Ranking John Cena's 10 Greatest Matches in WWE Career

John Cena will wrap up his incredible, 23-year WWE career on Saturday, battling Gunther in a contest with Match of the Year potential.

Over his near-quarter century on WWE TV, Cena has battled the likes of Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Triple H, AJ Styles, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, JBL, Big Show, Edge and more in extraordinary matchups, but which were the 10 best of his career?

Find out in this top 10 countdown.

10. Cena vs. Edge (Unforgiven 2006)

There are other contests better than Cena's Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match against Edge at Unforgiven in 2006, but it would be remiss not to include one particular match against The Rated-R Superstar when discussing The GOAT's in-ring career.

There were few Superstars with whom Cena had better chemistry in and out of the ring. Whether they were taking the audience on a roller-coaster ride full of near-falls and false finishes between the ropes or flexing their promo skills on an episode of Raw, they created magic almost anytime they worked together.

Case in point, the TLC match for the WWE Championship in Edge's hometown of Toronto. In his first performance in a match of that kind, Cena matched his rival in one of the heel's signature contests and retrieved the title following a jaw-dropping Attitude Adjustment from the top of the ladder.

9. Cena vs. The Rock (WrestleMania 28)

The weight of the world was on Cena's shoulders to deliver a classic main event after a year of build to his WrestleMania 28 match against The Rock.

The Hollywood star had not competed in a match in eight years and, with the world watching, Cena did not disappoint.

Wrestling a match that played to the crowd and their reactions, Cena and Rock delivered all of the hits, some dramatic near-falls and a false finish or two.

Ultimately, it was Cena's overconfidence in the closing minutes, in which he mocked the People's Elbow, only to run right into the Rock Bottom, that resulted in his loss.

He made up for it a year later with a win over The Great One, but that rematch failed to recapture the excitement and drama of the so-called "Once in a Lifetime" showdown.

8. Cena vs. Cody Rhodes (SummerSlam 2025)

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To say Cena's return to the company for his retirement run had not exactly lit the wrestling world on fire by the time August 2025 rolled around would be an understatement.

His heel turn lacked follow-up and his matches, while mostly good, did not have the spark of his best in-ring work.

Enter Cody Rhodes for a rematch of their disappointing WrestleMania 41 clash, a Street Fight at SummerSlam with the Undisputed WWE Championship at stake.

With the fans back on his side after the company aborted the ill-fated heel run, Cena tore the house down with The American Nightmare, wowing fans with a hard-fought, high-stakes exercise in pro wrestling drama.

Ultimately, Cena put the top star of this generation over for the title, but not before reminding audiences that he still had a few classics up his sleeve.

7. Cena vs. Shawn Michaels (Raw, April 23, 2007)

Nearly two years into Cena's run on top, some fans still took exception to him and their perception that he could not wrestle.

He was viewed as a body guy, a clean-cut babyface that Vince McMahon and WWE could market to the masses but when it came time for him to prove himself between the ropes, he could not produce the goods.

Or so they thought.

On the April 23, 2007 edition of Raw, Cena proved the world wrong, working a near-hour-long match with Shawn Michaels in which he proved he could not only go but could also hang with arguably the greatest to do it.

Cena lost after eating Sweet Chin Music as Michaels remained in the hunt for his WWE Championship, but he won over previous doubters with what was the performance of his career to that point.

6. Cena vs. AJ Styles (SummerSlam 2016)

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The 2010s brought a Cena hell-bent on proving he could have great matches against the best the industry had to offer, especially with top independent and internationally recognized talent arriving in WWE.

Earning the respect of the fans for his show-stealing matchups against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Neville and Cesaro, Cena had one last test to pass: AJ Styles.

The Phenomenal One's arrival in 2016 meant it was only a matter of time before he and Cena crossed paths and they did just that at SummerSlam.

For over 23 minutes, they delivered an instant classic that had fans on the edge of their seats, splitting their allegiances between The Phenomenal One and The GOAT.

Having thrown everything he could at Styles, Cena set up for a Super Attitude Adjustment from the top rope, but his opponent kicked out. Frustrated, he tried the traditional version of the finisher, only for his rival to counter into a Styles Clash and add a Phenomenal Forearm for the win.

The match solidified Styles as a main event attraction in WWE while Cena added another legendary encounter to his resume, though it would not be his only dance with The Phenomenal One.

5. Cena vs. Umaga (Royal Rumble 2007)

Cena entered the 2007 Royal Rumble PLE as too much of a good guy for the WWE Universe. The fans needed to see him roughed up, for him to toughen up and deliver a performance that reminded them he was a badass champion, too.

Enter Umaga.

The Samoan Bulldozer had tested Cena a few weeks earlier at New Year's Revolution, but that was in a standard match. In a Last Man Standing bout, Cena would be pushed to the brink by a physically dominant competitor whose only defeat to date was that first encounter with the WWE champion.

Umaga brutalized Cena and left fans wondering whether they were witnessing the end of the latter's title reign. As he did so many times over the course of his career, though, he fought back. He avoided an exposed turnbuckle, downed Umaga and applied a rope-assisted STF.

The image of a bloodied Cena screaming as he choked out the big man en route to his win was exactly what the fans needed to see. It silenced the critics of his vanilla title run, and the match itself was a classic that still holds up 18 years later.

4. Cena vs. Daniel Bryan (SummerSlam 2013)

There is no greater example of Cena's belief in another wrestler and willingness to put him over than his SummerSlam 2013 showdown with Daniel Bryan.

Wrestling with a torn triceps that had the muscle balled up at his elbow, Cena went toe-to-toe with the best wrestler in the world and delivered a five-star classic, all in the name of getting Bryan over as the next main event babyface for WWE.

The two traded control of the bout, neither really sustaining an upper hand, before Bryan shattered Cena's last gasp attempt at victory by countering an STF into the Yes Lock.

The Unseen 17 broke the hold by reaching the ropes, but it was clear by then that Bryan was unstoppable.

A kick to the head and a running knee ended Cena's reign and kicked off a months-long story for Bryan that would see him battle The Authority before his famous win at WrestleMania 30.

It was another example of Cena delivering in the biggest moments against an opponent from a completely different background and style. More importantly, that match did more to establish Bryan as a legitimate main event star than anything creative came up with for The Beard until fans demanded his WrestleMania run.

3. Cena vs. CM Punk (Money in the Bank 2011)

A generation-defining matchup, Cena vs. CM Punk from Money in the Bank 2011 was the culmination of a whirlwind build that saw the latter deliver his infamous pipebomb promo, vow to leave WWE at the end of his contract and take the top prize in the industry with him.

In their highest-profile match yet, Cena and Punk demonstrated their unbelievable in-ring chemistry, captivating an audience of vocal pro wrestling fans in Chicago.

As was the case throughout his career, Cena never allowed the jeers to change who he was as a wrestler or performer. He meshed seamlessly with Punk, with every counter and dramatic near-fall leaving fans to wonder if their hometown hero would follow through on his promise or become another main event victim of The GOAT.

They got their answer when Punk hoisted Cena up, delivered Go To Sleep and won the match and title before absconding with it.

It was also a win for Cena in that he hung with a wrestler perceived to be better than him, never missing a note and was the common denominator in another five-star contest.

2. Cena vs. AJ Styles (Royal Rumble 2017)

For the third time in their epic rivalry, Cena and Styles squared off with the WWE Championship at stake at the 2017 Royal Rumble.

The final match in a trilogy, they set out to accomplish something different than fans had already seen out of them, and the result was a contest that never left the ring.

Instead, they took fans on a ride that played on spots from previous matches, capitalized on fans' expectations of near-falls, and provided an instant classic that immediately ranked among either competitor's greatest performances.

Ultimately, Styles launched himself off the top rope for a Phenomenal Forearm, but Cena caught him and delivered the third Attitude Adjustment of the night. Not willing to chance it, the challenger leveled his opponent with one more to win the match and his record-tying 16th WWE Championship.

It was a brilliant encounter between two men whose names are synonymous with the eras in which they competed. Two masters of the mat worked their artistry and delivered pro wrestling at its best.

1. Cena vs. CM Punk (Raw, February 25, 2013)

Cena vs. Punk on the February 25, 2013 episode of Raw not only determined the No. 1 contender to The Rock's WWE Championship at WrestleMania 29, but it also proved to be the best match of their rivalry.

Borrowing from previous contests in a nod to them as well as a means to divert fans' expectations, Cena and Punk produced an extraordinary bout that told the story of their longstanding rivalry while also conveying the importance of competing for the industry's top prize.

Cena and Punk threw caution to the wind, breaking out a long-banned piledriver at one point, proving the impact a simple and storied move could have when used at the opportune time.

Late in the match, Cena dodged Punk's top-rope elbow and proceeded to stun his opponent with a standing Frankensteiner. Never expecting to have encountered that out of an opponent he knew so well, The Best in the World staggered into one last Attitude Adjustment as The GOAT cashed his ticket to WrestleMania.

It is Cena's creativity and knack for knowing how to generate the loudest reactions or tell the best story that have been his greatest assets. It certainly was a case in nearly every one of the matches on this list, but none more so than his unexpectedly outstanding Raw main event against Punk, which still stands as his finest work.