It is official, we are counting down the final days of John Cena.
After his Survivor Series match with “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio, Cena is hurtling toward a Dec. 13 retirement match with no scheduled appearances before then. This means the end of Cena actively wrestling is near an end.
Cena has been wrestling on World Wrestling Entertainment’s main roster since 2002, carrying the company through some of its worst times. It is a career I will celebrate at a later time.
For now, let’s relive some great moments.
The following are five matches I think would appeal to anyone, even those not so interested in wrestling but want to see what made Cena special. They are not a list of his greatest matches but ones I think encapsulate the superstar. These matches are only in chronological order and you can catch them on Peacock, at least until the end of the year.
Cena’s final match will be on Dec. 13 on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
John Cena vs. Kurt Angle, Smackdown! June 27, 2002
Let’s start at the beginning.
This was John Cena’s debut match and it came at a point of transition as WWE was moving out of its acclaimed Attitude Era with major stars like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock taking steps back. The company was in need of a star and a young Cena stepped up.
Then-WWE Owner Vince McMahon made a call for a superstar to step up with “ruthless aggression” to be the top person. Cena attempted that against Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle. This was Cena at his most raw as he had no gimmicks, no catchphrases, and little personality.
Still, Cena showed a glimmer of his mantra “hustle, loyalty, respect” as he had a close contest with Angle that later earned him respect from the locker room leader The Undertaker. Cena didn’t capitalize on this debut and almost got fired, but this match showed what would come.
John Cena vs. Rob Van Dam, ECW One Night Stand 2006
Cena had a historic rivalry with Edge throughout 2006 and each of those matches deserves attention. Still, it is Cena’s match at One Night Stand that stands out because it highlighted a different side of the superstar.
By this year, Cena was established as the main star. He had been a good guy babyface for years, a trend he would carry until 2025. The crowd at One Night Stand did not see him that way and booed him mercilessly throughout the match. Cena represented everything the crowd hated about establishment wrestling so he got the brunt of their ire.
What makes this match so memorable is Cena reading the room and, while still firmly a babyface, played into the crowd and acted almost as an antihero/villain just for this match. It also yielded the iconic, “If Cena wins, we riot” sign in the crowd. Edge would later insert himself in the match but this environment is memorable without the chicanery and worth the watch.
John Cena vs. CM Punk, Money In The Bank 2011
Interesting enough, the first three matches on this list feature Cena losing. He was dominant throughout his career, but his losses are some of the most memorable moments and his contest with CM Punk shows why.
CM Punk was engaged in a rivalry with Cena that extended past the two and included management. This was one of the more recent times when WWE blurred the lines of reality and storyline that left fans engaged. Punk claimed his contract would expire after the premium live event so he wanted to win the championship from Cena and leave the company with it.
The stakes were higher as McMahon tried to remove Punk from the match only for Cena to threaten to walk out himself if he didn’t face Punk. The buildup also included Punk’s infamous “Pipebomb Promo” where he went scorched Earth on WWE and Cena, a promo intended to look authentic while still being part of the show.
The two eventually squared off and, despite being the good guy, Cena received boos from the Chicago fans. Punk is a Chicago native so it made sense. Cena played the role of upstanding good guy nicely, despite Punk’s bad guy tendencies. Ultimately, it is the layers to this story that make this match so memorable and a big part of that is Cena.
John Cena vs. AJ Styles, Money In The Bank 2016
Up until 2016, it seemed impossible for AJ Styles to join WWE. Styles had been the face of rival promotion TNA for over a decade and had always been associated with the brand until 2014. Two years later, he debuted in WWE and the fans started speculating on opponents.
Cena seemed like a natural fit because he was the face of WWE for almost as long as Styles was the top guy in TNA. This was a dream match and that was the advertising around it, calling it a “Wrestlemania-worthy match.” It rose to those levels and included an ending that would spark a trilogy of iconic matches that stretched into 2017.
I think starting at the beginning of this trilogy is the way to go despite some thinking later matches between the two are better. This is one instance where starting at the beginning is the right call so you can experience the growth of this storyline in it s natural order. That said, Styles vs. Cena at Crown Jewel 2025 is also a great recommendation.
John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes, SummerSlam 2025
Cena worked a lesser schedule throughout much of the late 2010s and early 2020s. He officially announced his retirement in 2024, starting he would have a retirement tour that stretched throughout 2025. In that tour, he has done a lot but his rematch with Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam stands out for many reasons.
For one, it was the end of Cena’s bad guy run, which began in March of 2025 with an attack on then-champion Rhodes at Elimination Chamber. Cena would win the title off Rhodes at Wrestlemania 41 and threaten to retire with the championship so he would be “the last real champion.” This built to a rematch in August at SummerSlam that would see Cena turn good right before.
While the jury is still out on Cena’s long-awaited bad guy run (he had been a good guy since 2003), this match still featured Cena at his best in this retirement tour. He gave all he had to Rhodes and ultimately lost the title, but he passed the torch to Rhodes.
Oftentimes, when a wrestler retires, they will lose to pass the torch to the next generation. Cena has done that a few times late in his career but this was one of the more high-profile ones as Rhodes is seen as the tippy top guy on part with a younger Cena.
Honorable Mention: John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt. Wrestlemania 36
I had to add a sixth one, but this one is a bit different given both the circumstances and story it told.
Wrestlemania 36 happened in the early stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic, meaning the event would feature no fans. Cena was planned to have a match with the late-Bray Wyatt and it would’ve been a traditional wrestling match. It also would’ve been a rematch of their Wrestlemania 30 match that was heavy in storytelling.
The world shutdown and WWE pivoted its plans for the match, opting to make it a cinematic contest. This meant a pre-filmed contest that was more like a short film than a wrestling match. The subject turned into a meta look at Cena’s pro wrestling career that forced him to confront his demons.
This is absolutely pro wrestling gimmicks at its finest, but it’s also worth the time because you get a peek into Cena’s mindset. The man gave a lot to WWE and carried it through its toughest times. In return, fans booed him and made him the face of everything they hated about WWE. The infamous “Cena sucks” chants rained down throughout the 2010s and yet, Cena persevered as the hardworking good guy who was there for the fans.
That attitude has softened in recent years, but this cinematic match offers a look at how he processed it. Cena has said he put a lot of effort into it so the match reflects a lot. Again, Cena loses but that doesn’t make it any less memorable thought there are some references that may go over newcomers’ heads.
And that’s that: Six John Cena matches to watch before he retires on Dec. 13. While I realize they all feature him losing, I think that shows that Cena didn’t always have to win to give memorable moments. Maybe I’ll do another list in the future that features matches he won.
For now, check out these matches to get a look at what makes Cena special.
Featured Image: WWE (via Bleacher Report)
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