In the conversation for the greatest WWE Superstar of all time, the name John Cena has to be in contention.
Despite not pulling out a huge amount of five-star matches (more on that in a bit), the Doctor of Thuganomics carried the WWE on his back for decades, being the biggest star in the company by far.
Winning 16 world champions, he tied Ric Flair’s record for the most world championships, cementing his place in the annuls of history.
In this article, we will analyze the best matches of John Cena’s career, based on the criteria set forth by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.
We will look at every five-star match of John Cena’s career, analyzing just what made these bouts that good.
If you disagree with anything in this article, let us know in the comments and tell us what you think!
John Cena 5 Star Matches
Shockingly, John Cena has only had one match rated five stars or more during his incredible career in the WWE.
This is despite wrestling in a number of classic matches over a career spanning two decades.
Bouts with Triple H, Edge, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins all failed to earn the coveted star rating, leaving fans perplexed at exactly what John Cena needed to do to get a 5 star rated match.
Luckily, he managed it once in 2011, in what became a historic bout in the history of WWE.
John Cena vs CM Punk – Money in the Bank 2011 (5 Stars)
The Summer of Punk in 2011 was one of the biggest missed opportunities WWE ever had, but it did lead to John Cena’s only five-star match in the WWE.
They fumbled (or sabotage) the biggest buzz they had in CM Punk as WWE Champion. Why they thought Kevin Nash vs Triple H was the way to bookend it was a mystery, like evolution.
CM Punk vs John Cena took place inside a sold out, rabid crowd in Chicago, Punk’s hometown.
CM Punk was trying to take the WWE Championship with him. Normally he would be the heel in this situation. However, his “Pipebomb” promo had endeared him to the crowds and brought a whole new set on intrigue from wrestling fans.
The match itself was a genius blend of hart hitting action and supreme storytelling. Cena and Punk left it all in the ring, as the Chicago crowed made it a hostile place for Cena to wrestle. The crowd were willing Punk to win and take the WWE Championship away from WWE.
CM Punk won the match, fighting off interference from Vince McMahon and Mr Money in the Bank Alberto Del Rio. Punk left with his Championship into the crowd, blowing one final kiss to Mr McMahon as he left.
This was named CM Punk’s best match because of his motivated performance, as well as the incredible support of his hometown crowd cheering him on.
It received a five-star rating from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.
Then he punched a fan in the face which was pretty funny too. This match was also number one on John Cena best matches
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – 5 Stars
- Cagematch Rating – 9.62
- Atletifo Rating – 5 Stars
