'He Needed a Bad Guy' - John Cena’s '2nd Greatest’ WWE Rival Recalls Their Iconic Feud

The 48-year-old challenged Sami Zayn for the United States Championship and came close to winning the title until Brock Lesnar interfered and ruined the match. But Cena had continued his tribute act in honour of his past foes during that match, which included using Angle's Angle Lock but also hitting a Spear.

Cena geared up for the move in the same manner as WWE Hall of Famer Edge (now known as Adam Copeland in AEW), and he's all too familiar with the Rated R Superstar's finishing move. He waged war with the Canadian at the start of their singles careers, which ignited their respective main event runs.

Copeland has confirmed he saw his soon-to-be-retired former rival produce the Spear and delved into their on-screen pairing during an interview with theScore: "I saw a clip where he did the whole set-up and everything. It’s super fun. For John and I, we’re two guys that met each other at the right time. He needed a bad guy. I needed a good guy. It just clicked. You never know when something is going to click, — With John and I, from day one, it just clicked."

The iconic pair's rivalry started way back in 2005 when Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Cena to steal the WWE Championship. They remained bitter foes from there on out, scrapping it out several times on PPV, including in a classic TLC match, the 'Greatest of All-Time' won at Unforgiven 2006 in his opponent's hometown of Toronto, Canada.

Copeland explained how important their feud was: "Our characters were polar opposites. I knew what the assignment was, and so did he. You had two guys who were very willing to do what we had to do to get us both over. John was very well on his way, but I feel like our angle is what really put the stamp on him being the top guy, and it put the stamp on me being the main event guy. I’ll always look back on that fondly and what we were able to do and the fun we had."

John Cena, unfortunately, won't get the chance to face Copeland as part of his Farewell Tour as the 51-year-old is busy working with WWE's main competitor, AEW. Their last match came at Backlash 2009 when Edge won a Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship.

WWE Ranked Edge As John Cena's 'Second-Greatest Rival' In History

John Cena will square off with quite possibly the toughest opponent of his career this Saturday (September 20) when he battles the returning Brock Lesnar at Wrestlepalooza. The duo have been involved in some gruelling matches in the past, including an Extreme Rules match back in 2012 that left The Beast bloodied and involved legitimate punches being thrown.

There will always be a debate over who is the greatest rival of Cena's career, given he encountered so many legendary names. WWE gave their verdict back in 2014 and ranked Lesnar third, while Edge was given the number two spot.

WWE.com explained: "No WWE superstar has pushed John Cena to the edge (pun intended) quite like The Rated-R Superstar."

"Cena and Edge’s rivalry began in historic fashion when The Ultimate Opportunist cashed in his Money in the Bank contract at New Year’s Revolution 2006, capturing his first World Title at the expense of the Cenation leader and kicking off a legendary rivalry. Their ensuing battles pushed the boundaries of civility, as demonstrated by their brawl that left Edge swimming in the Long Island Sound alongside Cena’s spinner WWE Championship.

"Not to mention the night The Rated-R Superstar entered Cena's childhood home and slapped his father flush across the face. Explosive encounters like that not only elevated both Superstars, but also temporarily transported the WWE Universe back to The Attitude Era."

Cena's greatest WWE rival, according to the promotion itself, is Randy Orton, whom he faced 26 times on PPV, including at Backlash earlier this year. It's understandable that the Viper beat Edge to first place, given the latter was forced to retire in 2011 due to a serious neck injury, meaning he missed nine years of WWE programming.