
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John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar
Extreme Rules
April 29, 2012
Simply put, Brock Lesnar is. He is the “Beast Incarnate.” He is a fundamental force. He is complicit in the sex trafficking of Janel Grant.
I didn’t forget, Paul.
One of Cena’s most admirable qualities is his presence of mind. In a decidedly artificial medium of storytelling, Cena embraced the significance of every big match as if the weight of the world were bearing down on his shoulders. Here, Cena was defending professional wrestling itself from the threat of Brock Lesnar.
Watching Cena bend around the unstoppable gravity of Lesnar was a sight to behold. True to form, Cena never completely collapsed, though, rushing headlong into a fist-fight with Goliath and staging the greatest comeback of his career.
Rating: *****
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John Cena vs. CM Punk
Money in the Bank
July 17, 2011
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, allegory is: “the expression of truths or generalizations about human existence by means of symbolic figures and actions.”
This is no different in professional wrestling. When done well, rivalries, matches, and the wrestlers themselves often represent much broader themes or ideals. There are few greater examples of that truth than John Cena’s clash with CM Punk at “Money in the Bank.”
There’s something uniquely heavy about this contest. John Cena’s presence of mind was taken to its logical extreme. This wasn’t an ordinary away game for “big match” John. It wasn’t even the Hammerstein Ballroom against Van Dam. It was Chicago, against the “Second City’s” prodigal son. It wasn’t an ordinary title defense, either. If Punk won, he would be abandoning the WWE and taking the world championship with him. The gravity wasn’t lost on Cena. He was thrown into the lion’s den, with no hope of escape. His discomfort was visible. He was suffocating.
Punk is a blank canvas. He’s a scoundrel seeking redemption. He’s the little man, fighting an evil titan of a corporation. He’s an individualist resisting conformity. He’s the underdog, trying to overthrow a dynasty. He’s an outsider. He’s you and me, faced with overwhelming adversity.
Punk’s victory was necessary because this was more than a professional wrestling match. It was a war between two opposing ideologies: one right and one wrong. Punk chose to uphold the division between the two, while Cena was an unwilling pawn in his employer’s game.
How apropos.
Rating: *****