10 Things WWE Fans Should Know About The John Cena Vs. Chris Jericho Rivalry
John Cena and Chris Jericho will go down in history as two of the all-time greats to grace a WWE ring. Cena has a joint-record 16 World Titles to his name, and Chris Jericho is an eight-time World Champion with six of his World Championship reigns in WWE. Cena can thank Jericho for helping him get over in the early stages of his career on SmackDown, and when Cena moved over from SmackDown to Raw in 2005.
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Their matches together were competitive, and Cena often got the better of Jericho on several occasions. However, Jericho and Cena often feuded at different stages of their careers and World Championships were involved in parts of their rivalry. Nonetheless, there were several aspects of their rivalry that fans have forgotten about.
10 Jericho Got His Lone Win Over John Cena In Their First One-On-One Match
Chris Jericho and John Cena's first one-on-one meeting was on the July 4, 2002, edition of SmackDown. The week prior, Cena collided with Kurt Angle, and Cena had another stern test in the early stages of his WWE career.
Jericho was out for revenge after Cena showcased his "Ruthless Aggression" by slapping Jericho in his face, the week prior. This was a decent match, and Jericho had to put his feet on the ropes for leverage to secure the victory, which turned out to be Jericho's only victory over Cena in one-on-one matches.
9 Vengeance 2002 Was John Cena's First Pay-Per-View Match
John Cena and Chris Jericho had a rematch at Vengeance 2002, and Jericho had great memories from the last Vengeance as he became the Undisputed WWE Champion. Nevertheless, Vengeance 2002 was Cena's WWE pay-per-view debut.
Jericho dominated the early stages of the match, and he connected with the Breakdown, but he opted not to pin Cena. However, Cena ensured that his pay-per-view debut was going to be memorable as he countered the Walls of Jericho, and scored the win with a roll-up.
8 John Cena Was Unveiled As A Member Of Raw On The Highlight Reel
On the June 6, 2005, edition of Raw, Chris Jericho opened up Raw with the Highlight Reel. Jericho did a masterful job of selling his guest who was unveiled to be the WWE Champion John Cena, who was the first pick in the 2005 draft lottery.
Jericho said for them to "come on down", and the pop that Cena received was deafening. The reigning WWE Champion went on to become the face of Raw, and the atmosphere was electric with Cena pleased to be on Raw.
7 Chris Jericho Turned Heel After Cena's First Match On Raw
One week after John Cena was unveiled as the first draft pick, he competed on Raw for the first time in a tag team match alongside Chris Jericho. They squared off with Christian and his problem solver, Tyson Tomko.
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Cena and Jericho were the clear-cut favorites to prevail, and Cena got off the mark on Raw with a victory as he executed the FU on Tomko. However, Jericho turned heel afterward by launching a vicious assault on the reigning WWE Champion.
6 Battle Of The Bands
WWE Champion John Cena released a rap album, and Cena went back to his rapper gimmick roots on the July 25, 2005, episode of Raw as there was a battle of the bands between Cena and Chris Jericho. Jericho was the leader of his band Fozzy, and it was interesting to see who was going to come out on top.
Cena's popularity was at an all-time high, and he knocked it out of the park with a breathtaking performance. After Cena performed Jericho interrupted Cena by complaining, and he refused to perform, and this set up their upcoming WWE Championship match at SummerSlam.
5 Chris Jericho Was The Special Referee In Cena And Carlito's Match
John Cena and Chris Jericho had unfinished business on the same night of the Battle of the Bands as Cena clashed with the Intercontinental Champion Carlito in a champion versus champion match. There was a caveat as Jericho was the special guest referee.
There were shenanigans, and Jericho was not an impartial special guest referee. Cena was closing in on victory, but Jericho low-blowed Cena, and Jericho executed the bulldog and followed it up with a lionsault. Carlito stole the win all thanks to Jericho.
4 Chris Jericho Was Fired After He Failed To Beat Cena For The WWE Championship
Chris Jericho failed to defeat John Cena for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2005, but 24 hours later, the stakes were higher in their rematch. Cena's WWE Championship was on the line once again, but the loser of this match would be fired.
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Jericho and Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff did everything in their power to ensure that Cena would lose the match. However, that failed to materialize with Cena retaining the WWE Championship. Jericho was fired, but in reality, he wanted to tour with his band Fozzy and take some time off from wrestling as he was burned out.
3 John Cena Won The World Heavyweight Championship Upon His Return From Injury
John Cena sustained an injury in his clash with Batista at SummerSlam 2008, and he was not seen again for three months. Cena marked his return to action in his home state of Massachusetts, as he challenged Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Championship at Survivor Series 2008.
They reignited their feud, and it was a solid match between the pair. The outcome was not a surprise with Cena overcoming Y2J to become World Heavyweight Champion for the first time in his career.
2 John Cena Ended The Feud By Retaining The World Heavyweight Championship
As customary when a champion loses their championship, they invoke their rematch clause, and Chris Jericho did just that at Armageddon 2008. Y2J was looking to ensure that Cena's World Heavyweight Championship reign was going to last one month.
Their rematch was better than their encounter at Survivor Series, and Jericho showcased his resiliency by kicking out of the Attitude Adjustment. Despite his efforts, it wasn't enough as Cena cinched in the STF with Jericho tapping out as Cena retained the World Heavyweight Championship.
1 Their Final One-On-One Match Was In 2012
A decade after their first encounter, John Cena and Chris Jericho's clashed on the June 25, 2012, edition of Raw. This was the final time that they went head-to-head in a one-on-one match. Jericho took the initiative, and he was looking to wear down Cena with some submission holds.
Cena and Jericho know each other's skill sets well, and they countered each other's finishing moves. There wasn't a clean finish as Jericho's former tag team partner Big Show intervened by attacking Cena when Jericho locked in the Walls of Jericho.
