John Cena is one of the most polarizing figures in WWE history. However, there were some rivalries that Cena was engaged in that completely missed the mark.
The 16-time WWE World Champion John Cena is one of the greatest entertainers to grace a WWE ring. He captivates audiences with his huge personality, which has seen him dominate for close to two decades. Whilst, the likes of Edge, Randy Orton, and CM Punk are arguably his three biggest rivals, Cena has endured a few underwhelming opponents to feud with.
In the grand scheme of things, there are few reasons why some of Cena's rivalries did not work out. Lacking chemistry is a key component, and some of the talent not being on Cena's level to contend with in the first place can cause poor viewing. There is only so much that Big Match John does in the realms of his power to get a rivalry over.
10 Rusev
Rusev was built as a monster heel when he joined the main roster in WWE, and he quickly acquired the United States Championship in November 2014. However, Rusev's first major rivalry was with John Cena over the United States Title.
At Fastlane 2015, Rusev managed to beat Cena to keep the championship intact. Ultimately, the pendulum swung in their rivalry with Cena regaining the United States Championship at WrestleMania 31. The feud became increasingly one-sided with Cena gaining a couple more wins in their subsequent title matches. This hampered Rusev, and he never got the main event level push that many felt that he deserved.
9 Alberto Del Rio
On paper, John Cena clashing with Alberto Del Rio over the WWE Championship in 2011 was a mouthwatering prospect. Sadly, their feud coincided with CM Punk's newfound popularity, which hampered their rivalry.
Cena captured his 10th WWE Championship from Alberto Del Rio at Night of Champions, but he dropped the title back to the Mexican Aristocrat at Hell in a Cell in a triple threat Hell in a Cell match. Their feud wasn't any greater in 2013, with the World Heavyweight Championship being the main prize in their feud. Quite frankly, fans were never interested when they feuded, although they popped when Del Rio returned and defeated Cena for the United States Title in 2015.
8 Wade Barrett
2010 wasn't one of Cena's strongest years in his WWE career, but he still did just enough to be considered the best Superstar of the year. Big Match John became embroiled in a feud with Wade Barrett and his Nexus stable in the summer which culminated in the winter.
However, Cena's ego got the better of him, which is why The Nexus failed as Cena thought that it would be a great idea for Team WWE to beat The Nexus at SummerSlam. Ultimately, Cena and Barrett's matches never clicked, and the whole angle of Cena joining The Nexus was pointless. Again, Cena put the final nail of the coffin in The Nexus when he decimated Barrett at TLC in a Chairs match.
7 Big Show
Sometimes returning to an old feud can be magnificent, and sometimes it can be dire. Cena's rivalry with Big Show in 2009 was the latter. They rekindled their feud after Big Show cost Cena the World Heavyweight Championship at Backlash 2009 by Chokeslamming him through a spotlight, which allowed Edge to regain the Big Gold Belt.
Their brief rivalry lasted over two pay-per-views with Cena besting Show at Judgment Day. The two went on to have a forgettable Submission match at Extreme Rules with Cena coming out on top once more. There was no reason for Cena and Show to have a drab 20-minute Submission match, with fans not caring one single iota.
6 Carlito
John Cena and Carlito's feud in late 2004 had the potential to be something special. Carlito introduced himself in a big way, as he defeated Cena in his debut match on SmackDown to capture the United States Championship.
However, Carlito hired Jesus to be his bodyguard, who supposedly stabbed Cena in a nightclub. The whole angle was bogus from start to finish, with Cena quickly recapturing the United States Title from Carlito. The two had great chemistry on the mic, and their matches were not bad, but it was another prime example of a missed opportunity, with the two never having a high-profile feud together again.
5 R-Truth
The greatest WWE 24/7 Champion in history, R-Truth, was actually considered as a WWE Championship title contender in 2011. Truth unexpectedly turned heel when he viciously assaulted John Morrison, and he had lost the plot by speaking to his imaginary friend "Little Jimmy."
Whilst it was refreshing to see Truth show another side to his character, he wasn't taken seriously, and no one believed that he would wrestle the WWE Championship away from Cena. The two collided at Capitol Punishment with the result never in doubt with Cena retaining the WWE Title. Furthermore, they continued their rivalry at Survivor Series 2011 that saw Cena partnering The Rock to take on Miz and R-Truth in a better outing for both men.
4 Sabu
WWE's failed revival of ECW in June 2006 saw the likes of John Cena, Edge, and Randy Orton appear on ECW in the early stages to garner more viewers. However, one of Cena's most forgettable rivals is Sabu. Cena was hellbent on revenge after losing the WWE Championship to one of ECW's favorite sons, Rob Van Dam, at ECW One Night Stand.
Cena stepped out of his comfort zone and went toe-to-toe with Sabu in violent encounters. At Vengeance, Cena and Sabu clashed in an Extreme Rules Lumberjack match, with the ring surrounded by wrestlers from both the WWE and ECW camp. Inevitably, Big Match John prevailed, but this rivalry did more harm to Sabu as it did to Cena, as Sabu's push was derailed.
3 Kane
After a five-month hiatus, "The Devil's Favorite Demon" Kane returned at the 2011 Slammy Awards. Kane wore his mask for the first time in eight years, and naturally, many thought that he would have resumed his feud with Mark Henry, the man who laid him out. However, he shifted his attention by turning heel and colliding with John Cena for the first part of 2012.
The feud did neither man any favors, with Kane trying to get Cena to "Embrace The Hate." Cena bested Kane at the 2012 Royal Rumble, and once more in an Ambulance Match at the Elimination Chamber PPV. Zack Ryder was also involved in this rivalry, with Cena trying his best to defend Ryder, who got systematically destroyed by Kane.
2 The Great Khali
John Cena was riding a wave of momentum in 2007, after holding the WWE Championship for eight months with Cena bulldozing his way past the very best that Raw had to offer. Sadly, one of the worst feuds in Cena's career was with The Great Khali.
Khali failed miserably in his feud with The Undertaker, therefore it was surprising to see Khali involved in the WWE Title picture. Khali was drafted to Raw from SmackDown, and he challenged Cena for the WWE Championship at Judgment Day. Cena retained the title with his patented STF, although Khali's foot was dangling outside of the ring. Thankfully, the feud culminated at One Night Stand, with Cena throwing Khali over the stage in their Falls Count Anywhere match. Big Match John had to do all the heavy lifting in this feud as Khali's movement was languid due to his huge frame.
1 John Laurinaitis
The fact that John Cena and John Laurinaitis closed out Over The Limit 2012, at the expense of one of the best WWE Championship matches between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, is farcical. Cena had just beaten a returning Brock Lesnar, the previous month at Extreme Rules, but his next feud was with the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, John Laurinaitis.
It was a horrific encounter that was pointless and did not even need to happen. To make matters worse, there was an inevitable heel turn from Big Show, who showed up and laid Cena out to kickstart yet another dreadful rivalry with Cena for the umpteenth time. Laurinaitis prevailed but even Big Match John deserved to be treated better.