John Cena's Greatest WWE Feuds, Ranked

John Cena has been linked to Batista since his WWE main roster debut.

These two men would go on two separate meteoric rises up the ladder that led to world championship gold at WrestleMania 21. Following both men establishing themselves as top stars, they met for the first time at WWE SummerSlam 2008.

After Cena suffered a neck injury in that match, the two megastars would cross paths again in a compelling rivalry over the WWE Championship that saw them clash multiple times in 2010, including at WrestleMania 26.

Based on their longstanding connection, noteworthy bouts on big stages, and memorable moments they had together, Batista and Cena will be remembered as competitive peers during their heyday in WWE.

9. Brock Lesnar

Another one of the OVW 2002 alumni who has had his fair share of clashes against John Cena is Brock Lesnar. During Lesnar's original rise in WWE, it was Cena who became one of his opposition.

Using Brock's star power to elevate himself, Cena used their initial feud in 2002 and 2003 to establish his "Doctor of Thuganomics" character before getting his first crack at the WWE Championship against Lesnar at Backlash 2003.

Then, nearly 10 years later, Lesnar returned to WWE and looked to take down the top guy at that time, which was Cena. The two men battled in one of the bloodiest and most violent WWE bouts of all time at WWE Extreme Rules 2012.

Lesnar then reached his apex in WWE when he took Cena to "Suplex City" to win the WWE Title at SummerSlam 2014. With their most recent bout taking place at WWE Wrestlepalooza 2025, Cena and Lesnar hold the privilege of being each other's most enduring and longstanding rival.

8. Kurt Angle

John Cena's WWE debut is the stuff of legend and has been remembered as one of the most effective introductions ever. Answering an open challenge from Kurt Angle, Cena's "Ruthless Aggression" caught the fans' eyes from the get-go.

After that competitive match against Angle, Cena earned the respect of the locker room, including The Undertaker. Cena's transition from rookie to the "Doctor of Thuganomics" had plenty of battles against "The Olympic Gold Medalist" in 2003 and 2004 as well.

Then, when Cena reached the mountaintop and won the WWE Championship, one of his first challengers for the gold was Angle yet again. Angle was given the task of testing Cena at every level before he was solidified as a top star in the company.

For the importance of his matches and feud with Angle, there is no denying that this particular rivalry helped to polish Cena's in-ring acumen, while building up credibility with the fans.

7. Triple H

At WWE WrestleMania 22, John Cena defeated Triple H to retain the WWE Championship in the first meeting between these two living legends.

Cena and "The Game" would feud over the top spot in the company for the next few years, with both stars jockeying for position in a bid to claim the WWE Championship.

With one-on-one meetings and a few triple threats along the way, Cena earned his stripes from the top star at that time, while Triple H learned to respect his rival for his ability to gut out victory after victory.

Considering the high-profile title matches and significance of their feud, Triple H played an important role in Cena establishing himself as the undisputed king of the industry back in the 2000s and 2010s.

6. Randy Orton

John Cena and Randy Orton might be the two defining stars of the past 25 years of WWE history based on their consistency, impact, and longevity.

Both men came in with the aforementioned OVW 2002 graduating class and took WWE by storm slowly but surely. Cena and Orton had their own parallel rises to the top of the business that saw both win world championship gold and headline WrestleMania.

In 2007, Orton and Cena met for the first time at SummerSlam with the WWE Title on the line. This would kickstart a multitude of matches that would span the next 18 years.

Whether it be in singles or multi-man action, Cena and Orton have faced each other 62 different times. With their wars ranging from title bouts to going more personal after Orton punting Cena's father, fans will always remember this particular rivalry.

While the feud's longevity is unmatched, there is a case that WWE dragged this one out and milked way too many matches out of it, which keeps it at this spot. However, there is also a strong argument that Cena's most memorable feud had to be with "The Legend Killer."

5. Shawn Michaels

Filling in for an injured Triple H, Shawn Michaels came in to become the challenger for John Cena for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 23 in 2007. Despite never locking horns before, Michaels delivered one of Cena's matches to date.

This bout came off the heels of an intriguing storyline that saw Cena and Michaels become unlikely WWE World Tag Team Champions and having to co-exist regularly. Following this loss of those titles, Michaels and Cena would meet once again in an even more historic bout.

Across an epic 58-minute masterclass, Cena and Michaels delivered an instant classic in front of a raucous crowd in London, England. Often regarded as one of the best Monday Night Raw matches ever, Michaels evened his score with Cena on this night.

From there, the two former WWE Champions would battle over gold and take part in several noteworthy multi-man clashes over the next few years before Michaels retired in 2010.

For what Shawn Michaels was able to produce, squaring off with him, Cena will always credit "The Heartbreak Kid" as one of his very best opponents. Fans will always look back on the quality of this feud and remember the magic Michaels and Cena delivered in the ring together.

4. AJ Styles

Speaking of magic, AJ Styles will be looking to follow in John Cena's footsteps with his own retirement tour in 2026.

Before that comes, Styles and Cena rekindled their legendary feud with one another in one of the best WWE matches of 2025 so far at the Crown Jewel premium live event.

When Styles first signed with WWE in 2016, many fans wondered when he would have a dream match with John Cena. Then in the summer of that year, the two men delivered one of the most captivating and enthralling series of matches WWE had produced in quite some time.

With an emphatic victory at WWE SummerSlam 2016, Styles had established himself as a made man in the company and went on to win the WWE Championship. This reign would come to an end at the hands of Cena, of course, when he won number 16 at Royal Rumble 2017.

Considering the litany of incredible in-ring encounters these two men have had, there is no question that Cena and Styles belong in each other's list of top feuds ever.

3. The Rock

In 2011, The Rock returned to WWE after a seven-year hiatus following a successful career in Hollywood. From the moment he came back, "The Great One" had his sights set on one man: John Cena.

Following comments from Cena about Rock abandoning the business for Hollywood superstardom, the animosity between the two men was at an all-time high. This led to some of the most intense and engaging promo segments between Cena and Rock in the lead-up to an encounter.

This set the stage for what would be billed as a "Once In A Lifetime" showdown at WrestleMania 28 in 2012. The Rock would walk out of his hometown of Miami with a victory over Cena on that night, but this feud and story did not come to a close there.

The following year, Cena and Rock faced in a highly anticipated rematch that headlined WrestleMania 29 in 2013. On that evening, Cena avenged his loss to once again regain the WWE Championship.

This rivalry was once again referenced when "The Doctor of Thuganomics" joined forces with The Rock to turn heel on Cody Rhodes for the first time in 20 years at WWE Elimination Chamber 2025.

With these two men headlining two of the highest drawing WrestleManias of all time and their individual Hollywood megastar status, Rock and Cena will always be connected to one another following this classic feud.

2. CM Punk

After John Cena cemented his spot atop the WWE, he needed new, fresh rivals after feuding with the likes of Edge and Randy Orton for years. In came CM Punk, who could be viewed as the wrestling soulmate of Cena.

While Cena was the face of the company who was marketed as the biggest star around, Punk scratched and clawed for every single opportunity he was granted. Becoming a multi-time World Heavyweight Champion, Punk found himself with his biggest opportunity at an inopportune time.

With his WWE contract set to expire, Punk was scheduled to challenge Cena for the WWE Title at Money In The Bank 2011. By revealing his expiring deal, Punk set up a deeply engrossing storyline of a rebel trying to leave the company with their top prize.

Punk's iconic "Pipebomb" promo came at the expense of Cena and sent shockwaves through the entire wrestling industry. Punk and Cena then delivered one of the greatest WWE matches of all time as "The Second City Saint" captured the WWE Championship in his hometown of Chicago.

From there, the two would become the most spellbinding and amazing rivalry in WWE at the time. Trading barbs on the mic and the WWE Title in the ring, Cena and Punk helped define this era of both men's careers.

Reigniting their issues, Cena and Punk did battle one last time at WWE Night of Champions 2025. With all this history and notable moments that stand the test of time, it is hard to argue against Punk as the greatest John Cena rival of all time.

1. Edge

However, there is one man who can stake their claim to being John Cena's best rival more than even CM Punk, and that is Edge.

Back at WWE New Year's Revolution 2006, Edge shocked the world when he became the first man to cash in Money In The Bank to defeat Cena for the WWE Title. This set the stage for a career-defining rivalry for both men.

While Cena would win back the title a few weeks later at WWE Royal Rumble 2006, things wouldn't end there with Edge helping Rob Van Dam cash in his Money In The Bank to defeat his rival at One Night Stand 2006 a few months later.

After Edge recaptured the WWE Title in a three-way match with both men, he would take this feud with Cena to a more personal level. Ahead of WWE SummerSlam 2006 in Cena's hometown, Edge visited Boston, Massachusetts, early to attack Cena's dad in his own home with a slap.

Enraged, Cena was unable to gain his composure and came up short against Edge for the WWE Title at the event. However, Cena avenged this loss by beating Edge in his hometown of Toronto to win back the gold in a fantastic TLC Match at WWE Unforgiven 2006.

Following these initial wars, Cena and Edge would cross paths again to vie over championship gold and personal pride. Whether it be inside of a steel cage or Last Man Standing, these legends literally made themselves into main eventers off of each other's backs,

The fact that it's been more than 15 years since their last match and fans have found a way to ignore Edge's current affiliation with All Elite Wrestling to speculate if he will be Cena's final opponent, should tell everyone just how important they are to each other's careers and the audience.

Simply excelling at every level a fan should want from a pro wrestling program, Edge has to be considered the greatest feud in John Cena's Hall of Fame career and will be remembered as one of the best rivalries in WWE history as well.

Honorable mentions: Big Show, JBL, Umaga, Bray Wyatt, Kevin Owens