Throughout John Cena's career, he has often been heavily criticized for not putting over other wrestlers, however, he has actually lost to a lot of wrestlers throughout his career. Whether it be Kevin Owens or AJ Styles, Cena has certainly put over his fair share of wrestlers at different points in time.
Despite the fact there were points when Cena should certainly have lost rather than won, such as with Nexus, there are actually matches in his career where Cena would have been better off winning. Whether it's because the actual outcome didn't work out well, or the long-term idea didn't work, there are certain moments in his career where Cena would have benefitted from an extra victory.
10 Vs. John Laurinaitis (Over The Limit, 2012)
This was one of the worst matches of John Cena's career and remains one of the worst main events in PPV history. John Laurinaitis had no reason to even be in a match like this, let alone actually winning it.
While it didn't damage Cena's career in the long run, it was just ridiculous to believe Laurinaitis could beat him. Big Show played an impact in the finish here, which fans hated, and overall it would have been better to see a short, sharp, squash victory for Cena.
9 Vs. Orlando Jordan (SmackDown, 3/1/05)
This defeat came during John Cena's feud with JBL, where Orlando Jordan was part of JBL's Cabinet. It was actually for the United States Championship and saw Cena drop the title, which ultimately felt like a mistake.
While Cena obviously had to lose the title at some point in his career, Jordan wasn't really the right person to drop it to. Cena also deserved to lose the title on a bigger night, at a PPV, giving his title run the respect it deserved.
8 Vs. Wade Barrett (Hell In A Cell, 2010)
This match had a lot on the line, with Nexus having to break up if John Cena won, while Cena had to join the group if Wade Barrett got the victory. In the end, Cena lost and 'joined' the faction, but that didn't exactly work out.
It was a desperate bid to try and keep Nexus relevant, but by that point, the damage had been done. Cena joining the group did nothing for the faction and it would've been easier for WWE to have just ended the storyline immediately.
7 Vs. Seth Rollins (SummerSlam, 2015)
WWE really booked itself into a corner with this 'Winner Takes All Match' that saw the United States and WWE Championships both on the line. In the end, Seth Rollins won, only to lose the United States Title back to Cena a short while later.
WWE would have been far better just leaving this match completely, not bothering with it in the first place. It's something Cena shouldn't have lost, but he didn't need to beat Seth either, so this just needed avoiding.
6 Vs. Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel (Raw, 10/25/10)
The night before this episode of Monday Night Raw, John Cena and David Otunga randomly won the Tag Team Championships, making an odd pairing of titleholders. However, the next day, as part of his storyline with Nexus, Cena dropped the titles to Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel.
While this was all done to enhance the storyline, it could have been more interesting to see Cena and Otunga actually have a brief run with the titles to create some further tension.
5 Vs. The Miz (WrestleMania XXVII)
The singles match between John Cena and The Miz is one of the weakest WrestleMania main events of all time, and it's one where WWE picked the wrong winner. It was obviously all done to set up The Rock facing Cena the year after, but it wasn't necessary.
The Miz had already had a decent run with the WWE Championship, but this was the right moment to make the switch. That's especially true considering Cena won the title from him just a few weeks later.
4 Vs. Kurt Angle (SmackDown, 6/25/02)
John Cena's debut is often looked back upon with very fond memories, but it has certainly been hyped up more in reflection, because of how Cena's career went. In reality, the moment didn't build Cena as much as WWE likes to make out.
While his promo and slap were iconic, this moment could have been even bigger if Cena had actually got the win. It would have instantly made him a major name, making him someone that fans had to pay attention to a lot quicker.
3 Lord Tensai (Raw, 4/16/12)
John Cena has often been used to feud with new monsters in WWE, helping to establish them as top tier talents. That was the case when Matt Bloom returned to WWE to work the Lord Tensai gimmick, being beaten by him in an Extreme Rules match.
While it was clear to see what WWE was attempting to do, the fact is that Lord Tensai's career went nowhere. The gimmick didn't work, therefore it would have made more sense for Cena to have just won this one.
2 Vs. Alberto Del Rio (Hell In A Cell, 2015)
John Cena's open challenge series, while he was United States Champion, was incredibly fun to watch and gave great opportunities to other wrestlers. In the end, he lost the title to Alberto Del Rio, who made a surprise return at Hell In A Cell.
While having Cena drop the title here wasn't a problem, it was more the person he lost to. This would have been better in a longer-term storyline to really put someone over, preferably against a younger, rising wrestler.
1 Vs. The Rock (WrestleMania XXVII)
John Cena facing The Rock was a dream match for WrestleMania, and having The Rock win could've set something big in motion. Had John gone on to have a major losing record, desperately needing the second match, it could have been great, but that wasn't the case.
Instead, Cena quickly bounced back by beating a returning Brock Lesnar and he went on to have a great year before beating The Rock the year after. However, WWE would have been best off keeping things to the 'Once In A Lifetime' promotion for this show, having The Rock pass the torch at the first time of asking.