John Cena: Greatest Hits
The Leader of the Cenation is a figure of controversy as around 75% of the fanbase hates him and the rest adore him. I personally enjoy his in-ring work and he can have a great match with just about anyone. His character is boring and SuperCena is an absolute pain in the ass, but we've had some classic matches thanks to the man and here they are.
John Cena vs Kurt Angle
From Smackdown June 27th 2002 and this is Cena's in-ring debut for the WWE. Kurt Angle came out to challenge anyone in the locker room to a match with him, and newcomer John Cena answered the challenge with his 'ruthless aggression'. Cena's ring attire looks ridiculous on him. Thank God he found his look a few months later. A short, fun, fast-paced match in which Cena looked fantastic. He took Angle to the limit in five minutes and looked like a future star. A superb debut. ***
John Cena vs Chris Jericho
From Vengeance 2002. Here we have Cena's PPV debut against a man he'd face many more times in the future on PPV. Jericho says in his book that he was originally meant to win, but he convinced Vince to change the outcome because he saw something in Cena. Boy can Jericho pick 'em or what? A short match but it was fun while it lasted and Cena looked good once again thanks to Y2J. **1/2
John Cena vs Brock Lesnar
From Backlash 2003 and the WWE Title is on the line. Cena's first shot at the big Title and definitely not his last. Always fun to see a heel Cena and he was finally in his thuganomics gimmick that made him. It seems weird to say this now, but I think Cena was pushed way too quickly at this point, as he wasn't ready for the top yet. Lesnar wasn't very good as a face either. Sounds strange to hear the guys in the crowd chant for Cena. Pretty good match here, but it wasn't anything special and even had some sloppy moments although that should be expected from guys who had only been in the company for around a year. **1/2
John Cena vs The Undertaker
From Vengeance 2003. Funny how ten years later this is considered a big dream match for Wrestlemania (Well it was until Taker's streak ended). Cena would eventually get a win over Taker on Smackdown, but it definitely would have meant more if he had done it on PPV. Well I think the kid has done well for himself, so it didn't affect him too much. Cena did look good against the Deadman, and looked to be a match for him. Very good contest that made both guys look good. ***1/4
John Cena vs Kurt Angle
From No Mercy 2003. This was just before Cena would turn face and his career would begin its rise to the top. This match was based on respect and some funny rap battles between the two. Cena got quite a face reaction here. Cena still seemed a little inexperienced here, but Angle still managed to pull a great match out of him, and made him look good in the process. It looked like Angle hurt his neck on that powerbomb in the corner. Angle kicked out of the FU, and barely anyone gets to do that now. Great match here and the best match Cena's career to this point. ***3/4
John Cena vs The Big Show
From Wrestlemania XX and the US Title is on the line. It's so odd to see Cena opening up a Wrestlemania. That'll never happen again. I think this was Show's third Title defense since he won it six months previously. The match wasn't that great with Show's boring offense but Cena's comebacks were fun to watch and it was a nice moment to see him win his first singles Championship. An entertaining bout. **
John Cena vs Rene Dupree vs Booker T vs Rob Van Dam
From the Great American Bash 2004 and the US Title is on the line. Elimination rules apply here. This one takes me back in time as I remember sitting up to watch this live when I was only 9 years old. It's a shame that RVD was eliminated first as I wanted the final two to be him vs Cena. Guess I'd need to wait until 2006. Rene Dupree was out next after an F-U. A fun fatal four way while it lasted as Cena retains with another F-U **3/4
John Cena vs Kurt Angle
From No Way Out 2005. The winner faces the WWE Champion at Wrestlemania. It did seem obvious that Cena would come out with the win here, but they still went out there and put on a great back and forth contest that made Cena look like a star. They were given around twenty minutes and they used that time very well. Just as good, if not better than the No Mercy match a year and a half earlier. Cena gets his biggest win up until that point in his career. ***3/4
John Cena vs JBL
From Wrestlemania 21 and the WWE Title is on the line. As far as match quality goes, this is probably the worst one on the entire list, but it's quite possible the biggest win of Cena's entire career. JBL had control during most of the match and it was very dull, but it was fun when Cena finally got his comeback. Cena hits the F-U to win the WWE Championship for the first time. *1/4
John Cena vs JBL : I Quit
From Judgment Day 2005. The expectations weren't that high for this one since their Wrestlemania match was so boring, but without a doubt they definitely exceeded any and all expectations with this bloody brawl. Cena's blade job was sick (although overshadowed by Eddie Guerrero's the previous year, also caused by JBL) and one of the worst I've seen. One hell of a brawl and one of the better WWE I Quit matches I've seen. Cena had truly arrived at the big time and looked like a warrior at the end. One of the most brutal matches in WWE history. ****1/4
John Cena vs Chris Jericho vs Christian
From Vengeance 2005 and the WWE Title is on the line. Cena's first PPV as a Raw superstar. Also this might have been Christian's only shot at the WWE Title but I'm not too sure about that. Jericho had also reverted back to a heel by this point. A great triple threat match that was a lot of fun from start to finish, and it looked as if Christian was going to steal the Title a few times. Cena managed to get himself a nice win over a couple of established stars here. ***3/4
John Cena vs Chris Jericho
From Summerslam 2005 and the WWE Title is on the line. This would end up being Jericho's final PPV match until Armageddon 07. This was also the first PPV in which Cena was booed by about half the audience, something that would continue almost ten years later, so I guess you could call that quite a big moment for him. These guys had a nice back and forth match and Jericho made Cena look like a star. Great stuff. ***3/4
John Cena vs Kurt Angle vs Shawn Michaels
From Taboo Tuesday 2005 and the WWE Title is on the line. It was Cena vs Angle and the fans had to pick the third man with the other two choices being Big Show and Kane. Cena fought Angle a lot during 2005 and HBK would go on to become one of his greatest opponents. I think if this had been given an extra ten minutes it could have been an absolute classic, but what we got was awesome. Such a fun triple threat with non-stop action throughout and some great false finishes. With wrestlers like HBK and Angle, how can anything go wrong? Fantastic match. ****1/4
John Cena vs Triple H
From Wrestlemania 22. For almost the entirety of 2005, Cena was treated like a huge star, but in my opinion this is the match that made him 'the man'. I think this was the first time that the crowd truly turned on Cena. He'd been booed before, but nothing on this scale with the fans chanting 'fuck you Cena' (well just wait for a few months and it'll be beaten quite easily). Harsh. Still this was a great match that had a big match feel to it and was entertaining all the way through. Both guys came out looking good and Cena had indeed become a superstar. ****
John Cena vs Edge vs Triple H
From Backlash 2006 and the WWE Title is on the line. Quite the star-studded bout here. This was pretty unpredictable as it would have made sense for any of the three guys to come out as Champion. Cena and HHH's contest of hitting Edge's head off the announce table was a funny moment. HHH took a nasty blade job during the contest. A superb triple threat match that was a ton of fun and you never knew who would end up winning with a few false finishes. Brilliant match that made everyone look good. ****
John Cena vs Rob Van Dam
From One Night Stand 2006 and the WWE Title is on the line. Cena has faced some harsh crowds over the years, but nothing will ever compare to this ECW crowd. They threw toilet paper into the ring and had some flattering chants such as 'Cena swallows' and 'fuck you Cena'. The match itself was a lot of fun and the crowd made it even better. We even got to see Cena acting like a heel which was a bit of a treat. The roof was blown off the place when RVD pinned Cena to win the Championship. A great moment. ***3/4
John Cena vs Edge : TLC Match
From Unforgiven 2006, and if Cena loses, he can never wrestle on Raw again. Also the WWE Title is on the line. Edge was in his hometown, so naturally he was cheered like a hero and Cena was booed by about 96% of the audience. An awesome TLC match here, and possibly the best one on one TLC bout. The spots were great, including the finish with Edge given an F-U through two tables. It looked amazing. Fantastic match and one of the best for both guys. ****1/2
John Cena vs Umaga : Last Man Standing
From Royal Rumble 2007 and the WWE Title is on the line. At New Year's Revolution these two had a damn good match, but with a match that had no rules they put on a show stealing performance. This is easily Umaga's best match during his time in WWE, and it was a sign that Cena could wrestle and put on a great match. An awesome no holds barred style of match, and Cena managed to pick up the win and still made Umaga look strong in the process, since he had to be made to pass out with the ring ropes around his throat. Great stuff here and one of the best Last Man Standing matches I've seen. ****1/2
John Cena vs Shawn Michaels
From Wrestlemania 23 and the WWE Title is on the line. This was originally meant to be Cena vs HHH, but HHH had torn his quad again, so HBK was his replacement and I actually think that that was the better choice. Cena had yet another star-making performance with Mr Wrestlemania. The piledriver onto the steps looked brutal. The finish was really exciting with nearfalls from both guys, finishers and a close small package from HBK. An awesome match that is a little underrated in my eyes. ****1/2
John Cena vs Shawn Michaels vs Edge vs Randy Orton
From Backlash 2007 and the WWE Title is on the line. This was only six days after Cena and HBK had one of the best TV matches ever, and it helped to build up to this bout. This is easily one of the better fatal four ways in WWE history. One of the great things about it is that it was unpredictable, as all guys looked to have a chance of winning it. This was just non-stop action from beginning to end and it never became dull. I loved the finish with Shawn superkicking Cena onto an unconcious Orton that managed to give Cena the pinfall victory and retain the Title. Great stuff. ****
John Cena vs Bobby Lashley vs Mick Foley vs King Booker vs Randy Orton
From Vengeance 2007. I have no idea how this challenge match for the WWE Title was made. Cena never really had feud with any of these guys before this match and only feuded with Lashley and Orton afterwards. This probably should have been an elimination match, as I think it would have made more sense and made it more entertaining. This should have been given much more than fifteen minutes, as it was a ton of fun while it lasted. Just an entertaining, chaotic match here, where everyone got a chance to show their stuff. ***1/2
John Cena vs Bobby Lashley
From the Great American Bash 2007 and the WWE Title is on the line. Lashley was almost out the door as I guess he realised that he just wasn't very good and he would try his luck elsewhere. However, Cena managed to get his best (and only great) match out of him here. Cena made Lashley look his equal in the ring and made him look awesome. He even got to kick out of an F-U. This was shorter than most main event matches but it was just power vs power and it was a lot of fun to watch. Great match. ***3/4
John Cena vs Randy Orton
From Summerslam 2007. This is the first time these two guys have went one on one at a PPV and the first time they have fought for the WWE Title and would fight for it multiple times in the future (felt like dozens and it probably was). They would also fight two years later at the 2009 Summerslam, just with a different result except that that match sucked. Great match and quite possibly their best with one another as Cena made Orton look like a star for the first time in a while. Cena hits the FU to retain. ****
The 2008 Royal Rumble Match
MSG is a great place for a Rumble, as the placement of the entrance area means that the camera can stay on the action in the ring, while a superstar is coming out. I loved the beginning of the match as it started with the last two entrants of the 2007 Rumble: Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Once again they showed their amazing chemistry and put on an entertaining show while the first few entrants arrived. Seeing Taker and Batista stare each other down after a year long rivalry was pretty awesome. They continued the Jamie Noble vs Chuck Palumbo feud here (I don't remember it either). Seems pretty small-time for the Rumble. One of my favourite Rumble moments is the surprise entries of Jimmy Snuka and Roddy Piper. Sure they couldn't work properly but it was a ton of fun. Although what everyone remembers from this match is the very surprising entry and return of John Cena who was meant to be out for another few months. He seems to have a habit of doing that. The final two of HHH and Cena was fantastic, and you didn't know who was going to win. One of my personal favourite Rumble's and overall I would say that it's great. It was never really boring and reached a fever pitch towards the finish. ****
John Cena vs Triple H
From Night of Champions 2008. Their first singles match together since Wrestlemania 22, so this one was highly anticipated. This time HHH was the champ and both guys were faces. This had a big match feel throughout and it definitely lived up to the expectation with a classic main event-style match with nearfalls and false finishes. A great match that made both guys look great in the end and put the score at 1-1. ****
John Cena vs Batista
From Summerslam 2008. This was a pretty huge match at the time, since these were two of the biggest names in the WWE, and yet they had never really had any fights, except for the ending of the 2005 Rumble. They showed with this match that they had great chemistry together, and would go on to have a good feud in 2010 as well. Batista did injure Cena here though and put him out of action for a few months. Still it was an excellent power against power contest. ****
John Cena vs Chris Jericho
From Survivor Series 2008 and the World Title is on the line. Cena is making his return after being injured by Batista, and what a way to do it as it takes place in his home of Boston. He got a good reaction from the audience. It started off slow but once Cena got his comeback it became a lot of fun. Jericho kept countering Cena's offense and Cena kept fighting through to finally win the World Title. A good match and a nice moment for Cena. ***1/4
John Cena vs Edge vs The Big Show
From Wrestlemania 25 and the World Title is on the line. These guys had the unfortunate position of having to follow up Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels, but they did a great job of keeping the crowd interested in the match. It probably should have been just Cena vs Edge, but we still got a great match out of it. Cena has a Wrestlemania moment as he manages to lift Show and Edge at the same time which looked incredible. Fun triple threat match that was never boring. ***1/2
John Cena vs Edge : Last Man Standing
From Backlash 2009 and the World Title is on the line. I liked that these guys used their history together for the storyline, with the fact that Edge could never keep Cena down. Edge absolutely hated Cena for that. This is the last PPV match these guys would have together. The story of the match was great with both guys knowing each others moveset, and having to resort to different tactics to win. Edge even broke out a sharpshooter. The AA into the audience was insane. The finish with Cena going into the stage spotlight was awesome, but unfortunately started the boring Cena/Big Show feud that no one wanted. Probably the best Last Man Standing match since Fully Loaded 2000 and a great culmination of an awesome feud. ****1/4
John Cena vs Randy Orton : I Quit
From Breaking Point 2009 and the WWE Title is on the line. This one was a little unpredictable, because it was hard to imagine either guy saying 'I quit'. This had a slower pace to it, but it managed to work that pace to its advantage. Orton hitting Cena with the kendo sticks was hard to watch, especially with the welts shown on Cena's ribs. Great match and a great visual to end the match as Orton quits to the STF as his own arm is being used to put him through pain. ***3/4
John Cena vs Randy Orton : 60 Minute Iron Man
From Bragging Rights 2009 and the WWE Title is on the line. Anything goes and Falls Count Anywhere. I think the thought of these two guys getting sixty minutes for one match would have given most smarks nightmares for weeks. It turns out that they can do well with that amount of time. This started off well enough with standard wrestling but it went into a bit of a lull in the middle when Orton had most of the offense, although there was a cool moment where he tried to kill Cena with fireworks. It got much better when the timer was almost up and you didn't know who was going to win. A perfectly good Iron Man match in my books. ***3/4
John Cena vs Triple H vs Shawn Michaels
From Survivor Series 2009. I originally thought that DX would team together to try and take out Cena and failing as SuperCena emerged, but thankfully they went a whole different route with it. HBK's sudden superkick to HHH was amazing and totally unexpected. The rest of the match was a ton of fun with many nearfalls and false finishes to keep things exciting. One of my favourite triple threat matches that's worth watching over and over again. ****
John Cena vs Batista
From Wrestlemania XXVI and the WWE Title is on the line. Quite the highly anticipated match as they had only fought once at Summerslam, so a rematch sounded like a lot of fun. This was similiar to their previous match as they hit most of their signature moves and power moves, and it was a lot of fun to watch. I think everyone knew that Cena was winning here but I don't know if anyone expected Batista to tap out to end the match. A great, fun power match. ***3/4
John Cena vs Batista : Last Man Standing
From Extreme Rules 2010 and the WWE Title is on the line. A lot of people hate the ending of this match as Cena wraps Batista's feet with tape, but it does make Batista look pretty powerful since Cena couldn't keep him down, plus SuperCena really didn't need to look any tougher. This one did start off quite slowly, but it picked up once the weapons were brought into play. The AA through the table looked awesome and I can't believe Batista managed to get up from it. A great match that was very exciting towards the end. ***3/4
Team WWE vs The Nexus
From Summerslam 2010. This marks Bryan's first WWE PPV appearance, as he was stupidly fired for strangling Justin Roberts on TV. This was also Bret Hart's first Summerslam match since facing the Undertaker in 1997. Bryan received a nice pop from the crowd and looked great during the match as he was only eliminated by nefarious means, and got a couple of eliminations himself. The crowd was hot for this one thanks to the great build-up leading up to it. A tremendous tag team match, even if it ruined the Nexus in the long run due to SuperCena making an appearance. But hey, at least Cena looked good. ****1/4
I don't think we need to hear anymore about Cena and the Nexus.
John Cena vs John Morrison vs The Miz : Steel Cage
From Extreme Rules 2011 and the WWE Title is on the line. R-Truth was originally in Morrison's place but he was taken out and became the awesome heel character that I truly miss. Cena and Morrison gave Miz a double suplex from the top of the cage and it looked as if Miz landed badly on his neck. Morrison really impressed here and I'm surprised that he was back to the mid-card after this. A great cage match that was entertaining from start to finish. Even Truth's interference was well done. Great stuff as Cena wins his WWE Title back. ***3/4
John Cena vs CM Punk
From Money in the Bank 2011 and the WWE Title is on the line. What can I say about this match that hasn't already been said? It's one of those matches where you need to have the volume turned way up to enjoy it even more, due to the awesome crowd. One of the best WWE Title matches of all time and one of the best matches of the entire decade. Sadly the impact of the storyline was lost once HHH decided to ruin it himself. Still this will be a match that can be enjoyed for years to come and if you haven't seen it, find it right now. *****
John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio
From Night of Champions 2011 and the WWE Title is on the line. Del Rio had only just won the Championship at Summerslam, so it looked unlikely that he would lose the Title here, but for some reason he did. What makes it worse is that he won it back two weeks later so this Title change didn't really make any sense. Still it was a fun back and forth match, and Cena wins yet another WWE Championship. ***1/2
John Cena vs The Rock
From Wrestlemania XXVIII. I think the Once in a Lifetime tagline can now be ripped from this. I don't think the fact that these guys have had more that one match detracts from this one at all. It still has a huge match feel to it and these guys managed to make the match entertaining for the entire half hour. It had a slow build that made the finishing sequence exciting and you could never tell who was going to come away with the huge victory. A Wrestlemania classic for sure. One of the biggest matches in wrestling history. ****1/2
John Cena vs Brock Lesnar : Extreme Rules
From Extreme Rules 2012. It had been eight years since Lesnar had been in the WWE, so it was exciting to see him back again. Everyone was wondering what the match would be like since it was Lesnar's first in a long time, but I don't think anyone was prepared for what we got. The whole match felt real, as if it was a shoot fight. Every move looked painful (yes even the AA) and the first ten seconds gave us one of wrestling's most shocking moments when Brock legitimately busted Cena open. Cena winning is still dumb and I still don't know why they went with it. Still apart from a dumb booking decision this is a must see battle. ****3/4
John Cena vs Chris Jericho vs Kane vs The Big Show vs The Miz
From Money in the Bank 2012. This is the least amount of guys in a MITB match so far. The Miz was a nice surprise contestant. The match didn't look very promising on paper, but it definitely surprised everyone, as it was a pretty great ladder match. There was no way that Cena was losing here though and that did hinder the match a bit, but it was still fun. Nice to see the return of Show's huge ladder. This one wasn't filled with big spots like other MITB matches, but that's what makes it nice and unique. It's nice to see a MITB match that's filled with a little more story than the others. Overall a great match. ***3/4
CM Punk vs John Cena
From Night of Champions 2012 and the WWE Title is on the line. In my opinion, this should have been one of the main events of Summerslam, but unfortunately Lesnar/HHH wasn't allowed to be upstaged. Cena was in his hometown and was still being booed. As expected, these guys gave us another awesome match, and I didn't even mind the cop out ending the match was that good. They've had better, but I don't think we'll ever get enough of seeing Punk and Cena go one on one. ****1/2
The 2013 Royal Rumble Match
I wasn't sure if this would be the main event or not, but this was probably the right placement for it. It started with a huge bang as Y2J made his unexpected return in an awesome moment. I have to commend Ziggler for lasting almost the whole match as well. Very few surprise entrants here, as Jericho, Goldust and The Godfather also returned , although Godfather only lasted about 2 seconds. I was disappointed that Cena won at the time but looking back he was the only likely winner. A fun Rumble. ***3/4
John Cena vs The Rock
From Wrestlemania XXIX and the WWE Title is on the line. The slammy award winner for Match of the Year. I wouldn't agree with that, but it's a phony award so it doesn't really matter. I've said in the past that I seem to have a guilty pleasure with this and the original, and that still holds true: I love this match. People complain about the slow start, but I think it builds well to the finisher fest towards the end. Ok it was quite boring at times to start with, but it did get much better as it went on. Cena hits a third AA to win the Title. Awesome match. ****
John Cena vs Ryback : 3 Stages of Hell
From Payback 2013 and the WWE Title is on the line. The first stage is a lumberjack match, the second is a tables match, and the final stage is an ambulance match. Their match at Extreme Rules was a great one, but I don't think anyone was really excited for a rematch, especially when it was first announced as just an ambulance match. Thankfully they changed it to a match that sounded a bit more interesting. Ryback looked impressive after the first fall as he pinned Cena clean in the middle of the ring. Cena wins the second fall with an AA through a table. Cena wins the third fall with an AA through the ambulance. Overall this was fun and a lot better than expected. A good way to end the show. ***1/2
John Cena vs Daniel Bryan
From Summerslam 2013 and the WWE Title is on the line. I feel so bad for not calling this the Match of the Year, but it definitely deserves like a runner up prize or a very honourable mention. What can I say about this match that hasn't already been said? This was Bryan's moment in the sun and he went over Cena completely cleanly and made himself a huge star in the process. It definitely helps that this was an amazing back and forth battle that felt like a war was being waged. Fantastic match and a fantastic moment as Bryan wins his first WWE Title, even if it was ruined by Orton. One of Cena's greatest matches as well. *****
John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio
From Hell in a Cell 2013 and the World Title is on the line. Poor Del Rio wasn't given a chance in hell of winning this one. Cena was making his return after missing two months of action, when he was actually supposed to miss six months. That's SuperCena for you. At the time I was expecting more of a squash, but this was a good match and Del Rio looked pretty good coming out of it. Unsurprisingly, Cena hits the AA to win the World Title. ***1/4
John Cena vs Bray Wyatt
From Wrestlemania XXX. The Wyatt Family's entrance was fantastic and will go down as one of the coolest entrances in WWE history. The match itself was great. Bray was brilliant in his role trying to corrupt Cena by making him burst out in anger. Bray's spider walk was creepy as hell and awesome beyond belief. I have to question Cena beating a fast-rising star but the Wyatt's are still doing ok so I don't think it affected them too much. Still at least it was a great match. ***1/2
Bonus TV Matches
John Cena vs CM Punk
From Raw February 25th 2013 and the winner faces The Rock at Wrestlemania for the WWE Title. Until Summerslam this was my Match of the Year for 2013, and I wanted to see if it still holds up. Well I can tell you that it most certainly does. These guys showed their amazing chemistry in front of an audience that was absolutely hot for it. MITB will always be their best match, but this comes scarily close to exceeding that match. Punk even broke out a freaking piledriver! I'll bet he got in trouble for that one. An absolutely stunning match with great nearfalls and fantastic action from start to finish. In my opinion this is the best match in Raw history. *****
John Cena vs Seth Rollins
From Smackdown December 27th 2013. The other two members of the Shield had already been in matches earlier in the night, and now Rollins had to take on his toughest opponent yet. I know that Cena is known for burying talent, but he made Rollins look like a million bucks and gave him his best singles match yet in an awesome back and forth encounter. I hope we'll see a rematch at some point. Check this one out. ****
John Cena vs Cesaro
From Raw February 17th 2014. When this match was announced at the start of the night, I was excited to see these two going at it. I got way more than I expected as this ended up being a fantastic match that was a star-making performance for Cesaro and it showed off his awesome strength. He may have lost in the end, but Cesaro has been slowly making his way to the top of the WWE ever since. An awesome match overall. ****1/4
Team WWE vs The Nexus
From Summerslam 2010. This marks Bryan's first WWE PPV appearance, as he was stupidly fired for strangling Justin Roberts on TV. This was also Bret Hart's first Summerslam match since facing the Undertaker in 1997. Bryan received a nice pop from the crowd and looked great during the match as he was only eliminated by nefarious means, and got a couple of eliminations himself. The crowd was hot for this one thanks to the great build-up leading up to it. A tremendous tag team match, even if it ruined the Nexus in the long run due to SuperCena making an appearance. But hey, at least Cena looked good. ****1/4
I don't think we need to hear anymore about Cena and the Nexus.
John Cena vs John Morrison vs The Miz : Steel Cage
From Extreme Rules 2011 and the WWE Title is on the line. R-Truth was originally in Morrison's place but he was taken out and became the awesome heel character that I truly miss. Cena and Morrison gave Miz a double suplex from the top of the cage and it looked as if Miz landed badly on his neck. Morrison really impressed here and I'm surprised that he was back to the mid-card after this. A great cage match that was entertaining from start to finish. Even Truth's interference was well done. Great stuff as Cena wins his WWE Title back. ***3/4
John Cena vs CM Punk
From Money in the Bank 2011 and the WWE Title is on the line. What can I say about this match that hasn't already been said? It's one of those matches where you need to have the volume turned way up to enjoy it even more, due to the awesome crowd. One of the best WWE Title matches of all time and one of the best matches of the entire decade. Sadly the impact of the storyline was lost once HHH decided to ruin it himself. Still this will be a match that can be enjoyed for years to come and if you haven't seen it, find it right now. *****
John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio
From Night of Champions 2011 and the WWE Title is on the line. Del Rio had only just won the Championship at Summerslam, so it looked unlikely that he would lose the Title here, but for some reason he did. What makes it worse is that he won it back two weeks later so this Title change didn't really make any sense. Still it was a fun back and forth match, and Cena wins yet another WWE Championship. ***1/2
John Cena vs The Rock
From Wrestlemania XXVIII. I think the Once in a Lifetime tagline can now be ripped from this. I don't think the fact that these guys have had more that one match detracts from this one at all. It still has a huge match feel to it and these guys managed to make the match entertaining for the entire half hour. It had a slow build that made the finishing sequence exciting and you could never tell who was going to come away with the huge victory. A Wrestlemania classic for sure. One of the biggest matches in wrestling history. ****1/2
John Cena vs Brock Lesnar : Extreme Rules
From Extreme Rules 2012. It had been eight years since Lesnar had been in the WWE, so it was exciting to see him back again. Everyone was wondering what the match would be like since it was Lesnar's first in a long time, but I don't think anyone was prepared for what we got. The whole match felt real, as if it was a shoot fight. Every move looked painful (yes even the AA) and the first ten seconds gave us one of wrestling's most shocking moments when Brock legitimately busted Cena open. Cena winning is still dumb and I still don't know why they went with it. Still apart from a dumb booking decision this is a must see battle. ****3/4
John Cena vs Chris Jericho vs Kane vs The Big Show vs The Miz
From Money in the Bank 2012. This is the least amount of guys in a MITB match so far. The Miz was a nice surprise contestant. The match didn't look very promising on paper, but it definitely surprised everyone, as it was a pretty great ladder match. There was no way that Cena was losing here though and that did hinder the match a bit, but it was still fun. Nice to see the return of Show's huge ladder. This one wasn't filled with big spots like other MITB matches, but that's what makes it nice and unique. It's nice to see a MITB match that's filled with a little more story than the others. Overall a great match. ***3/4
CM Punk vs John Cena
From Night of Champions 2012 and the WWE Title is on the line. In my opinion, this should have been one of the main events of Summerslam, but unfortunately Lesnar/HHH wasn't allowed to be upstaged. Cena was in his hometown and was still being booed. As expected, these guys gave us another awesome match, and I didn't even mind the cop out ending the match was that good. They've had better, but I don't think we'll ever get enough of seeing Punk and Cena go one on one. ****1/2
The 2013 Royal Rumble Match
I wasn't sure if this would be the main event or not, but this was probably the right placement for it. It started with a huge bang as Y2J made his unexpected return in an awesome moment. I have to commend Ziggler for lasting almost the whole match as well. Very few surprise entrants here, as Jericho, Goldust and The Godfather also returned , although Godfather only lasted about 2 seconds. I was disappointed that Cena won at the time but looking back he was the only likely winner. A fun Rumble. ***3/4
John Cena vs The Rock
From Wrestlemania XXIX and the WWE Title is on the line. The slammy award winner for Match of the Year. I wouldn't agree with that, but it's a phony award so it doesn't really matter. I've said in the past that I seem to have a guilty pleasure with this and the original, and that still holds true: I love this match. People complain about the slow start, but I think it builds well to the finisher fest towards the end. Ok it was quite boring at times to start with, but it did get much better as it went on. Cena hits a third AA to win the Title. Awesome match. ****
John Cena vs Ryback : 3 Stages of Hell
From Payback 2013 and the WWE Title is on the line. The first stage is a lumberjack match, the second is a tables match, and the final stage is an ambulance match. Their match at Extreme Rules was a great one, but I don't think anyone was really excited for a rematch, especially when it was first announced as just an ambulance match. Thankfully they changed it to a match that sounded a bit more interesting. Ryback looked impressive after the first fall as he pinned Cena clean in the middle of the ring. Cena wins the second fall with an AA through a table. Cena wins the third fall with an AA through the ambulance. Overall this was fun and a lot better than expected. A good way to end the show. ***1/2
John Cena vs Daniel Bryan
From Summerslam 2013 and the WWE Title is on the line. I feel so bad for not calling this the Match of the Year, but it definitely deserves like a runner up prize or a very honourable mention. What can I say about this match that hasn't already been said? This was Bryan's moment in the sun and he went over Cena completely cleanly and made himself a huge star in the process. It definitely helps that this was an amazing back and forth battle that felt like a war was being waged. Fantastic match and a fantastic moment as Bryan wins his first WWE Title, even if it was ruined by Orton. One of Cena's greatest matches as well. *****
John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio
From Hell in a Cell 2013 and the World Title is on the line. Poor Del Rio wasn't given a chance in hell of winning this one. Cena was making his return after missing two months of action, when he was actually supposed to miss six months. That's SuperCena for you. At the time I was expecting more of a squash, but this was a good match and Del Rio looked pretty good coming out of it. Unsurprisingly, Cena hits the AA to win the World Title. ***1/4
John Cena vs Bray Wyatt
From Wrestlemania XXX. The Wyatt Family's entrance was fantastic and will go down as one of the coolest entrances in WWE history. The match itself was great. Bray was brilliant in his role trying to corrupt Cena by making him burst out in anger. Bray's spider walk was creepy as hell and awesome beyond belief. I have to question Cena beating a fast-rising star but the Wyatt's are still doing ok so I don't think it affected them too much. Still at least it was a great match. ***1/2
Bonus TV Matches
John Cena vs CM Punk
From Raw February 25th 2013 and the winner faces The Rock at Wrestlemania for the WWE Title. Until Summerslam this was my Match of the Year for 2013, and I wanted to see if it still holds up. Well I can tell you that it most certainly does. These guys showed their amazing chemistry in front of an audience that was absolutely hot for it. MITB will always be their best match, but this comes scarily close to exceeding that match. Punk even broke out a freaking piledriver! I'll bet he got in trouble for that one. An absolutely stunning match with great nearfalls and fantastic action from start to finish. In my opinion this is the best match in Raw history. *****
John Cena vs Seth Rollins
From Smackdown December 27th 2013. The other two members of the Shield had already been in matches earlier in the night, and now Rollins had to take on his toughest opponent yet. I know that Cena is known for burying talent, but he made Rollins look like a million bucks and gave him his best singles match yet in an awesome back and forth encounter. I hope we'll see a rematch at some point. Check this one out. ****
John Cena vs Cesaro
From Raw February 17th 2014. When this match was announced at the start of the night, I was excited to see these two going at it. I got way more than I expected as this ended up being a fantastic match that was a star-making performance for Cesaro and it showed off his awesome strength. He may have lost in the end, but Cesaro has been slowly making his way to the top of the WWE ever since. An awesome match overall. ****1/4
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