What was John Cena's greatest feud?

[WWE4EVA!]

John Cena has been the Main person in Wwe since 2005 now and he has had some great feuds/rivalries with other top superstars and it got me thinking what was his greatest feud.

For me it was either Edge or Randy Orton because they have put on some great matches with each other and with Edge, Cena shot him into Main Event fame and he never looked back

So who do you think John Cena`s greatest feud has been with so far?

 

[thomasgj]

His feud with Edge is my personal favorite, especially because Lita got to be so involved.

 

[strongbad]

For a long time, I would've said Randy Orton. They have been the perennial top two superstars since 2005. I'm now starting to think CM Punk though. He's much better on the mic, and he knows how to generate heat. Since that MITB in 2011, they have had numerous matches and some awesome promos. I don't think they are done yet either.

 

[Kidpolean]

CM Punk.

While I do think that the Cm Punk fued was awesome I cant say it was John Cena's best. The reason is because Punk carried the fued. I literally cant remember one thing Cena did to make the fued memorable, all I can remember is Punk owning Cena on the mic every week. I would go with the Orton fued

 

[TheImpactPlayer]

While I think the matches with Punk may have been the best, they have never really had a long program together. It has to be either Edge or Orton. I think I have to go with Orton because they were facing each other for almost 4 straight months. They both came in at the same time and the WWE waited until they were both huge to have them face each other. I think the WWE tried to manufacture the both of them to be "The Feud" kind of like Stone Cold VS The Rock, but it obviously did not work out quite as good.

 

[edgehead113]

I think this answer can go a few different ways.

As far as which Cena feud did the most for the opponent, I'd have to say CM Punk. Punk had had a few reigns before 2011, but he really became a superstar in the eyes of more than just the IWC during the Cena feud that summer. He really hasn't looked back and has been more successful as far as his booking than Cena since then (although the IWC would never admit it.)

As far as the Cena feud that brought out the most in his opponent, I'd say Batista. Batista made it no secret that he felt the company made a mistake when they chose Cena over him as the top face, when they really were comparable until about 2006, 2007. Batista's heel turn and feud with Cena brought out some real pent up resentment and I think he earned a lot of respect in many wrestling circles that thought of him as just a big, mobile VKM roids guy.

When I think about the most natural feud Cena ever had, however, the answer is Edge, by a mile. CM Punk simply hates everything that isn't his own vision for the WWE, and as such he could really feud with any face other than maybe Daniel Bryan and do most of the schtick he used on McMahon/Cena. Batista didn't like Cena much but that feud was more a personal vendetta than a difference in wrestling style or opinion. Edge and Cena in the mid 2000's were really polar opposites, and as such they had a feud that I'd argue launched both careers.

Cena was the clean cut superman, with high moral character and super strength to match (wait, I've just received word that 2013 John Cena is almost exactly the same character...never mind, no need to develop that further). Edge was the cocky, slimy, long-haired bad boy with a bad girl to match. He lied, he cheated, and his character brought back the "cool heel" that WWE had been missing. From the moment he cashed in the MITB after New Year's Resolution 2006, the Cena-Edge feud was THE FEUD in the WWE for that year. Their feud saw several title changes and many iconic moments, from Biker Edge spearing Cena through a table at One Night Stand 2006, enabling RVD to win (and Edge winning the Title in a Triple Threat 2 weeks later on Raw) to Cena giving the F-U off a ladder through two tables to Edge at Unforgiven 2006, in Edge's hometown of Toronto.

Without Cena feud's, we might still have CM Punk the pipebomber, might have had Batista the angry heel. But we probably wouldn't have had a year-long feud like the Edge-Cena feud in 2006. The Rated R Superstar, The Ultimate Opportunist was born, and I'd argue that a big reason Cena became the top guy instead of Batista was because of the Edge feud.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Edge always brought out the best matches in Cena, and IMO, really taught him how to perform at a main event caliber level. Edge was a pre-cursor in many ways to CM Punk. Punk would probably be my number 2 choice, as he and Cena do great stuff together.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

When I look back on all of John Cena's great feuds, I'm reminded of how many guys really benefited from squaring off against Cena. Edge first won the WWE Championshi[ by cashing in MITB on Cena, ending Cena's huge Title run. They went on to have a great feud later that year, culminating in the epic TLC Match in Toronto. That rivalry with Cena is really what established Edge as a main event heel.

Someone else mentioned Batista, and that's a guy that Cena didn't help make necessarily but helped reinvent in a way. After Batista turned heel, his feud with Cena cemented him in that role and helped get him some big time heat.

Then of course there is CM Punk. Make no mistake about it, John Cena is one of the main factors in CM Punk's rise to the top. That feud going into MITB 2011 made Punk into a true main event level superstar. Punk is the perfect foil for John Cena, and when they go up against each other either on the mic or in the ring, great things happen. I remember a promo Cena cut on Randy Orton going into their Ironman match when he said, "John Cena vs. Randy has become a rivalry...no...John Cena vs. Randy Orton has become THE rivalry", and while Cena/Orton was good rivalry, Cena/Punk is THE rivalry. CM Punk's feud with Cena is the best feud of Cena's career, and the best feud of Punk's career as well. I can't wait to see these two face off again.

Overall, people don't give Cena anywhere close to enough credit. If you actually look at the great feuds and matches he's had (I Quit match against JBL, matches with Kurt Angle, SummerSlam 2005 and Survivor Series 2008 matches with Jericho, matches with Triple H at Wrestlemania 22 and Night of Champions, Wresltemania 23 match and hour long RAW match with HBK, Last Man Standing match with Umaga, Ironman match with Orton, TLC and Last Man Standing matches with Edge, all his matches with Punk, Wrestlemania 28 match with the Rock, etc. etc.) you'll see that not only has John Cena had a Hall of Fame career, but that he is among the best ever in the WWE.

 

[MaverickMeyer]

I totally agree. I'm not a Cena mark, but I'll gladly admit that I like him. He's had great matches for the better part of 10 years, and whether i'm laughing with him or at him, entertains me

 

[Airehk]

For me, it's when Cena was first drafted to Raw and the feud that began between the new hot commodity from Smackdown and the ruling king of Raw. We already knew the power Triple H had on Raw with Evolution and the multiple title reigns, but Cena had been building serious momentum over on Smackdown by taking on the likes of Lesnar, Taker, JBL and Angle.

Cena: You want some? Come get some!
Triple H: If I want some, I'll take it.

 

[boozinjedi]

I'm going with HHH,

Before he headlined back to back manias with The Rock,He headlined back to back with HHH.

But I have to admit Edge is a very and I do mean very close second.

 

[HBsam31]

I gotta go with Edge. I think Cena brought the best out in Edge and vice versa. The had really good matches, and I think the Cena really solidified Edge as a maain eventer. Both men came out of the feud looking better than before, and I have to agree with the people that said Cena doesn't get enough credit. He never really had a bad feud. I would put Orton and HHH as a close second in best Cena feuds, but Edge is just a little better imo.

 

[Judah's Lion]

tough call. tbh, i think Cena has had several great feuds and even more great matches. i'll admit that many of those said feuds and matches could be a tad on the predictable side, but they're still enjoyable to varying degree.

2 names i didn't see mentioned yet are Big Show and JBL.

i thought Cena's feud with Show going into Mania 20 for the US Title was very good, and Cena hitting the FU on Show was pretty impressive. then some years later, i liked the rehashing of the feud after Show cost Cena the World Title by chokeslamming him thru a spotlight. that was pretty cool to see.

Cena of course won his first WHC from JBL. that was a decent feud going into Mania 21, but i really liked when they feuded again years later and had their Parking Lot Brawl.

believe it or not, i even liked his feud with Khali. first he got Khali to tap out, which no one had done prior. then in a falls-count-anywhere rematch, he got Khali up in the FU and got the pin, which no one had done prior. i thought for sure the WWE was gonna pull the trigger on Khali during this feud and give him the strap, so it was a bit of a surprise to see Cena win at the time.

overall though, i think my final vote goes to Orton. i've not watched all of Cena's feuds recently, but if my memory serves me correctly, he was one of the few (if not only) opponents that actually seemed like a realistic threat to beating Cena. Cena and Orton traded the title quite a bit and i enjoyed the progression of their matches: standard match, submission match, hell in a cell, iron man.

yes, Big Show and Khali had their size and strength advantage, but are not as marketable a draw as Cena, so from a business standpoint, you could see Cena victorious in both, as he was. Edge always had to cheat to win and lost often. he only won via DQ it seems. the same could almost be said of Punk. he beat Cena a ton of times, but never really a clean win.

other honorable mentions go to Triple H, HBK, Angle, Jericho and Batista.

spin off question: Austin, Rock and Triple H were arguably the biggest stars of the Attitude Era and the faces of WWE, yet never had a triple threat match together. Orton, Cena and Batista were arguably the biggest stars of the PG Era and the faces of WWE, yet never had a triple threat match together. any ideas why that is...?

good topic, OP.

 

[tom9422]

It's either Edge/Cena or Punk/Cena, personally, i'd go with the latter.

I think Punk/Cena had the best context and the best story, with sentiments that remain to this day and provides fuels for any feud they wanna have. It was probably as close to the Austin/McMahon feud as they'll ever get, despite all the failed attempts. It was the rebel versus the empire, the poster boy, the corporate champion. It blurred the lines of reality and kayfabe so well that people just got so invested in it. It felt real because for the most part, it was. You had CM Punk, the ultra-talented champion of the people against the man that a lot of people have come to resent. It had somewhat of a revolutionary feel to it. CM Punk wanted what he was owed, so he took it after feeling held down for too long.

 

[JJ15776]

While I do think that the Cm Punk fued was awesome I cant say it was John Cena's best. The reason is because Punk carried the fued. I literally cant remember one thing Cena did to make the fued memorable, all I can remember is Punk owning Cena on the mic every week. I would go with the Orton fued

Yeah, all Cena did was make the feud matter. Remember, without that Cena feud, Punk would be lucky to be in the dark match this past WrestleMania instead of fighting The Undertaker in the co-main event. No 434 day title reign, no "best in the world" gimmick. That's what Cena brought to the feud. Relevance. Not to mention excellence on the mic, as always. That has to be the most hilarious misuse of the word "owning" I've ever seen in my life. Cena more than held his own.

I digress, because that's not my answer. I think Punk may well be the answer by the time their respective careers are over, because they still have some feuding to do, but not yet.

The Randy Orton and Edge feuds are very close here. The feud with Randy Orton lasted longer, partly because it was interrupted by Cena's injury, and involved more matches. More gimmick matches. Because of that injury, they really had two distinctly separate feuds that were both quite memorable. But I'm going to go with the Edge feud for two seasons:

1.Randy Orton is Just. So. Boring. Yes, he was given a great gimmick that did its best to cover all his flaws, but at the end of the day the flaws are still there. Generic on the mic and in the ring, it's hard to imagine him being anything more than a mid carder if his last name's not Orton and if he wasn't placed in Evolution to get the rub of all rubs from Flair and Triple H.

2.This could be a topic that takes up an entire thread(anybody else can feel free to make it), but in addition to all the great moments and matches they provided, IMO the initial Edge-Cena feud did as much to elevate both of their careers as any other feud has done for the participants in the history of wrestling. Before the feud started, Edge was a midcarder trying to break through and Cena was a fresh faced main eventer trying to establish himself there. Eight months later, when the feud came to an end(for the time being) in that TLC match, Edge was a bonafide main eventer and Cena was the face of the company. That feud proved Edge belonged in the main event and it proved Cena could carry the WWE. That's what separates it for me.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Edge and Orton. If i think about Cena feuds those 2 come to my mind. Both great and both very memorable with lots of matches...

CM Punk is on good way to be there also because i do think that they are gona feud again in the future and make more of their feud...

 

[tom9422]

Yeah, all Cena did was make the feud matter. Remember, without that Cena feud, Punk would be lucky to be in the dark match this past WrestleMania instead of fighting The Undertaker in the co-main event. No 434 day title reign, no "best in the world" gimmick. That's what Cena brought to the feud. Relevance. Not to mention excellence on the mic, as always. That has to be the most hilarious misuse of the word "owning" I've ever seen in my life. Cena more than held his own.

Come on now, don't try and pretend that Punk would have been a nobody if not for Cena, much less a Mania dark match. He was a multiple time WHC and was pretty established then. The pipebomb and Cena feud certainly made him one of WWE's two big stars but lets not get dramatic here. Owning is strong to say but kinda true. Cena wasn't stumbling over words and looking like a fool but Punk was just blurring the lines of kayfabe and present him with legitimate concerns a lot of fans have with him and he just didn't have much logic to respond with. That still doesn't lessen how good the feud was.

 

[the_vipers_enigma]

That is one tough question because his feuds with Edge, Orton, Punk and HHH were entertaining to watch and there are also his feuds with Jericho and Batista. But for me the feud with Edge stands out the most.
There were really good things in that feud and it cemented Edge as a main eventer. They had managers, girlfriends, fathers in that feud and they made each other look good. The chemistry between them was something that doesn't happen often. And the feud had one of the most memorable moments in the PG Era for me which is the promo between them on SD before their match for the WHC at Backlash.

 

[Kidpolean]

Yeah, all Cena did was make the feud matter. Remember, without that Cena feud, Punk would be lucky to be in the dark match this past WrestleMania instead of fighting The Undertaker in the co-main event. No 434 day title reign, no "best in the world" gimmick. That's what Cena brought to the feud. Relevance. Not to mention excellence on the mic, as always. That has to be the most hilarious misuse of the word "owning" I've ever seen in my life. Cena more than held his own.

I digress, because that's not my answer. I think Punk may well be the answer by the time their respective careers are over, because they still have some feuding to do, but not yet.

The Randy Orton and Edge feuds are very close here. The feud with Randy Orton lasted longer, partly because it was interrupted by Cena's injury, and involved more matches. More gimmick matches. Because of that injury, they really had two distinctly separate feuds that were both quite memorable. But I'm going to go with the Edge feud for two seasons:

1.Randy Orton is Just. So. Boring. Yes, he was given a great gimmick that did its best to cover all his flaws, but at the end of the day the flaws are still there. Generic on the mic and in the ring, it's hard to imagine him being anything more than a mid carder if his last name's not Orton and if he wasn't placed in Evolution to get the rub of all rubs from Flair and Triple H.

2.This could be a topic that takes up an entire thread(anybody else can feel free to make it), but in addition to all the great moments and matches they provided, IMO the initial Edge-Cena feud did as much to elevate both of their careers as any other feud has done for the participants in the history of wrestling. Before the feud started, Edge was a midcarder trying to break through and Cena was a fresh faced main eventer trying to establish himself there. Eight months later, when the feud came to an end(for the time being) in that TLC match, Edge was a bonafide main eventer and Cena was the face of the company. That feud proved Edge belonged in the main event and it proved Cena could carry the WWE. That's what separates it for me.

My point to that was that Punk made the fued special and not Cena. Cena was just the drawing power for the fued but Punk was what made it special. Cena is good in the mic but Punk was red hot and dropping pipebombs on everybody at the time. Punks mic work from MITB up until about Survivor series was some of the best ive seen since the attitude era. Punk out shined Cena in ever aspect of that fued So to say that is Cena's best fued is just plain silly. Cena has had the upperhand in a lot of fueds but this was just not one of them.

 

[Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D.]

I want to say HBK. Their Mania match and that 60 min. broadway they did on Raw are just incredible from start to finish.

 

[Papa Pillman]

I realize general logic here is going to dictate that the best answer be Orton, Edge, or Punk. All three were quality fueds that included memorable matches. But, I'm gonna go outside the box and say...

The Rock.

The complete story told in this fued is classic wrestling storytelling, and it played out over a couple of years.

First we had The Rock being involved in Cena's Mania match with Miz, where Rock cost Cena the chance to regain the title. That lead to setting up for the first time a Mania main event with a full year of hype. During the gap, Cena and Rock were able to come together for a tag team match at Survivior Series where Rock once again got the better of Cena, Rock-Bottoming him to close the show. Then we had a very strong build into the "once in a lifetime" encounter where Cena, who claimed he "had to win" eventually failed and lost when the big show arrived. This in kayfabe sent Cena into a personal and professional tail-spin that resulted in the "worst year of his life". After finally getting it back on track and winning the Rumble, he watched as his nemesis that had had such an effect on his psyche, claimed the WWE title setting up Cena's path to redemption. After both were able to dispatch of the Punk obstacle, the stage was set for "twice" in a lifetime. Declaring in front of the world that he had "beat himself" Cena again put all the pressure on his shoulders to get the job done. Then, in a moment two years in the making, Cena finally completed his epic by both defeating The Rock and becoming WWE champ again on the biggest stage.

Say what you will about the main event re-match taking Mania hostage for a second year. Say what you will about the quality, or lack there of, of the matches. But you can't argue with the ultimate long term story that was told by the Rock/Cena feud.