In the wrestling business, John Cena has etched his name in the history books as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Throughout his wrestling career, he has feuded with some of the biggest stars in the company.
The Leader of the Cenation has been wrestling since 1999. Throughout his career spanning over two decades, he has accomplished a lot. He has won two Royal Rumble matches and has captured the WWE World Championship an astonishing 16 times.
Let’s take a look at some of John Cena‘s greatest rivalries.
Birth of the Ruthless Aggression Era
John Cena’s debut match in WWE was against Kurt Angle. The Olympic Gold Medalist had issued an open challenge and that was answered by the Cenation leader. It is also to be noted that the first person to force Cena to tap out is Angle. Out of the four times the 16-time World Champion had tapped out, Angle has forced him to submit twice.
The two have battled each other in singles competitions, tag team matches, and multi-men elimination style matches. The majority of the times the two wrestled in one-on-one matches, the Olympic Gold Medalist had mostly picked up the victory.
The last time the two stars faced each other in one-on-one action was a First Blood match. Kurt Angle was the one to pick up the win then as well.
John Cena taking on the Wrestling God
The Cenation leader is without a doubt a G.O.A.T in pro wrestling. He became one of the top names in the industry only after his rivalry with John Bradshaw Layfield. It all began after the self-proclaimed Wrestling God helped his protege Orlando Jordan dethrone Cena to capture the United States Championship.
An irate Cena wanted to get his revenge against JBL. Thus, he challenged him to a one-on-one match at the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania 21. The match was also for the WWE title. The Cenation Leader put on a tough fight and also won the match and his first-ever World Championship.
The two have competed against each other in one-on-one competition a total of seven times out of which Cena has won an astounding six times.
Growth of the Rated-R Superstar
Just like how JBL elevated the career of the 16-time WWE World Champion, feuding with John Cena established Edge as a top star in the Stamford-based promotion.
The Rated-R Superstar cashed in his Money In The Bank contract against John Cena at the New Year’s Revolution PLE in 2006. Edge defeated Cena to capture his first WWE World Championship. Over the next four years, both fought each other in singles and tag matches.
John Cena vs. CM Punk
Probably the biggest rivalry in Cena’s illustrious career was against CM Punk. The two stars wrestled each other for a span of four years dating from the year 2010 to 2013.
One of the most iconic matches between the two came at the 2011 Money In The Bank PLE. This match came right after the infamous ‘pipebomb’ promo segment. It was for the WWE title and the Second City Saint dethroned Cena.
The last time the two stars wrestled each other was on an episode of Monday Night Raw in 2013. The winner of the match would earn a shot at the WWE Title at WrestleMania. The Cenation Leader picked up the win and went to challenge The Rock at the grand stage.
Battling The Great One
Cena’s greatest rival is probably The Rock. Although the two wrestling giants only faced each other on a couple of occasions, the rivalry lasted for nearly two years. After The Great One left WWE and made it big in Hollywood, the Cenation Leader took some shots at Rock for betraying the Stamford-based promotion.
This did not sit well with The Great One and when he showed up as the host of WrestleMania 27 he finally gave his reply. The rivalry grew and both John Cena and The Rock agreed to wrestle each other for the first time ever at WrestleMania 28.
The Great One defeated Cena on the grand stage. Exactly a year later the two stars fought each other once more. This time around it was for the WWE Championship. The Cenation Leader managed to overcome the odds and finally pinned The Rock, ending their rivalry in the process.
The 16-time World Champion recently made a return to the Stamford-based promotion. Only time will tell if Cena manages to build another iconic feud with one of the current stars.
Read More: The Rock’s Greatest Feuds
What is your favorite rivalry involving John Cena? Let us know in the comments section below.
