20 John Cena Matches to Watch Before His Retirement

For the first time in two decades, the wrestling world is facing a future without John Cena. Whether you’re watching this after he’s officially retired or catching this right before he hangs up the jorts for good, the truth stays the same: one of the greatest performers in WWE history is stepping away for good — and he actually means it.

Cena has always been firm about never breaking a retirement promise. No Saudi payday, no WrestleMania return, no billionaire-sized offer is going to lure him back. When he walks away, he’s gone. As wild as that sounds in a business where retirements last as long as a commercial break, Cena’s serious about it.

So before the final bell rings on his in-ring career, let’s appreciate the actual body of work. Because for a guy who had “You Can’t Wrestle!” chanted at him for years, he produced a library of matches that blew past expectations, shut down critics, and built a legacy few will ever match.

Below are 20 essential John Cena matches — not just the big ones, but the ones that capture everything that made him the face of WWE.

20. John Cena vs. RVD — ECW One Night Stand (2006)

This one is legendary for the heat alone. Cena walked into the Hammerstein Ballroom as WWE’s polished corporate golden boy, and the ECW faithful treated him like an invading alien. They threw his T-shirt back at him. They held up “If Cena Wins, We Riot” signs. And honestly? They meant it.

The match itself is a banger, but the atmosphere turns it into something unforgettable. RVD wins thanks to Edge’s interference, the crowd explodes, and Cena essentially plays the heel everyone always said he should be. Perfect chaos.

19. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens — Elimination Chamber (2015)

A perfect debut program. This was Owens’ first major main-roster spotlight, and he walked in and beat John Cena clean with a pop-up powerbomb. No shenanigans. No cheap shots. Just a star being made in real time.

Cena’s 2015 U.S. Open Challenge run remains one of the greatest stretches of his career, and this match sits at the center of it. High pace, stiff shots, and a massive “holy sh*t” moment when Owens actually won.

18. John Cena vs. Randy Orton — Bragging Rights (2009)

An anything-goes Iron Man match that quietly ranks among their best. This feud lasted forever, but this match proves why WWE kept returning to it. Multiple falls, weapons, Legacy interference, broken tables, and a perfectly timed STF tap-out with just seconds remaining.

If you ever wanted proof that Cena and Orton earned their main-event status, this is the match to watch.

17. John Cena vs. Kurt Angle — SmackDown (June 27, 2002)

Cena’s debut. The “Ruthless Aggression” slap heard around the world.

Even though Cena was incredibly green, you can see “it” immediately — the poise, the intensity, the spark. Angle gives him a lot, but Cena more than holds his own. It’s wild revisiting this knowing the guy becomes the company’s anchor for the next two decades.

16. John Cena vs. CM Punk — RAW (February 25, 2013)

Everyone remembers Money in the Bank 2011, but bell-to-bell? This might actually be the better match.

The chemistry is unreal. The stakes (winner faces The Rock at WrestleMania) raise the emotional weight. And then they bust out a piledriver — a banned move at the time — just to shock the world.

It’s sharp, intense, dramatic storytelling. Peak Cena. Peak Punk.

15. John Cena vs. Umaga — Royal Rumble (2007)

This is the hidden masterpiece.

Their Last Man Standing match is violent, bloody, primal, and one of Cena’s most physical performances ever. Cena gets busted open, uses the steel steps like a weapon, and finishes the match by choking Umaga with the ring ropes.

It’s brutal. It’s gritty. It’s unforgettable.

14. John Cena vs. AJ Styles — Crown Jewel (2025)

A late-career love letter to wrestling. Cena and Styles knew this would be their last big encounter, so they stuffed it with callbacks, tributes, references, and pure joy.

Australian fans ate it up. The chemistry was still magic. And Cena’s intro tribute to AJ’s career is one of the coolest moments he’s ever done.

13. John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt — Firefly Fun House (WrestleMania 36)

Not a match — a surreal cinematic fever dream.

But it’s genius.

This “match” dissects Cena’s career, pokes at his weaknesses, imagines alternate realities, references his failures, and turns him heel in a bizarre meta-universe that could only exist during the pandemic.

Bray Wyatt’s creativity. Cena’s willingness to play along. A true one-of-one.

12. John Cena vs. Edge — TLC Match (Unforgiven 2006)

In Edge’s hometown, in one of the wildest TLC matches WWE ever produced, Cena had to adjust to Edge’s chaos — and he nailed it.

This was vicious, weapon-filled, and ridiculously high-risk. Cena wasn’t known for TLC, but he understood the assignment and delivered one of the best matches of their legendary rivalry.

11. Cena vs. Rollins vs. Lesnar — Royal Rumble (2015)

One of the best triple threats in WWE history. No exaggeration.

Lesnar is the final boss, Rollins is the young killer, and Cena is the veteran trying to survive between them. Lesnar flying through a table then resurrecting like a Terminator is peak wrestling theater.

Relentless pacing. Perfect timing. Everything clicks.

10. John Cena vs. Sabu — Vengeance (2006)

Cena vs. Sabu. In a WWE ring. With ECW lumberjacks.

Seven minutes of chaos. Chairs, canes, tables — Cena leaned fully into Sabu’s world just to give fans what they wanted.

Fast, reckless, ridiculous, and fun.

9. John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels — RAW (April 23, 2007)

A 56-minute TV classic.

Half the show is this match. You rarely see WWE do something like this now. Michaels wrestles like a man trying to remind everyone why he’s the GOAT, and Cena rises to meet him step for step.

A masterclass in pacing, psychology, and endurance.

8. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar — SummerSlam (2014)

The ultimate squash.

Cena gets obliterated. Suplex City is born. Brock looks unstoppable after beating the Streak. And Cena looks mortal for the first time, which ends up making him an even stronger babyface.

A gutsy booking decision that paid off massively.

7. John Cena vs. JBL — Judgment Day (2005)

The bloodiest match of Cena’s career.

Their WrestleMania match wasn’t great — so they came back and said, “Let’s scare the hell out of people.” This I Quit match is soaked in blood, violence, and pure hatred. Cena looked like a monster when he walked out with the belt.

Disturbing. Iconic. Essential.

6. Cena & The Rock vs. Miz & R-Truth — Survivor Series (2011)

A dream pairing that delivered on spectacle alone.

Rock returning to tag with Cena — the man he’d face months later — had MSG losing its mind. The match is secondary to the moment, but it’s fun, high-energy, and the perfect setup for WrestleMania 28.

5. John Cena vs. The Rock — WrestleMania 28

Say what you want about “Once in a Lifetime” becoming a lie — this match felt massive. A real generational clash. A true main event.

And the crowd was nuclear.

It's dramatic, evenly balanced, and full of moments where either man could realistically win. It’s the biggest match Cena ever wrestled, period.

4. Cena vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels — Backlash (2007)

This match never gets talked about, which is insane because it’s nearly perfect.

Four stars working at top speed. Nonstop action. No dead space. An insane finishing sequence where everyone hits everything, and Cena wins by collapsing onto Orton by accident.

Controlled chaos at its finest.

3. John Cena vs. Eddie Guerrero — Latino Street Fight (SmackDown, 2003)

People forget these two ever crossed paths. They did — and it ruled.

Weapons, cars, concrete splashes, and Eddie at his chaotic best. Cena was still young, but this feud showed flashes of the toughness and attitude he’d become known for.

A forgotten gem.

2. John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan — SummerSlam (2013)

One of the loudest, most emotional WWE matches of the 2010s.

Cena knows the crowd is behind Bryan. He knows Bryan has to win. So he wrestles completely unselfishly, giving Bryan every ounce of shine possible. When Bryan hits the running knee and gets the pin, the roof nearly blows off.

Then Triple H turns heel, Orton cashes in, and the whole story deepens — but the match itself? A masterpiece.

1. John Cena vs. Big Show — WrestleMania 20

The moment the world realized, “Yep. He’s the guy.”

Cena opens WrestleMania in Madison Square Garden wearing Knicks colors, the crowd explodes, and he lifts the Big Show for an AA that makes everyone gasp. That visual alone made millions of kids instant fans.

It's not a technical classic. It didn’t need to be. It’s the spark that lit the Cena Era.

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