We are officially here, a sad week within this year’s holiday season…John Cena’s retirement match goes down this weekend. So, with John heavy on my mind and in my heart, I figured I’d try something new out this week and rank my personal ten favorite matches from his illustrious career. I’ll preface this by saying that Cena is one of my very favorite wrestlers of all time, as a child and through my teenage years he was the man on top of the company and one of the original guys who pulled me in and made me love wrestling. I often say that Shawn Michaels and John Cena are my 1a and 1b of favorite wrestlers ever, Shawn is my favorite in ring competitor while John is my favorite total package sports entertainer. He wasn’t always known for pulling tricks out of his hat or being a smooth operator inside the ropes like Shawn was obviously (the 5 moves of Doom anyone?), but John emitted such an aura when his entrance music hit at any and every arena and very few wrestlers ever have been as powerful with a microphone in their hands as he is. So, without further delay, let’s get into it!
#10: John Cena vs Batista (Summerslam 2008)
I remember the dream match quality this match had when it went down and how excited I was to see this one as a kid. Cena was the man on Raw for years, holding it down with multiple long WWE title runs. As he was doing that though, Batista was also the man over on Smackdown, holding it down with multiple World Heavyweight title runs also. Both men came into the company around the same time and had very similar rises and pushes to the top, both winning their first World Championships at WrestleMania 21 and being the final 2 in the Rumble that year, but they hadn’t run into each other in a one-on-one manner since they became the biggest guys in the company…until Summerslam 2008. I liked Batista a lot, but I was a Cena guy through and through so I can’t act like I was happy about the result at the time, but the match delivered on the promise it put out there and seeing these 2 duke it out felt larger than life. Cena suffered a neck injury in this match, and they went on to have a rivalry a couple years later that Cena won and Batista left the company shortly after, but none of their contests felt as exciting as this first time.
#9: John Cena vs HHH: WWE Championship match (WrestleMania 22)
Maybe I’m one of the few that loves this match as much as I do, but I really do enjoy this match and it’s one of my favorite Cena Mania matches there is (more to come on that later). This was John’s first-time main eventing the show of shows and it felt like it couldn’t have been in a more fitting manner. HHH was coming off the heels of his Evolution/Reign of Terror days, so he was one of, if not the biggest heel on the roster at the time with a legitimate resume to back it up. This felt truly like a passing of the baton match in a way, not so much a passing of the torch because HHH was still around for years to come and still had more title reigns and everything, but it felt like this was the night that really kind of brought Cena up to that level and allowed HHH to cool down a little bit from the run that he had been on for years at that point. The crowd noise and energy in the Allstate Arena, both John and HHH’s elaborate Mania entrances (which are still 2 of my favorite Mania entrances of all time), and the style and pace these 2 worked against each other all came together in the end to deliver a special Mania moment and an extremely important win in the career of John Cena.
#8: John Cena vs The Rock (WrestleMania XXVIII)
This was probably the most built and anticipated match in Cena’s career; Rock’s too for that matter. This match was planned and booked a year plus in advance and the company did everything in their power to not let it fall out the back of your mind in the year leading up to the match. Again, I’m not going to sit here and act like I was happy with this result at the time because I REALLY wanted John to win this match (I remember at the time as a younger Cena fan it felt like you and him against the world because so many people loved The Rock in 2012), but I’m not going to sit and act like that match and that build weren’t extremely special in the world of WWE. That may still be the most built up and anticipated matchup in the company’s history and for good reason, they are 2 of the most recognizable figures in the company’s history and on many’s Mount Rushmore of all time wrestlers, so every fan from past and present was locked in and wanted to see that match go down. Another dream match that became a reality and booked as ‘Once in a Lifetime’ so everyone bought in, then they faced again at the next Mania. Not that I was mad about it because Cena got his win back over him in another good match there, but they weren’t even close to being able to capture the aura of the first time.
#7: John Cena vs Cody Rhodes: Street Fight for WWE Championship (Summerslam 2025)
Easily the most recent match on this list, Cena and Cody delivered ten-fold in this match after their WrestleMania debacle from earlier in the year. This was Cena’s first match back as a babyface after a bit of a strange heel run and the crowd was showing their full support for him on the night. This was also the first match that he really WRESTLED again in his retirement tour, and he pulled some magic tricks out of the hat that left me stunned because I hadn’t seen that version of him in a handful of years at that point. This felt like Cena wanting to prove to the fans that he was still that guy and still had it like that, after speculation from fans that he’d lost a step or slowed down since he was wrestling a more methodical pace as a heel. Cody Rhodes got to step into the role as the John Cena babyface for a night and get booed in favor of the veteran competitor, and Cena got to soak in the excitement and adulation from the fans who desperately wanted to cheer him on on his retirement tour, while proving he in fact had not lost a step. Magic was made on the night and although Cody picked the belt back up and won the fight, it felt like neither of them really lost in the end because of the story the told and match they delivered in the ring.
#6: John Cena vs Kevin Owens: Champion vs Champion match (Money in the Bank 2015)
This was in the Cena mid card/US Championship era after his big run at the top of the card for years, and this was the era where he arguably had some of his best wrestled matches ever. His rivalry with Kevin Owens is when we saw that new side of John Cena we’d never seen before. His matches with KO were when he first started pulling new moves out of his arsenal and leaving my jaw on the floor because he was doing things I previously didn’t know he was even capable of doing, and I say that as one of the biggest Cena fanboys. He has since said he’s always open to learning more and expanding his horizons and guys like Owens, Styles, Zayn, and I’m sure some others worked with him and taught him some new tricks of the trade from the indies and all their experience wrestling around the world, while I’m sure he extended his olive branch and showed them how to do things in the world of WWE as well on their way up. This rivalry was especially cool for all those reasons; it was THE company guy who had been the household name for a decade at this point vs the almost unknown guy from the indies who had been grinding it out for years just to get to this level and he took his shot at the top guy immediately to get noticed and rise to the top. Classic storytelling done well and brought a whole new side of Cena to life. All great matches, but their 2nd one together is still my favorite.
#5: John Cena vs Shawn Michaels: WWE Championship match (WrestleMania 23)
Another huge matchup and Mania win for a younger John Cena on his meteoric rise to the top. Not that he wasn’t already the top guy in the company by this point, but this felt like another major career milestone to add to the resume. Facing down and beating both members of DX in back-to-back years is a tall task and a true testament to the faith and trust the company was gaining in John by this point. Of course, I loved this match though because it also happens to be between 2 of my favorite wrestlers ever. Say what you want to good or bad about Shawn Michaels, but he ALWAYS delivered at WrestleMania, always. You don’t get the nickname Mr. WrestleMania by accident after all. Shawn brought out the best in Cena on that night, as he did most everyone in his more tempered veteran years, and Cena was up to the challenge and then some as they delivered yet another Mania classic in the main event. I’ve heard this was originally supposed to be a Cena/HHH rematch, but H got hurt before Mania, so they pivoted to this instead. I’m honestly glad this is the way it went down, we had already seen the Cena/HHH Mania match, and I obviously liked it a lot as well, but this was fresh and Shawn brought out another level to Cena and pushed him in a new way.
#4: John Cena vs CM Punk: WWE Championship match (Money in the Bank 2011)
This entire rivalry was the exact rejuvenation that the company needed around 2011 as it had such a real and exciting feel to it. Punk went out on the stage and screamed his truths and frustrations to the WWE universe as a downed John Cena lay in the ring, and it sent an electric shock through the entire wrestling world, but especially WWE. This match in Chicago was basically the culmination of it (shortly after the pipe bomb promo from Punk), and the electric energy and support for Punk in his hometown on that night really made this match. Cena says he sees this as his Yankees/Red Sox rivalry, the corporate Golden Boy getting called out and unlikely beaten by the scrappier, less clean cut, every man’s kind of man. Punk won this one on the night and blew Vince McMahon a kiss as he exited through his hometown crowd a hero and celebrated with his people. This was one of the few times as a younger guy that even at the time I remember feeling entirely okay that Cena lost this match. It felt right for the story and like what needed to happen really and they still delivered a banger match. This rivalry alone was that lightning in a bottle moment that carried Punk into his 434-day title reign and kept his name in people’s mouths for years and years to come.
#3: John Cena vs JBL: I Quit match for WWE Championship (Judgment Day 2005)
Again, say what you want about JBL, I have my opinions in ways as well, but it’s undeniable that he had an irreplaceable part in Cena’s rise in the very beginning. This match was a brutal and bloody affair and one of the more gruesome on Cena’s long resume, but it made him into what he became it felt like in a lot of ways. The Never Quit, Never Give Up, Never Back Down attitude that his character and legacy have become known for were made for him this night it felt like. He took an absolute beating from JBL in this match, fresh off beating him for the title at WrestleMania 21, and was a bloody mess before it was all said and done, but no matter what JBL did to him Cena just refused to quit and kept giving it back to him. I really liked this match as a kid because through all the blood and brutality, this was a true testament to Cena’s heart, toughness, and tenacity and he proved that he deserved to be in the position they were putting him in. This was also one of Cena’s cooler and more memorable entrances to me personally, coming in on the back of a semi blowing its smokestacks with a DJ spinning records and the freshly debuted Spinner title was a pretty neat look if I do say so myself. I watched this one consistently on one of the old Cena DVDs I had back in the day.
#2: John Cena vs AJ Styles: WWE Championship match (Royal Rumble 2017)
This is THE match that I turn to if anyone ever comes with the argument that Cena can’t wrestle. What Cena and AJ were able to deliver together was actually incredible and to this day I think there’s no argument for me that this is Cena’s best wrestled match without a doubt. That’s also in large part due to AJ I know, but it certainly takes 2 to tango and you could tell Cena did his homework and truly wanted to keep up with AJ on that level and create something special any time they stepped into the ring together because they had that level of respect for one another. These 2 had a handful of matches obviously, AJ won a decent bunch of them and every single one of them delivered, but this is still my favorite as a Cena fan as well. It felt like Cena really brought another level this night from an in-ring standpoint because he understood that he had to be polished and near perfect to beat AJ and not just that scrappy fighter he knew how to be. It was smart and easy storytelling that made sense and the match was even better than I could’ve imagined, not to mention this was the night Cena finally picked up that big #16 and tied Ric Flair for the most World Championships of all time. I’m glad that after all the years being the man on their separate companies that these 2 did finally get the chance to wrestle and that when they did, they certainly didn’t disappoint. They over exceeded expectations.
#1: John Cena vs Edge: TLC match for the WWE Championship (Unforgiven 2006)
To this day, Edge is still my favorite rival of John’s, and I have so much nostalgia for these 2. Edge was truly The Joker to Cena’s Batman, and they played the perfect foil to one another. They were exactly what each other needed at this time in 2006 and their rivalry was incredibly fun and entertaining. It helped continue to cement Cena in that main event scene and it brought Edge back up there with him. This is my favorite of their matches (obviously considering I’m saying it’s my favorite Cena match right now), again the energy from the crowd being in Edge’s hometown and knowing this was Edge’s match specialty, the TLC! A match stipulation he hadn’t lost in up to this point either I do believe. Cena was the obvious babyface in the storyline and to most kids and audiences around the world, but it was pretty cool how they set it up to be Edge’s choice of match in Edge’s home turf. Really putting Cena’s back up against the wall but perhaps allowing the slithering heel to feel a little too comfortable with himself and his advantages. Again, seeing Cena thrust into a match type like this was awesome because it was kind of rare (especially at this time) and these 2 brought the house down in the main event that night in an incredible bout. The ending of this match is still one of my favorite, and one of the most insane endings to a match that I’ve ever seen. Cena lifting Edge up on his shoulders on top of a ladder and Attitude Adjusting/FUing him off the ladder and through 2 tables is an insanely crazy bump to take for Edge and it truly showed how far their rivalry had come up to that point and the lengths Cena was willing to go to to rid himself of this guy.
That’s all for this one though folks. I will be sadly locked into the screen with all of you this weekend as well as I watch John Cena walk to the ring to face Gunther for his final match. It still feels surreal to me, like it hasn’t set in that he’ll actually be gone and done wrestling because he’s always wrestled in some capacity for as long as I’ve been watching wrestling so when it all really hits me it’s going to be very sad. John Cena was one of those positive inspirations and role models growing up that I look at still with a certain light in my eyes and have so much admiration for. I attribute him along with a few other role models growing up for some of my positive mental qualities and work ethic in ways, so he really does mean something on a deeper level for me like that. I haven’t hardly had any fandoms in my life as strong as my John Cena fandom as a kid, so another chapter is truly closing. For everything he’s done for the business through the good and bad times and the incredible career he’s had though, Thank you Cena. Let’s do it one more time this weekend!
