The Cenation braces itself for an emotional ride as we get set for John Cena’s final match this Saturday. Cena will battle Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event. While the Ring General will be his last battle, the Champ has had many fierce rivals in the previous 23 years.
Ruthless Aggression Era fans will recall John Cena’s iconic rivalries against Kurt Angle, Big Show, and Edge. The PG Era saw Cena tussle with prominent names like Randy Orton, Batista, Triple H, The Miz, and CM Punk. In the latter part of his career, the 17-time World Champion crossed paths with AJ Styles, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns.
While several of these programs have received considerable attention, fans seem to have overlooked a few gems. On that note, let’s look at four of John Cena’s most underrated rivals.
#4. Masked Kane
The 2011 to 2012 period is primarily remembered for the Summer of Punk (which featured John Cena’s iconic feud with CM Punk) and the Once in a Lifetime match between The Rock and John Cena. However, several important storylines got lost in the shuffle.
One such storyline was Cena versus the Big Red Machine Kane, who returned with a new attitude and mask. This demonic monster had only one goal in mind: to force Cena to embrace the hate. Their matches were nothing spectacular, and Kane was a placeholder rival to build towards Cena’s match with The Rock.
Nonetheless, it was pretty cool to see Kane back with a mask. WWE was also acknowledging the adverse reactions against Cena, who was showing minor heelish tendencies. This feud is also notorious for outrageous moments like the Big Red Machine almost murdering a wheelchair bound Zack Ryder.
