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The Undertaker and John Cena may not have had a lot of interactions on WWE TV, but every time they got together to work a match or an angle, it was always special. During the Ruthless Aggression Era, The Undertaker and John Cena's history could be traced back to when John Cena was a rookie in 2003, as the two engaged in a series of matches on SmackDown that year.
John Cena Was Part Of WWE's Next Generation During The Ruthless Aggression Era
After the Attitude Era officially ended, WWE launched the brand extension in 2002 as new and upcoming superstars were paving the way to becoming main-event performers of the next generation. Superstars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, and John Cena went on to have overwhelmingly successful careers in the business, with some continuing to thrive on WWE TV in the modern era.
As new superstars were getting pushed to the main event scene, it was only a matter of time before they had to cross paths with the long-time veterans of the roster. One of those veterans was The Undertaker, who always ran his yard regardless of what generation.
Someone like John Cena had to learn that the hard way, as he and The Undertaker initially were on good terms when making his WWE debut in 2002. However, after turning heel and adopting the "Doctor of Thuganomic" persona in 2003, The Undertaker decided to teach a cocky John Cena a lesson in respect.
John Cena Was A Cocky Heel Going Up Against The Undertaker
In mid-2003, John Cena received a new wave of momentum as he struck fire with his newly adopted rapper gimmick. After receiving his first WWE Championship match on PPV with Brock Lesnar at Backlash 2003, it showed John Cena was to be taken seriously among the rest of the main event superstars on SmackDown, whether it was Kurt Angle or even The Undertaker.
Shortly after his first title match on PPV, John Cena got put to the test when The Undertaker confronted him after he wrestled against Orlando Jordan on a July 2003 episode of SmackDown, kick-starting a full-fledged feud. Not long before their encounter on that episode, John Cena got a cheap victory over The Undertaker during a WWE Championship number-one contender's tournament, so one would assume The Undertaker would want to get John Cena back for that.
The Undertaker and John Cena were going to meet in their first PPV singles match at Vengeance 2003. Leading up to Vengeance, despite constantly showing arrogance, John Cena appeared intimidated by The Undertaker every time they interacted. However, that didn't stop John Cena's antics of trying to get under The Undertaker's skin with his usual verbal attacks of freestyle rapping, including one freestyle where he rapped on The Undertaker at a graveyard site while proceeding to urinate on a tombstone.
John Cena Got A Huge Victory Over The Undertaker On SmackDown
At Vengeance 2003, The Undertaker defeated John Cena in their first singles match on PPV, although John Cena put up an impressive fight against him. Because of Cena's impressive showing against The Undertaker, his loss to him didn't negatively affect his rising momentum on SmackDown. Fortunately for him, he was given another chance to defeat The Undertaker in a rubber match on an August 2003 episode of SmackDown.
In that very rubber match, thanks to the assist of A-Train, John Cena was able to defeat The Undertaker after delivering his finishing FU maneuver for the pinfall. The Undertaker may have won on PPV, but it appeared that John Cena may have gotten the last laugh as both men mainly went their separate ways following their final singles match in 2003.
John Cena's career skyrocketed to new heights following his 2003 rivalry with The Undertaker, especially after turning babyface in late 2003. Although their rivalry in 2003 became a thing of the past, John Cena and The Undertaker would have another singles match on a June 2004 episode of SmackDown, with The Undertaker coming out victorious. That match in 2004 was the final time John Cena and The Undertaker wrestled against each other on a SmackDown episode.