John Cena's Top 5 WWE moments of all time
By Ryan Satin
FOX Sports WWE Analyst
John Cena’s historic WWE career has been filled with iconic moments, and he'll undoubtedly add another to the list on Saturday when he takes on Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam in Las Vegas.
From his TV debut to most recently making a surprise return at Money in the Bank, Big Match John has always delivered memories that will last a lifetime for the WWE Universe – but which are his best?
This difficult question was posed by the WWE on FOX account this week, and you all came through with answers, so we sifted through them to come up with a list of five you’ll hopefully be satisfied with.
5. John Cena’s United States Title Open Challenge
After defeating Rusev for the United States Championship back in 2015, John Cena announced he’d defend the title on Raw in a weekly Open Challenge that led to exciting matchups against Superstars such as Cesaro, Sami Zayn, Dean Ambrose, Stardust, Xavier Woods and more.
This not only elevated the US title, but also helped younger talent get an opportunity to work with one of the top stars in the company.
Additionally, fans were given an incentive to tune in every week knowing they’d see one of the company’s rising stars on the opposite side of the ring as a bonafide legend (who raised his game in the process).
4. First World Title win at WrestleMania 21
Regardless of your opinion on the match itself, John Cena’s first world title win has to be included for its sheer importance to his legacy.
The victory over JBL at WrestleMania 21 allowed Cena to transcend to the next level and establish dominance that would continue for the rest of his career.
Plus, Batista defeating Triple H that night in similar fashion signaled a change in WWE going forward – with two new Superstars being given the ball to run with – so it’s a fairly-significant moment in wrestling history.
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3. Ruthless Aggression
Who could ever forget John Cena‘s WWE debut?
Answering an open challenge from Kurt Angle and telling the Olympic gold medalist that he possesses "ruthless aggression" is one of those iconic moments that will not only go down in history as one of Cena’s greatest, but also as one of the all-time best SmackDown moments, too.
John’s gimmick would eventually morph into the character we all love, but this put him on the map in a big way and let it be known from the start that Cena had potential to become the face of the company.
2. Cena Beats The Rock at WrestleMania 29
John Cena may have been the top guy in WWE at this stage of his career, but he still lived in the shadow of greats who came before him.
That’s what made his years-long feud with The Rock so special.
Yes, it’s fun to joke around about how "Once in a Lifetime" became twice, but Cena needed that win the second time around to prove he was on the same level as other WWE icons – which is why it ranks so high for me.
In a way, it’s almost similar to the match he has scheduled for tonight against Roman Reigns, only with reverse roles this time around.
1. The Royal Rumble Return
John Cena’s greatest moment most certainly has to be his surprise return during the 2008 Royal Rumble.
Cena was thought to be injured at the time, so no one expected him to be the number 30 entrant in the match, and every single fan inside of Madison Square Garden lost their freaking mind when his music hit.
You couldn’t have paid for a better reaction.
The shock factor that comes with the Royal Rumble’s number 30 entrant is already fun for fans, but a wild Cena returning in that spot was one of those lightning in a bottle situations where everything played out perfectly to illustrate the magic of a WWE surprise.
Do you agree with these picks? Hit me up on Twitter and let me know.
Ryan Satin is a WWE analyst for FOX Sports. Satin previously appeared on FS1's "WWE Backstage" and founded Pro Wrestling Sheet, where he broke countless news stories as editor-in-chief.
