John Cena's 15 Best World Title Matches, According To Cagematch.net

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• John Cena is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Cena is by the same token, one of the most polarizing wrestlers in WWE history and he was the face of the company for a decade. Big Match John is a 16-time World Champion with a record 13 runs as WWE Champion, and he won the World Heavyweight Championship three times. Cena has competed against some iconic legends in the professional wrestling industry, and whenever a World Championship is at stake, Cena always rises to the occasion. The ratings on Cagematch.net always fluctuate with wrestling fans regularly resisting Cena's World Championship matches and leaving comments.

John Cena is one of the best World Champions in professional wrestling history, with a record-tying 16 reigns as champion, which is equaled only by Ric Flair. Ever since his main roster WWE debut all the way back in 2002, Cena has won the WWE Championship 13 times, and the World Heavyweight Championship 3 times, in addition to being in and around the title picture even when he wasn’t the champ.

RELATED: John Cena's 10 Best WWE PPV Main Events, Ranked

Over the years, he has faced some of the top names in wrestling history in huge title matches, and some of those are up there in contention for the greatest or most memorable matches of all time, with Cagematch.net rating some of them very highly.

Updated on October 21st, 2022 by Tevon King: John Cena is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Cena is one of the most polarizing wrestlers in WWE history, and he was the face of the company for a decade. Big Match John is a 16-time World Champion with a record 13 runs as WWE Champion, and he won the World Heavyweight Championship three times. Cena has competed against some iconic legends in the professional wrestling industry, and whenever a World Championship is at stake, Cena always rises to the occasion. The ratings on Cagematch.net always fluctuate with wrestling fans regularly resisting Cena's World Championship matches and leaving comments.

UPDATE: 2022/10/28 07:30 EST BY Tevon King

John Cena is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. Cena is by the same token, one of the most polarizing wrestlers in WWE history and he was the face of the company for a decade. Big Match John is a 16-time World Champion with a record 13 runs as WWE Champion, and he won the World Heavyweight Championship three times. Cena has competed against some iconic legends in the professional wrestling industry, and whenever a World Championship is at stake, Cena always rises to the occasion. The ratings on Cagematch.net always fluctuate with wrestling fans regularly resisting Cena's World Championship matches and leaving comments.

15 John Cena Vs. Randy Orton - Bragging Rights 2009 (8.41)

The rivalry between John Cena and Randy Orton dominated the latter part of 2009, and the WWE Championship changed hands frequently between the pair. At Bragging Rights, Cena challenged Orton for the WWE Championship in an Anything Goes 60-minute Iron Man match.

They knocked it out of the park in a fantastic match, and the pair were evenly matched. The scores were level at 5-5 but Cena edged ahead as he applied the STF leaving Orton no choice but to tap out, and he became WWE Champion for the fifth time.

14 John Cena Vs. CM Punk - SummerSlam 2011 (8.44)

The stakes were high in John Cena and CM Punk's hotly anticipated rematch at SummerSlam 2011 as the winner would be crowned as the Undisputed WWE Champion. Both men walked in as WWE Champion, and COO of WWE, Triple H oversaw proceedings as special guest referee.

Cena and Punk hit a home run in a superb WWE Championship match with both having their chances to prevail. Nevertheless, the finish was controversial as Cena's foot was clearly placed on the bottom rope but Triple H failed to see it with the Second City Saint getting the better of Cena once again.

13 John Cena Vs. Edge Vs. Rey Mysterio Vs. Chris Jericho Vs. Kane Vs. Mike Knox - No Way Out 2009 (8.51)

John Cena defended the World Heavyweight Championship in an Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out 2009 with five hungry challengers. Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Kane, Mike Knox, and Edge, who stole Kofi Kingston's spot were all determined to walk into WrestleMania 25 as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion.

RELATED: 10 Best John Cena Vs Edge Matches, According To Dave Meltzer

This was one of the best Elimination Chamber matches in WWE history. The action was off the charts, and Cena's reign as World Heavyweight Champion came to a halt when Edge eliminated him with a Spear. Edge lived up to his Ultimate Opportunist moniker, and he captured his ninth World Championship after dropping the WWE Championship at the start of the night.

12 John Cena Vs. Shawn Michaels - WrestleMania 23 (8.51)

John Cena and Shawn Michaels may have been the reigning World Tag Team Champions but the WWE Championship was at the forefront of their minds when they locked horns in the main event of WrestleMania 23. Cena and Michaels had magnificent chemistry together, and their match was excellent.

Blood was shed and there was a big fight feel to this bout. The Heartbreak Kid pushed Cena to his absolute limit, but Cena showed why he was the undisputed face of the company as he applied the STF forcing Michaels to submit in a successful WWE Title defense.

11 John Cena Vs. Bray Wyatt Vs. AJ Styles Vs. Baron Corbin Vs. Dean Ambrose Vs. The Miz - Elimination Chamber 2017 (8.56)

Just two weeks removed from winning his 16th World Championship, John Cena defended the WWE Championship in an Elimination Chamber match against Bray Wyatt, AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, the Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose, and The Miz. Cena had a huge target on his back but he relished the challenge.

Cena and Styles got things underway and they had some fantastic exchanges. Cena removed Miz from the equation with his patented AA. Bray Wyatt brought the curtain down on Cena's WWE Championship reign with Sister Abigail, and the Eater of Worlds went on to capture his first WWE Championship.

10 John Cena Vs. Edge - Backlash 2009 (8.62)

A few years following their classic rivalry over the WWE Title, these two old foes came to blows over the World Heavyweight Championship. Cena picked up the belt at WrestleMania 25, setting up a Last Man Standing rematch. It is sometimes hard pacing a match with this stipulation, but the pair did great.

RELATED: Edge's 13 Best World Title Matches, According To Dave Meltzer

The big spots were built up perfectly, and there were a lot of unique moments, with their chemistry on full show. It wasn’t the most ridiculous spot fest, but it was more methodical and meaningful. The end of the match saw a huge spot, in which Big Show interfered, slamming Cena through a spotlight, which was accompanied by a massive explosion.

9 Edge Vs. John Cena - Unforgiven 2006 (8.91)

This TLC match brought out a whole new side to Cena, as he would win this match to begin a huge 380-day reign as WWE Champion. His feud with Edge was something that pushed both men to the next level, and this fantastic match was a big part of that.

Cena brought out a new aggressive side to him during this one, and it was capped off with a huge Attitude Adjustment from atop a ladder, and through several tables.

8 John Cena Vs. Umaga - Royal Rumble 2007 (8.97)

This was a throwback bloodbath between the huge monster heel and the triumphant hero, in what felt like an absolute war between the two men. The Last Man Standing stipulation allowed for clever pacing, which was full of drama, with some belief that Umaga would pull out the win.

This was the start of Cena’s unstoppable nature, defeating any new top heel that came head-to-head with him. However, with this being essentially the first, it didn’t come across poorly and was one of Cena’s best title matches ever, and a Royal Rumble classic.

7 John Cena Vs. Edge Vs. Randy Orton Vs. Shawn Michaels - Backlash 2007 (8.98)

This was a star-studded field featuring four of the greatest superstars of all time. There was a lot of fast-paced action, although it did suffer from the four-way trope of two guys selling on the outside whilst two men were in the ring fighting.

RELATED: Every WWE PPV Main Event From 2007, Ranked Worst To Best

However, with the star power involved, that didn’t affect things too seriously, as all four men got a chance to shine at several different moments during the match. It was a great PPV main event, and Cena would manage to pull out the win.

6 CM Punk Vs. John Cena - Night Of Champions 2012 (9.03)

There are several great Punk and Cena matches, with most of the attention drawn to others, but from purely a wrestling standpoint, this was perhaps their best. Cena and Punk had undeniable chemistry, and the smoothness of this match proved exactly that.

The only sour note was this ending in a draw, with both men pinning each other after a false Cena win. That took away from what was a terrific match, but it still holds up either way, with Punk on his A-game, and proving himself to be a fantastic WWE Champion, with this match coming during his record-breaking reign.

5 AJ Styles Vs. John Cena - Royal Rumble 2017 (9.08)

This was a classic match between Cena’s best rival during his last few years of full-time in-ring competition. He and Styles had the same sort of chemistry that Cena had with the likes of Shawn Michaels and CM Punk, with the pair tearing it up in one of the best title matches in Rumble history.

This was the third of a fantastic trilogy, with this match being a unique one where they didn’t leave the ring once, which was a fun dynamic. This was a historical match, with Cena winning his record-equaling sixteenth world title, which was a great moment, and fully deserved when looking at his career.

4 John Cena Vs. JBL - Judgement Day 2005 (9.16)

Despite being one of the most clean-cut babyfaces of all time, renowned for his goofiness and jokes, Cena had one of the bloodiest matches in WWE history alongside his first major title rival, JBL. This “I Quit” match was an all-out war and was perhaps the first great match of Cena’s career.

RELATED: JBL's Final 10 WWE Matches, Ranked From Worst To Best

This was a wild brawl from start to finish, and JBL played both the aggressive and cowardly heel perfectly. It was chaotic but in all the right ways.

3 Brock Lesnar Vs. Seth Rollins Vs. John Cena - Royal Rumble 2015 (9.28)

This triple threat match for the WWE Title is up there with the best three-way matches in history, with the match put together wonderfully. Rollins came across as the smart, young, new star, Cena was his classic self, and Lesnar was presented as a complete monster.

The job here was to further establish the threat of Lesnar, but the other two played roles brilliantly to complete a great title match, full of big spots, great wrestling, and an electric crowd from start to finish.

2 John Cena Vs. Daniel Bryan - Summerslam 2013 (9.31)

This had a big fight feel, with the two top babyfaces in the company going head-to-head. It had the typical big-match slow start, which intensified as the contest went on. Bryan is one of the best wrestlers of all time, and Cena raised his game to try and match him, showing once again just how good of an in-ring worker he can be.

The climax of this match was stunning, with Bryan pulling out a clean victory to win the WWE Championship for the first time before it was stolen from him just minutes later by special guest referee, Triple H.

1 John Cena Vs. CM Punk - Money In The Bank 2011 (9.65)

This is one of the greatest WWE matches of all time, and certainly the best of Cena’s career, and that may very well be the same for Punk. Out of all the legends Cena faced in WWE, Punk is thought to be perhaps his greatest rival, and this match is the reason why.

It was technically brilliant, and full of intensity, emotion, and one of the loudest crowds of all time, with this match taking place in Punk’s hometown, with his contract expiring at the end of the night. Punk’s title win produced a fantastic angle, and the best match since the PG Era began in WWE.