John Cena’s Greatest Rivals, Ranked By Chemistry

John Cena is one of the greatest stars in the history of WWE, and although he didn’t quite have the reputation of being world-class between the ropes, there was a selection of opponents that brought out the absolute best in John Cena. When looking at some of Cena’s rivals, we will rank them here based on the chemistry they had in the ring.

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Therefore, don’t expect to see the likes of Triple H included, as their chemistry wasn’t on the level on a consistent basis as those to be mentioned here, even though they were great rivals with one another from a storytelling standpoint.

10

Alberto Del Rio

Cena & Del Rio Always Delivered In The Ring

From a storytelling perspective, Alberto Del Rio didn’t set the world alight at all in his WWE career, but it must be said that his matches in his feud with John Cena pretty much always delivered.

Despite being two very different wrestlers, their styles seemed to just clash well. Their matches for the WWE Championship in 2011 were entertaining, showcasing a very good chemistry. They were unexpectedly good dance partners in WWE.

9

Randy Orton

Cena & Orton Could Have A Good Match In Their Sleep

There will be some who claim that Randy Orton and John Cena didn’t have the best chemistry, but given their sheer volume of matches in WWE, it was impossible for them to not develop some chemistry here and there.

Orton and Cena are storied rivals, and some of their matches delivered. At times, their matches were very underwhelming, but when matched up against many of Cena’s other rivals, Orton is still up there in terms of chemistry.

8

Daniel Bryan

Bryan Brought Out The Best In Cena

John Cena and Daniel Bryan were rivals ahead of SummerSlam 2013, putting together an entertaining feud with one another despite being two babyfaces. Their match reflected that with an intense, brilliant match that saw Cena pull out many more moves from his arsenal.

Unfortunately, Cena and Bryan didn’t wrestle enough for them to warrant a place higher up the list, but in their SummerSlam main event their magical chemistry was plain and obvious to see.

7

Umaga

Cena & Umaga Had Wars With One Another

Fans often got tired of John Cena overcoming the odds and beating monster heels, but in the case of Umaga, the quality of their matches more than made up for the results of said bouts.

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Umaga and Cena worked together really well, especially in the context of a more hardcore matchup. For instance, their Last Man Standing match is one of the best of this match type of all time. It would have been nice to see them work together more given their natural chemistry.

6

JBL

JBL Helped To Grow Cena Into A Main Eventer

Before John Cena became the superman of the PG Era, he clashed with JBL in a gritty Ruthless Aggression Era feud that was vital in making Cena a top star in WWE, proving him to be a brilliant in-ring performer too.

Cena and JBL had both basic singles matches and absolute bloodbaths, both for the WWE Title and in non-title contexts too. Even when they worked together in the PG Era, their natural chemistry was still clear to see.

5

Shawn Michaels

Cena & Michaels Should Have Wrestled More

In 2007, John Cena and Shawn Michaels engaged in a rivalry that saw nothing but fantastic matches, notably in the main event of WrestleMania 23 and in a special match on Monday Night RAW that went for an hour.

Michaels and Cena meshed in a perfect way, always being counted on to deliver in the ring together. In truth, Cena and Michaels should have had even more matches over the next couple of years, but whenever they did share the ring, it was electric.

4

Kevin Owens

Cena & Owens Had A Magical Trilogy

In 2015, Kevin Owens was introduced to the main roster and immediately feuded with John Cena, leading to a trilogy of matches that showed that they had a very instant and unteachable chemistry.

Owens and Cena were perfect opponents, with Cena rising up to Owens’ level and pulling out a string of new moves that he hadn’t before. This came during Cena’s time as United States Champion that showed his quality between the ropes on a weekly basis.

3

Edge

Edge & Cena Were A Match Made In Heaven In WWE

In 2006, Edge cashed in his Money In The Bank contract on John Cena, kickstarting a wonderful rivalry between the pair that spanned for the next few years with different chapters.

Cena and Edge established their chemistry early on, always delivering in the ring together in a variety of match types when battling over world titles. The best of their matches included a wild TLC bout and a wonderfully crafted Last Man Standing match, both of which were examples of their chemistry with one another.

2

AJ Styles

AJ Styles’ Matches With Cena Were Always Good

From the opening moments of their match at Money In The Bank 2016, the natural chemistry between AJ Styles and John Cena was clear and obvious to see. Their trilogy of PPV matches were truly stunning, and are up there with the best trilogies in professional wrestling history.

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Even though he was beginning to slow down, Cena was on top form when sharing the ring with AJ Styles, who in turn was on top of his game when sharing the ring with Cena. It is wild to think that if Styles had entered WWE a year or two later, fans wouldn’t have been privy to this special chemistry.

1

CM Punk

Cena’s Best Rival When It Comes To In-Ring Chemistry

Out of all his opponents, John Cena’s rival with the best in-ring chemistry was undoubtedly CM Punk. Cena and Punk were very special opponents, having show-stealing matches each and every time they entered the ring together.

Cena’s best matches of his whole career came against Punk, and the same can be said vice versa too. Many fans point to their Money In The Bank match in 2011 as the best example of their legendary chemistry.