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John Cena had been the face of WWE for almost 20 years before he decided to take a step back and focus on his acting career. Throughout his career, he has always been a pulverising figure, with fans either loving or hating Cena. Nonetheless, it is undeniable that John seems like a decent bloke outside the ring, with his endless work with charities like the Make-a-Wish foundation.
Besides that, regardless of whatever fans feel about him, Cena has been involved in some of the best rivalries of the modern era. He has gone toe-to-toe with almost everybody worth their weight in gold during his WWE career.
It seems like a perfect time to sit back and take stock of Cena’s illustrious career, as he will now be seen on a part-time basis. Still, he continues to give fans the very best version of himself whenever he does appear.
The WWE Universe last saw Cena at WrestleMania 36, as he was involved in the highly regarded Firefly Funhouse match against Bray Wyatt. But while that rivalry was entertaining, it still didn’t compare to these.
John Cena vs Edge
There aren’t many modern rivalries that can live up to the John Cena/Edge feud. The superstars were polar opposites, and that’s what ensured that it worked so well. Every championship reign needs the perfect advisory, and in Edge, Cena had his.
Almost the entirety of the pay-per-views that year were headlined by the superstars, and the fans couldn’t have been more interested in both stars. The rivalry began at New Year’s Revolution as Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on a battered and bruised Cena, and from there they were able to sell an enchanting story.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have a match at that year’s WrestleMania as Cena faced Triple H. Instead, they rekindled their rivalry at SummerSlam later in the year, with the pinnacle of the rivalry coming at Unforgiven in September of the same year. Cena won that match after delivering an AA from the top of the ladder.
John Cena vs CM Punk
WWE constantly teased with the idea of embarking on a rivalry between CM Punk and John Cena with matches on Raw, and they eventually decided to pull the trigger on it in the build-up to Money in the Bank in 2011. The story that the two told in the build-up to their match ensured that the eyes of the world were on them, with Punk’s infamous ‘pipe bomb’ being the obvious example of the high-quality promos that fans were getting week-in-week-out.
The match itself is still widely regarded as one of the best in recent history, with the story surrounding Punk’s departure being so believable that fans honestly didn’t foresee Cena losing the match. The match on that night had everything including the hostile crowd in Punk’s hometown of Chicago.
Punk eventually got the win in that match, but further classics at SummerSlam and Night of Champions ensured that Punk remains one of Cena’s best ever rivals. The two also had one of the best matches ever on Raw in 2013, and Punk has recently teased that he would love to come up against Cena again should he return to the ring.
After his embarrassing trial on the UFC, where he was definitely not an online MMA betting favorite, Punk might be back on where he was once happy. WWE enthusiasts would be eager to see him battle with Cena.
John Cena vs Kevin Owens
Fans are always quick to declare that Cena buries the upcoming talent, but this rivalry showcases that it isn’t always the case. While it is hard to leave of rivalries against Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels and Triple H, the work that Cena put into this match ensured that Kevin Owens is seen as one of the top stars in the company today.
Seeing Owens and Cena in the ring together was also dubbed as a dream match, but not many could have ever foreseen it actually happen. Owens answered Cena’s call in May 2014 and laid him out which set up a match at the upcoming Elimination Chamber event.
Many expected Cena to get revenge after being embarrassed, but instead, Owens would claim the win on his main roster debut against potentially the biggest star in the company. Of course, fans would have preferred Owens to go on and win the US Title after claiming his first win, but he would go on to lose the next two matches against the 15-time world champion.
However, there is still hope that there may yet be another match between these superstars on the horizon.