John Cena is one of the best world champions in WWE history. Cena is a record 13-time WWE Champion and he has captured the World Heavyweight Championship on three occasions. Of course, not all of Cena's world title reigns were great, and some of his world title victories felt like they only happened to bump up his world title tally.The Leader of the Cenation's battles over the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship has been superb. It's always interesting when Cena goes after the title to see how he gets on. Cena has had to prevail in TLC matches, Money in the Bank Ladder matches, and Elimination Chamber matches among others to secure a world championship reign.
10 John Cena Vs. The Rock - WrestleMania 29
WWE couldn't resist sticking to the "Once in a Lifetime" tagline with John Cena and The Rock competing in a second successive WrestleMania main event at WrestleMania 29. This time the coveted WWE Championship was at stake with Cena challenging The Great One for the gold.
They failed to replicate their WrestleMania XXVIII epic but it was still a decent encounter. Rock would have been in a tremendous amount of pain as he tore his adductor. Nonetheless, the result was predictable with Big Match John getting his win back and becoming a 13-time world champion.
9 John Cena Vs. Chris Jericho - Survivor Series 2008
Surprisingly, John Cena had never held the World Heavyweight Championship but that all changed at Survivor Series 2008. A returning Cena collided with Chris Jericho for the Big Gold Belt in front of his hometown fans in Boston.
Cena and Jericho's battles were always competitive which made their matches enthralling to watch. Y2J rightfully became the Superstar of the Year for his extraordinary efforts. You could see why as he delivered another successful match with Cena. Ultimately, Cena managed to survive the Codebreaker, and he finished Jericho off with an AA to become World Heavyweight Champion for the first time.
8 John Cena Vs. Sheamus Vs. Triple H Vs. Ted DiBiase Vs. Kofi Kingston Vs. Randy Orton - Elimination Chamber 2010
There was a mixture of experience and fresh faces in the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at the inaugural Elimination Chamber event in 2010. John Cena was looking to unseat the man who beat him for the title two months prior Sheamus. However, Triple H, Ted DiBiase, Kofi Kingston, and Randy Orton were all hungry to be the WWE Champion.
This was a perfectly executed Elimination Chamber match with usual suspects Cena and Triple H battling in the final two. They went back and forth but Cena applied the STF on The Game who tapped out with Cena recapturing the WWE Title. His reign was short-lived since Batista defeated him for the gold in an impromptu match.
7 John Cena Vs. The Miz Vs. John Morrison - Extreme Rules 2011
The Miz upset John Cena to retain the WWE Championship in an underwhelming main event at WrestleMania XXVII. However, The Leader of the Cenation had another chance to reclaim the WWE Title at Extreme Rules 2011. The Miz had his hands full as John Morrison was seeking his first run with the WWE Title in a rare triple threat steel cage match for the gold.
Cena and Morrison worked as a cohesive unit for large portions of the bout. They collaborated to suplex Miz from the ropes which looked incredibly nasty. Thankfully, The Awesome One was fine to continue. R-Truth interfered to distract Morrison, but Cena became a record eight-time WWE Champion after he planted Miz with an Avalanche AA.
6 John Cena Vs. Alberto Del Rio Vs. Roman Reigns Vs. Bray Wyatt Vs. Sheamus Vs. Kane Vs. Cesaro Vs. Randy Orton - Money In The Bank 2014
Unfortunately, Daniel Bryan had to relinquish the WWE Championship as serious injuries mounted up. At Money in the Bank 2014, there was an eight-man Money in the Bank ladder match to crown a new WWE Champion. John Cena, Bray Wyatt, Sheamus, Roman Reigns, and Cesaro were amongst the field. As were Alberto Del Rio, Kane, and Randy Orton who were the only former MITB winners at that point engaged in battle.
There were some dangerous spots as expected which captivated the audience. Cena isn't a ladder match specialist by any means but he has had some major wins in ladder match environments. It would have been better to see a different WWE Champion but Big Match John was the only logical choice.
5 John Cena Vs. Rey Mysterio - Raw 7/25/11
At Money in the Bank 2011, John Cena lost the WWE Championship to CM Punk with Punk going AWOL. Therefore, Rey Mysterio prevailed in an eight-man tournament to become WWE Champion for the first time on the July 25, 2011 edition of Raw by defeating The Miz.
Mysterio's night was far from over as Cena invoked his rematch clause. It's incredibly rare to see two faces go toe-to-toe for the WWE Title but they had an enthralling contest. Mysterio played his role as the Ultimate Underdog to a tee with Cena not having it his way. There was a sense of inevitability with Cena prevailing after he planted Mysterio with an AA for his ninth reign as WWE Champion.
4 John Cena Vs. Batista - WrestleMania XXVI
After the debacle of dropping the WWE Title to Batista at Elimination Chamber 2010, John Cena was hellbent on reclaiming the gold at WrestleMania XXVI. However, the WWE Championship hadn't changed hands at WrestleMania in five years with Cena being the last man to achieve that feat when he dethroned JBL for his maiden world title reign.
Despite being two of the biggest stars in the Ruthless Aggression Era, Cena and Batista's feud is overlooked. They had one heck of a match at 'Mania. Their titular bout was solid with both having a refusal to stay down as they kicked out of each other's respective finishers. Ultimately, Cena earned the bragging rights as The Animal submitted to Cena's STF with Cena, WWE Champion once again.
3 John Cena Vs. Randy Orton - Bragging Rights 2009
Randy Orton was one of John Cena's all-time great rivals. Their feud grew tiresome over time as they always seemed to meet. However, at Bragging Rights 2009, John Cena was looking to reclaim the WWE Title from Orton in an Anything Goes 60-minute Iron man match.
Cena and Orton ensured that the match stayed relevant by having consistent pinfalls. They brawled around the arena and the bout was intense. In the dying embers, Cena forced Orton to submit to the STF to take a 6-5 lead and reclaimed the WWE Title in a war of attrition.
2 John Cena Vs. Edge - Unforgiven 2006
The odds were stacked against John Cena at Unforgiven 2006. He challenged his bitter adversary Edge for the WWE Championship in the Rated-R Superstar's specialty, a TLC match in front of Edge's hometown fans in Toronto.
This was an instant classic, and one of the best matches in Cena and Edge's series of matches. The Ultimate Opportunist brought his A-game and he executed a jaw-dropping Spear on Cena off the ladder. Big Match John resorted to a place he had never been before, and he sent Edge crashing through the tables with the AA. This was a significant win as it kickstarted Cena's iconic 380-day stranglehold with the WWE Title.
1 John Cena Vs. AJ Styles - Royal Rumble 2017
When AJ Styles and John Cena lock horns, you are guaranteed a five-star match. However, their match at the 2017 Royal Rumble was massively important as The leader of the Cenation was seeking a record-equalling 16th world championship run at AJ Styles' expense.
This was a terrific match from start to finish with several false finishes that kept fans off their seats. Ultimately, Cena's AA sealed the deal as he became a 16-time world champion which is simply outstanding.