With the Attitude Era coming to an end, and major stars like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock leaving, WWE was in urgent need to build new stars during the early 2000s. Two men who stepped up to the plate and exceeded all expectations were John Cena and Batista, graduates of WWE's developmental territory back then, Ohio Valley Wrestling.

Cena and Batista both managed to develop into genuine superstars and main event level players. Their success has continued beyond the ring as well, as both are now big name actors in Hollywood.

Thus, you would think that a rivalry between the two would be remembered as The Ruthless Aggression Era's version of The Rock vs Austin. Instead, it has mostly been forgotten.

RELATED: 5 Reasons John Cena Was The Better Face For Ruthless Aggression (& 5 Why It Was Batista)

John Cena And Batista Enjoyed A Parallel Rise To The Top Of WWE

Both Cena and Batista would stumble out of the gates after being called up to the main roster, and early on, not many could have guessed that they would go on to define their generation.

Cena had been playing the gimmick of The Prototype in OVW but was repackaged upon moving up to the main roster. He had a memorable debut against Kurt Angle but would soon get lost in the shuffle. On the other hand, Batista was Leviathan in OVW but was repackaged as Deacon Batista, the enforcer of Reverend D-Von. It was a gimmick doomed for failure from the very beginning.

The duo would soon find their big breaks though. Cena would find success in a rapper gimmick and become the memorable Doctor of Thuganomics. Batista struck gold when he was put into Evolution, a stable consisting of Triple H, Ric Flair, and Randy Orton.

Both Cena and Batista enjoyed a meteoric rise over the next couple of years, and would really cross paths for the first time when they were the last two remaining in the 2005 Royal Rumble, which Batista would go onto win.

There was nothing for Cena to worry about, as he would go on to win the WWE Championship by beating JBL at WrestleMania 21, while Batista beat Triple H to win the World Heavyweight Championship, solidifying both as the future of the WWE.

The First Match Between John Cena And Batista Ended In Disaster

Despite being two of the biggest names in the business for years, Cena and Batista had to wait until SummerSlam 2008 before facing each other in a singles match. The build up to it was a major disappointment though. It began when Cena accidentally punched Batista. Apparently that was enough for the two to start feuding and ultimately set up a match at SummerSlam that year. The two would even end up winning the Tag Team Championship, before losing the titles the very next week.

Ultimately, Batista would end up beating Cena when the two faced off at SummerSlam. Unfortunately, Cena would end up suffering a legitimate injury during this match and had to undergo surgery, bringing an end to the feud just after one match.

RELATED: Why Did Batista Not Become As Big Of A Star As John Cena In WWE?

John Cena And Batista Had A Longer Rivalry In 2010

While Cena and Batista had both been babyfaces when they faced off at SummerSlam, the picture had changed drastically by 2010.

Batista was a full-fledged heel at that point and had aligned himself with Vince McMahon. As a result, he was given a shot at Cena's WWE Championship immediately after he had won in an Elimination Chamber match. Suffice to say, an exhausted Cena was unable to defend his belt.

The two would face off in a rematch at WrestleMania 26 for the WWE Championship, with Cena winning back his belt. On paper, this match had the star power required to main event the show, but The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels went on last in HBK's retirement match.

Cena and Batista would have two more matches in this feud, a Last Man Standing match and an 'I Quit' match, with The Animal losing both. He would leave the WWE after this, bringing an end to the feud as well as his full-time wrestling career.

The John Cena Vs Batista Feud Should Have Been A Much Bigger Deal

It is interesting that the rivalry between Cena and Batista has been mostly forgotten about over the years, despite the fact that it featured arguably the two biggest stars of the Ruthless Aggression.

In many ways, neither the timing nor the booking was right on this feud, although the match quality was good throughout.

Maybe WWE left it a bit too late. Maybe there should not have been a babyface vs heel dynamic. A lot of things could have been done differently, and in hindsight, the entire feud feels like a big missed opportunity.