Examining John Cena's History in Last Man Standing Matches

Victory isn't guaranteed John Cena in Last Man Standing matches, but greatness is.

Some of Cena's best work has come in the violent gimmick match, battling both cunning villains and monstrous powerhouses. Should Cena face Bray Wyatt in a Last Man Standing match at Payback as WWE seems to be hinting at lately, the safer bet is on critical acclaim and memorable moments, not a win for the hero.

Cena has been in five of those bouts so far. His record is a non-Superman-like 2-2-1.

All but one of those contests earned him and his opponent a four-star rating or higher from Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via ProFightDB.com).

Event	Opponent	Winner	Star Rating
Royal Rumble 2007	Umaga	Cena	4
Backlash 2009	Edge	Edge	4.5
Extreme Rules 2010	Batista	Cena	4.25
Vengeance 2011	Alberto Del Rio	Del Rio	4
Extreme Rules 2013	Ryback	No contest	3.5

His collision with Umaga in 2007 is one of the best pieces of evidence of Cena's ability to compose masterpieces in the ring. One part of countering criticisms of him being a subpar wrestler and having to be "carried" to a great match is to turn on a video of Umaga vs. Cena.

The ring steps became the early centerpiece of a hard-hitting contest.

Both Cena and Umaga smashed each other into them, bodies crashing onto steel. After a series of hard strikes from "The Samoan Bulldozer," Cena began to bleed. Eventually, it caked across his face as he stood strong against his massive foe.

The final image is a striking one: Cena choking out the monster with a detached ring rope.

Cena's next Last Man Standing battle had its own lasting visual. Big Show chokeslammed the leader of the Cenation into a spotlight to allow Edge to win.

Before that, intensity powered the title bout. 

These enemies' history together filled the buildup to the match with anticipation. Even before the first chair shot, there was electricity running through the arena. The wrestlers followed that up with aggression and highlights aplenty.

Edge flung himself at Cena and crashed into the ring steps, followed by Cena flinging him into the steel.

An Attitude Adjustment into the crowd and a brawl in the stands kept elevating the thrill level. Fans will most remember Cena crashing through glass and lying limply in the spotlight. Big Show's surprise attack sticks with us, just as so many of the endings of these matches have. 

The way Cena made sure he was the last man standing against Batista in 2010 is a perfect example of that.

Cena tied Batista to the corner with duct tape for the win. Call it cunning or lame, but it's hard to argue how memorable it was. 

The match itself was a dramatic power-versus-power battle. Submission holds, slams onto chairs and an Attitude Adjustment through an announce table were among the highlights.

Del Rio vs. Cena's enduring image came at the beginning of the match. Thanks to Mark Henry and Big Show destroying the ring, champion and challenger had to face each other on a decimated battlefield.

The ropes hung limply around the ring. Both foes stood on a tilted mat.

Again, Cena thrived in the Last Man Standing format. His brawling skills helped him make his fight with Del Rio an attention-grabbing one. As with his past efforts with this gimmick match, big spots were a big part of the action.

They fought in the Vengeance set near the entrance, and Del Rio landed in the center of a table. The wrestlers also made full use of the ring steps, a Last Man Standing tradition.

Del Rio won, marking Cena's second Last Man Standing loss, but it took a lot of extra help. Ricardo Rodriguez's distraction and pestering affected Cena, but not nearly as much as the mauling from The Miz and R-Truth did. 

It appears that the only way to keep Cena down for a 10-count is to enlist allies.

Big Show aided Edge. Miz and R-Truth did the same for Del Rio. In 2013, Ryback had no help and thus couldn't put his enemy down.

Ryback vs. Cena was the least appealing of all these matches. It wasn't nearly as intense as the ones involving Edge or Umaga. Although much of the buildup focused on Cena's Achilles injury, it was not a prominent part of the storyline once the bell rang.

It felt as if an actor had forgotten that his character was in a wheelchair and proceeded to walk around the stage.

That missed opportunity held the match back, but by the end of the night there was a lasting image to take in when Ryback picked Cena up and went charging through the light display at the entrance ramp.

Credit: WWE.com

Both men crashed through it, leading to the match going to a no-contest.

Cena's history in Last Man Standing matches tell us that the probable one with Wyatt is going to be good. He's batting .800 in the excellence-creating department with these bouts. It's also likely to be a resume-booster for "The Eater of Worlds."

Challenging Cena in a Last Man Standing match led to Umaga having the best match of his career. Edge, Batista and Del Rio's resumes all improved after their clashes with him in this format.

For Wyatt to win, though, the past says that he will need help. Luckily for him, he has two oversized bruisers at his disposal.