As John Cena gets ready for his final wrestling match on December 13th, fans all over the globe are looking back at how he went from being the brash “Doctor of Thuganomics” to one of the most decorated superstars in World Wrestling Entertainment history.
Throughout 20 years in WWE, John Cena forged a legacy as much through rivalries that shaped storytelling, raised other superstars up, and created some of the most unforgettable moments in modern professional wrestling as he did through the championships he won.
From the highly personal to the unforgettable showdowns that defined an era, these are the ten major rivalries that helped create the John Cena legend, the greatest of all time in the history of WWE.
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10. Bray Wyatt
Back in 2014, Bray Wyatt and his Wyatt Family went after John Cena. This storyline was interesting because it made us wonder if Cena, who was always the good guy, might actually turn to the dark side. Wyatt really wanted to show that Cena was a fake.
They did it again in 2020, when Wyatt and Cena started up their story again, building on what happened before. They created another interesting story that ended with the Firefly Funhouse Match, which was one of the strangest and most story-driven matches ever.
9. AJ Styles
When AJ Styles came to WWE, the fans worried that he would not be utilized well. After his feud with John Cena, however, those fears were completely dispelled.
Their three matches at Money in the Bank 2016, SummerSlam 2016, and Royal Rumble 2017 were three of the best matches of their career right off the bat. Styles was bringing out the best athletic performance of Cena for years, and Cena was helping to make AJ an elite level WWE superstar.
They brought back their rivalry at Crown Jewel in Perth in 2025, which was a nostalgia packed thriller that made a nice tribute of their legendary chemistry.
8. Edge
Edge’s 2006 Money in the Bank cash-in sparked a fight that changed him and Cena. Their battles were brutal and full of emotion, like that crazy TLC match at Unforgiven 2006 in Edge’s hometown.
Edge made Cena tougher, and Cena pushed Edge to become a top-level heel guy. Fans loved their story, and it had a big influence on WWE in the late 2000s.
7. Batista
For a long time, Batista and John Cena were going up the WWE ladder side by side with very closely resembling careers. They were a class in OVW together and then both became World Champions and made their names, but WWE was more inclined to Cena.
Their feud became the theme of their feud as a result of which by far the most important factor of their story was that Batista was mad to death because Batista leave the show and the company chose Cena to be the face.
6. Kurt Angle
Many fans consider John Cena’s storyline with Kurt Angle to be one of his most significant, and in many respects, this is true. Cena made his WWE debut in a match against Angle, when he delivered his iconic “Ruthless Aggression” promo.
When he won the WWE Championship and moved to Raw from SmackDown, he reignited the rivalry, battling with the future Hall of Famer during the fourth quarter of 2005 and constantly defending his championship.
They would not encounter again after 2006, but Angle had a significant impact on Cena’s early career, establishing him as a major roster performer and justifying his WWE title reign.
5. Shawn Michaels
In 2007, Triple H got hurt, which led to a pretty cool and unexpected feud between Cena and Shawn Michaels. They were tag team champs for a bit, but things got heated fast. It all blew up at WrestleMania 23, where Cena made HBK tap out.
A few weeks later, they had this insane hour-long match on Raw, one of the best ever on that show. It was short-lived, but their chemistry and the story they told made a big impact on Cena as he became a top guy.
4. Randy Orton
Among all of John Cena’s rivals, John Cena has gone toe-to-toe with Randy Orton the most. The duo had numerous matches against each other, not only on pay-per-view events and television but also on a large number of live events, to such an extent that the fans were a little tired of this rivalry. Nevertheless, this didn’t keep people from going crazy when their feud was back in 2025.
They certainly had great chemistry and were the ideal enemies for each other at that point in their respective careers. The spectators bought the storyline, as their confrontations were always getting excellent promos to hype them up.
3. Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar’s WWE run has featured some awesome rivalries, and his battles with John Cena are definitely up there. They went all out in the ring, beating each other up to the point of drawing blood, which just made the feud even more intense.
Lesnar’s return match was against Cena, which got everyone talking about him again right away. Plus, that squash at WWE Wrestlepalooza was a total shocker, with Cena getting completely destroyed from beginning to end.
2. The Rock
For many years, John Cena was highly critical of The Rock for joining the film industry and turning his back on WWE, which ultimately led to one of the fiercest rivalries in professional wrestling.
From when The Rock returned in 2011 to face John Cena at WrestleMania in 2012 and 2013, both matches broke numerous box office records. The “Once in a Lifetime” match was viewed around the world by millions of people and helped establish John Cena as the face of WWE.
The chemistry between John Cena and The Rock continued to show during their matches at WrestleMania 40 and Elimination Chamber 2025, which confirms that the rivalry continues to be successful and draw attention from fans worldwide.
1. CM Punk
The most significant rivalry in John Cena’s career will always be the one with CM Punk. They were two completely different characters in every way but had the best in ring chemistry out of any main event stars pairing in the last 15 years, by which they brought the best out of each other.
Their first match was in Hershey, Pennsylvania on the November 23, 2009 episode of Raw, an interpromotional showdown won by Cena. The match gave a preview to the fans of what they could expect if the two would face each other again.
After that, they exchanged fire for the next two years until Punk cut his legendary pipebomb promo and announced his departure with the WWE Championship, which he would take from Cena at Money in the Bank in his hometown of Chicago.
Punk beat Cena for the title in what many consider one of WWE’s best and most memorable matches. The next month, they faced off again at SummerSlam, and Punk barely managed to win again.
In 2012, Punk became a bad guy, leading to even more matches with Cena. Then, in February 2013, they had what might have been their best match ever – a No. 1 Contender’s match on Raw.
Twelve years later, they fought one last time in Saudi Arabia, headlining Night of Champions, and John Cena defeated CM Punk in the main event.
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