{"id":132629,"date":"2025-03-27T07:00:54","date_gmt":"2025-03-27T11:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=132629"},"modified":"2025-03-27T06:12:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T10:12:52","slug":"the-legacy-of-john-cena-top-wrestlemania-moments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/03\/27\/the-legacy-of-john-cena-top-wrestlemania-moments\/","title":{"rendered":"The Legacy of John Cena: Top WrestleMania Moments"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With his farewell tour officially set, John Cena is scheduled for one final WrestleMania showdown in April at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. The 16-time World Champion has carved out a legacy of taking part in some of the most unforgettable moments on the Grandest Stage of Them All. This spans over two decades, from the early 2000s to the 2020s.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Cena gears up for his last \u2018Mania match against Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas, let\u2019s take a look back at his greatest moments in the Shows of Show history.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>John Cena&#8217;s WrestleMania Debut (WrestleMania XX)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WWE Guide to U.S. (Title) History: John Cena vs. Big Show\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pTH_IZPq8Oc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It took John Cena a while to adjust to the setting of WWE\u2019s newly-minted Ruthless Aggression era. Once he got rid of the funky ring attire and that bland look, a star was born. The Doctor of Thuganomics, an unapologetically brash, trash-talking, chain-wearing rapper burst onto SmackDown in 2003 before quickly finding himself as one of the most charismatic mid-card acts in the company.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fast forward to 2004, all that growth had led to a United States Title opportunity with the Big Show in what would be Cena\u2019s first-ever WrestleMania. Inside a packed Madison Square Garden, Cena opened the venue spotting a customized New York Knicks jersey that the crowd absolutely adored.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cena would ride the crowd\u2019s wave to a huge victory, winning his first championship in WWE by pinning Show with a brass knuckle behind the referee\u2019s back. Who said John Cena was never a villain?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Kicking Off The Cena Era With First World Title (WrestleMania 21)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"John Cena celebrates winning the WWE Championship: WrestleMania 21\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D4xLTI8yYaM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The year is 2005. The Ruthless Aggression era was in full swing, and Vince McMahon needed a superstar to carry the WWE\u2019s torch into the next decade. Enter John Felix Anthony Cena, whom the company had been grooming to be its next top star since his rise a few years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At No Way Out 2005, Cena defeated Kurt Angle in a No. 1 Contender\u2019s Tournament Final for the right to challenge John Bradshaw Layfield for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21. However, before the PPV could happen, JBL and his crew, The Cabinet, cost Cena his United States Title via some heavy shenanigans on the show leading up to the event.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the match was criticized for its lack of intensity, both men would still put on a perfectly adequate showing that did what it needed to do. John Cena won his first of many World Championships to come, marking a new era that changed the WWE landscape forever. The Champ is indeed here\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Defeating Shawn Michaels in a WM Classic (WrestleMania 23)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels \u2013 WWE Title Match: WrestleMania 23\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qu3h46bmrkA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One year after winning the WWE\u2019s most prized possession, John Cena had finally transformed into a high-level main event player before our eyes, giving birth to the term \u201cBig Match John\u201d. This was for his incredible efforts to deliver classic matchups.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">John Cena\u2019s 2007 is widely regarded as one of the best years a professional wrestler could ever have, both in terms of in-ring production and accomplishments. This WWE Championship classic with Shawn Michaels, which recently ranked 43rd on the Greatest WrestleMania Matches Ever by WWE on YouTube, is one of the reasons why.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Up until this point, Cena had never faced an opponent quite like The Heartbreak Kid. The former Prototype had to pull out every arsenal he knew of to take out Mr. WrestleMania, eventually forcing him to submit via the STFU. It was his second straight submission victory over a DX member after he had submitted Triple H in the previous year&#8217;s main event.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Lifting Big Show and Edge Simultaneously (WrestleMania XXV)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"John Cena vs. Big Show vs. Edge: WrestleMania XXV\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zI7RrsFM03U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edge and Big Show are two of John Cena\u2019s earliest arch-rivals throughout his twenty-plus years WWE career. At the 25th anniversary of WrestleMania, Cena would get the chance to defeat both men, as he looked to reclaim the World Heavyweight Championship from Edge.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before this, Edge won the title from Cena in an Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out 2009. But, after Cena threatened to expose SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero\u2019s adultery with Big Show to her husband Edge, he was able to force his way into the contest, making it a triple threat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Leader of the Cenation made a grand statement in his entrance, emerging to an <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nRiOw3qGYq4\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">army of John Cena lookalikes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> before marching to the ring. In a chaotic three-way bout, we saw some good moments involving all three guys, including a double Attitude Adjustment attempt where he had both Show and Edge on his shoulders at the same time. Ultimately, it was Cena who came out on top to win his second World Heavyweight Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Avenging WM 28 Loss Against The Rock (WrestleMania 29)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH \u2014 The Rock vs. John Cena \u2014 WWE Title Match: WrestleMania 29\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AYn1Fw8vIYw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At WrestleMania 28, The Rock defeated John Cena in a showdown for the ages, dubbed \u201cOnce in a Lifetime\u201d. The Cenation Leader was deeply traumatized by this loss, spending most of 2012 trying to get over it, which resulted in some amazing PPVs clash against the likes of Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, and Dolph Ziggler.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it turned out to be another successful year for John, he was still grieving about that one loss. So, when The Rock announced his return to challenge CM Punk for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble 2013, Cena knew this was his time to earn another shot against him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A \u201cTwice in a Lifetime\u201d encounter would be set for the main event of WrestleMania 29, with the WWE Championship also on the line. It was a tightly-contested affair with tons of finishers and kick-outs. In the end, it was Cena who hit one last Attitude Adjustment to avenge last year\u2019s loss against Rock to close out this iconic rivalry, as well as winning his 11th WWE Championship in the process.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Ending Rusev Streak (WrestleMania 31)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH - Rusev vs. John Cena \u2013 U.S. Title Match: WrestleMania 31\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A5wwxXtRfl4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have been watching WWE for a long time, you know how much they love booking a USA vs. Anti-American program. Such was the case in 2014 when a newcomer from Russia, who went by the name of Rusev, tore apart the competition en route to a dominant United States Championship win over Sheamus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bulgarian Brute was seemingly unstoppable the moment he stepped foot on the main roster. Then, at Fastlane 2015, he did the unthinkable: forcing John Cena to pass out, thus becoming one of the few men to beat him via submission.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It set the stage for a United States Championship bout between Cena and Rusev, pitting everyone\u2019s favorite American childhood hero versus a ruthless gladiator from Russia. The result was a solid match that ended with Cena becoming the first man to beat Rusev via pinfall. This victory marked Cena\u2019s record-tying fifth US Championship reign, cementing him as one of the greatest to ever hold said belt.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The Return of Doctor of Thuganomics (WrestleMania 35)<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"John Cena returns as the Dr. of Thuganomics to verbally assault Elias: WrestleMania 35 (WWE Network)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ecYigs6CP7c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By 2019, John Cena was merely a part-time competitor in the company. His last PPV outing came in October of 2018 when he teamed up with Bobby Lashley to take on Kevin Owens and Elias in a special tag team attraction at WWE Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cena initially made his return in January 2019 to declare for the Men\u2019s Royal Rumble, but an ankle injury suffered in the middle of the month put a stop to the whole thing. For the first time since his WrestleMania debut, fans thought they were not going to see \u201cThe Face That Runs The Place\u201d in the ring at the Granddaddy of Them All.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During Elias\u2019 musical performance at WrestleMania 35, however, it turned out that wasn\u2019t going to be the case whatsoever. John Cena surprised the MetLife Stadium by resurrecting his Doctor of Thuganomics persona, complete with signature chain and a NY Yankees jersey. Cena delivered a verbal assault on Elias before taking him down with the FU (now AA), proving his old-school attitude still packed a punch.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013 Stay tuned to the <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for more on John Cena, WWE WrestleMania, other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can check out WWE programming on <\/span><\/i><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Netflix<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Raw), <\/span><\/i><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USA Network<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (SmackDown), <\/span><\/i><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CW<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (NXT), <\/span><\/i><a  href=\"https:\/\/tubitv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tubi<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (WWE Evolve), <\/span><\/i><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.aetv.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A&amp;E<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments) and <\/span><\/i><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Peacock<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (WWE Main Event as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on <\/span><\/i><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">YouTube<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and catch fast-paced action on X (<\/span><\/i><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/i\/events\/1773457579022155776?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WWE Speed<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">).<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With his farewell tour officially set, John Cena is scheduled for one final WrestleMania showdown in April at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. The 16-time World Champion has carved out a legacy of taking part in some of the most unforgettable moments on the Grandest Stage of Them All. This spans over two decades, from [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5476,"featured_media":132906,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7205,2192,4,3],"tags":[165,396,47,8906],"class_list":["post-132629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-history","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-john-cena","tag-wrestlemania","tag-wwe","tag-wwe-wrestlemania"],"modified_by":"Chinyere Okafor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5476"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132629"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132629\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":132905,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132629\/revisions\/132905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}