All John Cena's WWE World Title opponents

Time of India

24-04-2025

Image via WWE
John Cena
won his 17th
WWE
title, defeating Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41, thereby surpassing Ric Flair's record of 16 WWE titles. As Cena continues his farewell tour, here's a quick look at the opposition that John Cena had to brave in his 17 Title reigns.
Even though things got bumpy for John Cena at WrestleMania 41 with fans slamming him for a mediocre display to win the 17th title, the numbers speak for themselves. In terms of physicality, the kind of punishment that both Cody Rhodes and Cena have taken over the years has uplifted the expectations of the fans.
Despite the consequences, however, John Cena eventually did defeat Cody Rhodes with a bit of a distraction from Travis Scott. With his 17th title in the pocket, he now stands head and shoulders above every other WWE titan. However, the journey to the pedestal of being an unparalleled legend hasn't been easy.
Here's a quick glance at all 17 of his opponents who actually made life a living nightmare for Cena in the ring and yet the leader of Cenation stood tall, defying all the odds.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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1. WrestleMania 21 (2005) – JBL
It was an intense battle between two superstars who made the audience swing to their tunes. John Bradshaw Layfield, better known as JBL, matched Cena ounce for ounce and inflicted some serious physical punishment on the big man. Eventually, John Cena managed to duck while JBL attempted a clothesline to hit the AA on the current WWE broadcaster.
2. Royal Rumble (2006) – Edge
A fight that spanned all corners of the ring and beyond, Edge and John Cena took physical confrontation to a different level. From getting in those nasty body scissors to mocking John Cena with his own gesture, the Rated-R superstar cooked up a full-blown rivalry to savour. Eventually, using Lita as a distraction, John Cena managed to lock Edge in the STF to force him to tap out.
3. Unforgiven (2006) – Edge
After losing the battle to RVD at One Night Stand due to Edge's interference, John Cena chose to avenge his defeat. He took on Edge in a brutal TLC contest and that too in the latter's backyard in Toronto and vanquished him in the clash. Edge showcased his own physical resilience to try to silence Cena once and for all.
4. Survivor Series (2008) – Chris Jericho
Jericho possibly gave the blazes to Cena as he brutalized him with every succeeding minute. Blow after blow, Jericho rained some serious haymakers on John Cena, and the leader of Cenation took it all in. Jericho survived the STF once, but not for long, as Cena quickly turned Jericho in for his own advantage and pinned him for the championship.
5. WrestleMania 25 (2009) – Edge and Big Show
It was a triple-threat battle at the Show of all Shows and John Cena emerged triumphant against two of the biggest stars of all time. The Rated-R superstar threw everything in his repertoire against Cena while Big Show inflicted some serious physical punishment on the Leader of Cenation before he could eventually emerge as the winner.
6. Breaking Point (2009) – Randy Orton
With fans keen to watch heel Cena go head-to-head against face Orton, it all started back in 2009. Randy Orton met John Cena for the title in Breaking Point and the two were engulfed by a hard-hitting rivalry that eventually rewrote the bounds of hardcore wrestling. It was John Cena who successfully made Randy Orton quit after a battle for the ages.
7. Bragging Rights (2009) – Randy Orton
The kind of wrestlers that John Cena and Randy Orton were, a normal battle never really sufficed. If John Cena's win at Breaking Point saw him define brutality then the following Iron Man match against Randy Orton was a notch higher in terms of the haymakers exchanged. At the end of it all, John Cena won the Iron Man match by 6-5 after 60 minutes of relentless war.
8. Elimination Chamber (2010) - Triple H, Ted DiBiase, Randy Orton, John Cena, and Kofi Kingston
This was another terrific showdown by John Cena against five resounding superstars. He eventually went onto beat Triple H to win the Elimination Chamber but that also proved to be his shortest reign. Vince McMahon made Cena contest against Batista straight away and the Animal clinched the title in three minutes.
9. WrestleMania 26 (2010) – Batista
After being divested of the title wrongfully, Cena came in quest of his vengeance. When Batista stood in front of him, the two went on an all-out war which was eventually won by Cena after he locked in an STF on Batista. He also beat Batista in a 'Last Man Standing' and 'I Quit' match to solidify his reign which went on for 84 days.
10. Extreme Rules (2011) – The Miz and John Morrison
Things got bumpy for John Cena when he took a fall against The Nexus and The Miz prior to and at WrestleMania. However, he was soon back on his toes, gunning down The Hollywood A-Lister, The Miz and John Morrison in a steel cage match at the Extreme Rules to win the championship back.
11. WWE Raw (2011) – Rey Mysterio
John Cena lost to CM Punk at Money in the Bank, but with The Straightedge Savior vacating the title, a tournament was hosted to refill the champion slot. Rey Mysterio won the title but later that same night, he took on the Master of 619 and defeated him to claim the belt for the 11th time.
12. Night of Champions (2011) – Alberto del Rio
John Cena had an incredible run with Alberto del Rio. The two actually bared out their arsenal and dropped one good promo after the other in a build-up to the Night of Champions. Eventually, after exchanging some hard-hitting moments, John Cena won the title from Del Rio at Night of Champions.
13. WrestleMania 29 (2013) – The Rock
This was a follow-up battle that saw John Cena put together pieces of exceptional microphone work. Pitted against the best with the mic in his hand, Cena and The Rock went toe-to-toe for two back-to-back WrestleManias. Cena finally avenged his defeat at WM 28 with a fine win against the most electrifying wrestler of all time.
14. Hell in a Cell (2013) – Alberto del Rio
Alberto del Rio had a fine run with the title and savoured a run of dominion for a while. However, much to his surprise, John Cena came back prematurely from his triceps injury and challenged Del Rio to a battle at Hell in a Cell. The two fought a well-orchestrated battle, and eventually, it was John Cena who emerged victorious.
15. Money in the Bank (2014) – Sheamus, Kane, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Alberto del Rio, Cesaro, and Bray Wyatt
After Daniel Bryan had to vacate the WWE title due to an injury, John Cena turned up and challenged for the belt in the Money in the Bank, where he was up against seven other superstars. Eventually, at the end of it all, John Cena put Randy Orton and Kane stacked up against each other before climbing the ladder and claiming the title once and for all.
16. Royal Rumble (2017) – AJ Styles
This came after three years of Cena going without the title. He was locked in a phenomenal battle with AJ Styles, and the two bared their souls to the limits. Finally, John Cena leveled Ric Flair's record with an Attitude Adjustment to the Phenomenal One while finishing his title drought for three years.
17. WrestleMania 41 (2025) – Cody Rhodes
The last run with the championship came at the expense of the American Nightmare. Even though fans weren't particularly happy with what went down, the two superstars pushed each other to the fringes and kept on going at each other's throats until John Cena took the distraction created by Travis Scott and put Cody Rhodes to bed.
Whether as a heel or as a face, John Cena has always stood tall, delivering one incredible match after another. He has continued to fight till his last breath and as he rolls for his farewell tour, the promise of turning up at every single PLE simply makes him the icon that he is.
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