John Cena's 50 Greatest Matches #50-46



June 27, 2002. Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle throws down an open challenge to the SmackDown locker room. A young kid from West Newbury, Mass. steps up. He’s not yet great — no one is their first time — but he’s poised and fiery with a body like an action figure and more heart than a butcher shop. He surprises Angle, takes him off his feet, almost beats him. The fact that he doesn’t win is important — it keeps him humble, keeps him wanting more. A decade passes. That kid becomes a man. He wins 10 WWE Titles. Main events WrestleManias against Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Stars in movies. Releases a rap album. Scuffles with Kevin Federline on live television. He becomes a brand, a polarizing figure loved and hated with equal élan. He carries WWE into an uncertain new age. He is John Cena. And these are the 50 matches that have defined him as the most important WWE Superstar of the past 10 years.


#50 John Cena vs. JBL: WrestleMania 21 (April 3, 2005)
It’s well-known that John Cena never gives up. He stares down insurmountable odds and refuses to back down from any challenge. This character trait of the Cenation leader is especially evident when the stakes reach a fever pitch and the WWE Championship is on the line. Cena’s greatest WWE Title moment is also one of his first — an epic clash with WWE Champion JBL at WrestleMania 21.
The tough veteran put his experience and power to good use and mounted an offense that Cena struggled to counter. But the West Newbury, Mass. native proved his fighting spirit and would not stay down. With momentum shifting between both Superstars, Cena managed to duck JBL’s patented Clothesline from Hell and give his opponent an Attitude Adjustment to claim his first WWE Championship.




#49 John Cena, Hulk Hogan & Shawn Michaels vs. Christian, Tomko & Chris Jericho: Raw (June 27, 2005) 
The third anniversary of John Cena’s WWE debut also allowed him to live a once-in-a-lifetime dream that was surely the envy of every WWE Superstar. In a special Six-Man Tag Team Match on June 27, 2005, three generations united as the Cenation leader teamed up with Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels. In a battle against Christian, Tomko and Chris Jericho, HBK surprised Cena with their partner, The Hulkster. The match stands out as a true milestone in the Cenation leader’s career as does the memorable moment when Hulk Hogan dropped Tomko with a clothesline and performed Cena’s trademark taunt, “You can’t see me!” Hogan, Michaels and Cena were victorious and following the contest, Cena and HBK stood in the ring and posed with The Immortal One.





#48 John Cena vs. Booker T: SummerSlam 2004 (August 15, 2004)
John Cena found himself on SmackDown General Manager Kurt Angle’s bad side in the summer of 2004. After Cena accidentally knocked the Olympic gold medalist out of his wheelchair, the GM stripped Cena of his United States Title and scheduled an eight-man match to determine a new champion with Booker T coming out on top. Eager to regain his title, Cena engaged Booker in a best of five match series for the championship. Round one took place at SummerSlam. In a sprint of a match, Booker whiffed on his trademark Axe Kick, giving Cena the opening to plant the five-time WCW Champion with the Attitude Adjustment and take an early lead in the series.





#47 John Cena & The Rock vs. The Miz & R-Truth: Survivor Series 2011 (November 20, 2011)
They said it could never be done, but for one night only in front of a sold-out crowd in New York City’s legendary Madison Square Garden, bitter rivals John Cena and The Rock actually joined forces. At Survivor Series 2011, months before their “Once in a Lifetime” clash at WrestleMania XXVIII, Cena and The Great One forged an uneasy alliance to combat the calculating tandem of The Miz & R-Truth. That night, Nov. 20, 2011, was the first time the WWE Universe had seen The Rock in action in nearly eight years. The WWE Universe shook the rafters of The World’s Most Famous Arena after a People’s Elbow to The Miz sealed a victory for Cena & The Rock, but it was The Great One’s shocking post-match Rock Bottom to the Cenation leader that truly put an exclamation point on the evening. The temporary union between these iconic ring warriors was torn asunder at that moment, leaving Cena with retribution on his mind as he embarked on The Road to WrestleMania.





#46 John Cena vs. Kurt Angle: No Mercy 2003 (October 19, 2003)
More than a year after John Cena made his WWE debut against Kurt Angle on SmackDown, the two Superstars clashed again in Baltimore’s 1st Mariner Arena at No Mercy. Still a relative newcomer to the ring, the young Superstar had gained a fan following as a cocky hip hop head, but there was one thing he was still looking for in WWE — respect. And if Kurt Angle wasn’t going to give it, Cena was going to beat it out of him. For nearly 20 minutes the two Superstars traded crushing slams and bruising shots with Cena scoring with an Attitude Adjustment only to see Angle muscle out of his cover. Finally, in a display of the ring presence that separates a novice from a veteran, the Olympian ingeniously rolled through an attempted Attitude Adjustment and grabbed Cena’s leg to secure the dreaded ankle lock. The submission hold was enough to stop the West Newbury, Mass. native that night, but Cena and Angle would meet again soon.




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