Every John Cena Singles Match Rated 4.5 Stars Or More (According To Dave Meltzer)
John Cena has had a sensational career. Since debuting with the company in 2002, Cena has become one of the top stars in the history of WWE. He has been in many high profile matches, with only the best wrestlers WWE has to offer reserved for him.
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Where Cena specifically shines, is when he goes 1 on 1 with someone. Over the years he has put on some of the greatest matches that WWE fans have seen. A great way to judge a match's quality is through Dave Meltzer's star ratings. Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter is the most respected wrestling journalist in the world and rates matches on a 5-star scale. Any match that he rates 4.5 stars or more is elite.
11 John Cena Vs Edge - Backlash (2009) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
John Cena and Edge had one of the most historic rivalries in WWE history which brought many memorable matches. Their best match according to Meltzer happened at Backlash 2009 when they competed in a Last Man Standing match.
The match quickly erupted into a massive brawl with both Cena and Edge getting their shots in. They fought throughout the arena, and both came close to winning multiple times. Big Show ended up costing Cena the match when he choke-slammed him through a spotlight.
10 John Cena Vs Brock Lesnar - Extreme Rules (2012) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
On the April 2nd, 2012 episode of Raw, Brock Lesnar made his shocking return to WWE and delivered an F5 to John Cena. This set up a huge Extreme Rules match between the two at Extreme Rules 2012.
The match ended up being a brutal encounter with physicality at an all-time high. Lesnar was utterly dominant throughout but it was Cena who pulled out the surprising victory after he hit Lesnar with an AA onto the steel steps.
9 John Cena Vs CM Punk - Raw (February 25, 2013) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
Whenever John Cena and CM Punk stepped foot into the ring with each other, they were at their very best. One of their highest-rated matches by Meltzer was on the February 25th, 2013 episode of Raw where the winner would face The Rock at WrestleMania 29 for the WWE Title.
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Cena and Punk went to war in a match that had all the emotion and determination that a match with these stakes deserved. They both busted out moves they rarely used and that aided Cena when he used a rare hurricanrana followed by the AA to win the match.
8 John Cena Vs Daniel Bryan - SummerSlam (2013) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
In August 2013, John Cena was the WWE Champion and Daniel Bryan was the hottest superstar in the company. This led Cena to choose Bryan as his SummerSlam opponent, setting up an epic clash between the two at SummerSlam 2013.
Cena and Bryan went back and forth throughout the match, with both of them hitting their best shots. Bryan got the pinfall victory when he hit Cena with the Running Knee, claiming his first WWE Championship
7 John Cena Vs Bray Wyatt - Payback (2014) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
In 2014, John Cena was involved in a hellacious feud with Bray Wyatt. Cena and Bray traded victories at WrestleMania 30 and Extreme Rules 2014 which set up a Last Man Standing rubber match at Payback 2014.
To counteract the interference from Luke Harper and Erik Rowan, The Uso's came to the aid of Cena which only made this match better. Cena ended up winning the violent and ruthless affair after he executed the AA on Bray through an equipment crate.
6 John Cena Vs Kevin Owens - Elimination Chamber (2015) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
On the May 15th, 2015 episode of Raw, Kevin Owens made his main roster debut confronting John Cena and hitting him with a Pop-up Powerbomb. This set up a marquee match between the two at Elimination Chamber 2015.
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Cena and Owens stole the show, with Owens putting all WWE fans on notice. What made this match even more special is that Owens defeated Cena clean, which is a special accomplishment for any wrestler, let alone a wrestler in his debut match.
5 John Cena Vs Kevin Owens - Money In The Bank (2015) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
After their blockbuster match at Elimination Chamber 2015, a rematch between John Cena and Kevin Owens was scheduled for Money In The Bank 2015. It was hard to believe this match could live up to their first clash, but as Meltzer's ratings show, it did.
Cena and Owens played their previous match into this one perfectly, with even more added to it. They both executed their finishers on the other but neither could get the 3 count. Cena ended up putting Owens away after hitting him with an AA for the 3rd time in the match.
4 John Cena Vs Seth Rollins - SummerSlam (2015) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
At SummerSlam 2015, John Cena took on Seth Rollins in a Winner Takes All match for both Cena's United States Championship and Rollins' WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Cena and Rollins went to battle in a match that told a great story and contained many near falls. The only thing that likely kept Meltzer from rating it even higher was the finish, which was Jon Stewart costing Cena the match when he hit him with a steel chair allowing Rollins to capitalize.
3 John Cena Vs AJ Styles - SummerSlam (2016) - Rating: 4.5 Stars
After AJ Styles and John Cena's first PPV clash at Money In The Bank 2016, it made fans want to see another one. They got just that after Cena accepted Styles' challenge for a rematch at SummerSlam 2016.
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Their first match was great but this one blew it out of the water. For over 23 minutes they went shot for shot with each other in a classic. Styles was able to put Cena away when he hit him with a second Phenomenal Forearm.
2 John Cena Vs AJ Styles - Royal Rumble (2017) - Rating: 4.75 Stars
At Royal Rumble 2017, John Cena and AJ Styles put on another absolute blockbuster match, this time for the WWE Championship. This was a highly anticipated contest and it more than lived up to all of the hype surrounding it, stealing the show in the process.
Once again Cena and Styles went back and forth with many near falls along the way. Cena was finally able to get a victory over Styles when he hit him with the AA for the 4th time in the match. This win also saw Cena tie Ric Flair's record of 16 World Championship reigns.
1 John Cena Vs CM Punk - Money In The Bank (2011) - Rating: 5 Stars
This is not only the highest-rated match of John Cena's career but one of the highest-rated in WWE history. At Money In The Bank 2011, CM Punk challenged Cena for the WWE Championship.
The match was tremendous with the white-hot Chicago crowd putting it over the top. Punk was able to get the win when he hit Cena with the GTS for the second time in the match. This was the first WWE match that Meltzer rated 5 stars since 1997.
