{"id":143977,"date":"2025-10-14T08:30:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T12:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=143977"},"modified":"2025-10-14T08:48:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T12:48:11","slug":"definitive-rival-john-cena-in-wwe-the-goats-greatest-enemy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/10\/14\/definitive-rival-john-cena-in-wwe-the-goats-greatest-enemy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Definitive Rival of John Cena in WWE: Who is the GOAT’s Greatest Enemy?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In his nearly quarter-century career in WWE, John Cena has fought the absolute best the professional wrestling industry has to offer. Through the years, Cena provided the WWE Universe with unforgettable matches and moments that will forever be ingrained in their minds, but he didn’t do it alone. John Cena has had some iconic dance partners to help build his unmatched legacy in the company, which begs the question: “Who is the greatest WWE rival of John Cena?”<\/p>\n

We’re here to answer\u00a0exactly<\/em> that. We will list some names and plead their case as the definitive antithesis of the “Greatest of All-Time.” Now that you know what to expect, let’s run it down.<\/p>\n

Honorable Mentions:<\/h2>\n

Brock Lesnar<\/h2>\n

“The Beast” brought out the absolute monster in John Cena during their series of matches. While their matches were always blockbuster and generated a ton of buzz, it’s almost always a one-sided mauling courtesy of the “Beast Incarnate,” regardless of whether it’s a win for Cena. Again, while highly entertaining, it’s not the absolute showdown the WWE Universe would expect from Cena’s greatest rivals.<\/p>\n

AJ Styles<\/h2>\n

For a long time, a match between “The Franchise of WWE” John Cena and “Mr. TNA” AJ Styles was nothing but a pipedream for many fans. That was until Styles showed up at the 2015 Royal Rumble, reigniting the flame that fans had to see this match. Styles would’ve definitely been in the running, considering their amazing matches together<\/a>, with their very recent one, WWE Crown Jewel Perth<\/a>, being the absolute barn-burner that it was.<\/p>\n

However, the men who will be included in this list had more of an impact on Cena’s career, not to say Styles didn’t, but it came a bit late in both men’s careers, considering they only had five matches spread across nine to 10 years. Don’t get us wrong, folks, those bouts were still era-defining, and that’s why Styles deserves an honorable mention.<\/p>\n

The Rock<\/h2>\n

One of the best and most unique builds in WrestleMania history was possible because of John Cena and The Rock. One night removed from WrestleMania XVII, Rock and Cena sealed the deal, agreeing to a monster main event match one year in advance at WrestleMania XXVIII. When the time came, the “Once in a Lifetime” bout produced magic and was definitely a dream match most people thought they would never see.<\/p>\n

Sure, it wasn’t “Once in a Lifetime,” considering they had a rematch the very next year, but The Rock versus John Cena definitely earns a shout for starpower alone.<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: By Anton from USA<\/a> – WWE House Show – Garrett Coliseum – 1\/10\/15, CC BY-SA 2.0,<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

JBL<\/h2>\n

In our humble opinion, John Bradshaw Layfield was one of the first competitors who helped John Cena get to a main event level. Bradshaw was a tag team specialist up to that point, reinventing himself to become JBL and WWE Champion in a matter of months back in 2004. JBL reigned supreme over those 10 months, and when the “time was now,” he provided a fantastic foil to the up-and-coming poster boy of WWE, standing in the way of his first WWE Championship.<\/p>\n

Most don’t give JBL the flowers he deserved, considering he was a sort of catalyst in the meteoric rise of the “Never Seen 17,” and gave Cena his first actual test in the big-time.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Kevin Owens<\/h2>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>