Kurt Angle
Suffice it to say, John Cena wouldn’t be the “Greatest of All-Time” without the “Wrestling Machine” Kurt Angle. If JBL was the first true test of Cena as a potential main event player, Angle was the measuring stick that Cena had to go up against to prove he actually belonged in the WWE.
We all know the scene, Angle asked what a young, generic wrestling gear-wearing Cena had that entitles him to stand across Kurt Angle in a WWE ring. Cena would exclaim “Ruthless Aggression” and smacked Angle across the face, creating the first significant moment in the legendary career of the “Never Seen 17.”
These men had seven matches together, with some of their more notable ones coming in the mid-2000s during Cena’s first go-around with the WWE Championship and being drafted to WWE Monday Night Raw in 2006. Before Angle’s retirement at WrestleMania 35, he even requested Cena as his final opponent so their rivalry would come full circle; unfortunately, it was not meant to be.
That said, Angle had an indelible mark on the budding career of John Cena, helping elevate and build him up to the superstar he would be for the next 20 years.
