WWE’s Royal Rumble event is undoubtedly the most action-packed, exciting show on the calendar, and is renowned for setting the tone for the year in the WWE universe.
The pre-event excitement is palpable as fans wait to see which superstars will make a surprise return or if an emerging talent make a name for themselves in the famous match. But the main question everyone wants to know is who will leave the pay-per-view as champions and how will this impact the company's biggest show of the year - WrestleMania.
But the illustrious format would not be quite as riveting if it wasn’t for the legendary names that grace the ring at Royal Rumble. One Superstar in particular is well-known for his multiple eliminations, and his ability to ‘rumble’ with the best of the WWE Superstars.
Ahead of the 2023 event, let’s take a look back at the Top 5 Best WWE moments of the 16-time world champion and cover star of WWE 2K23, John Cena.
The Ultimate Payback (2013)
WrestleMania 28 saw one of WWE’s most monumental matches in history take place, as The Rock returned from Hollywood to face John Cena. The Rock emerged victorious and a distraught Cena vowed he would exact his revenge at WrestleMania 29 - this time with the WWE champion on the line.
The match arrived following Cena winning the Royal Rumble to earn his shot - which will feature on this list.
There was a long standing rivalry between the two WWE icons, with Cena accusing the Rock of working ‘part-time’ as a wrestler and The Rock belittling Cena, stating that despite his time away from the company, Cena still had not been able to fill his shoes.
Although their 2012 brawl in Miami, Florida was described as the ‘once in a lifetime’ match, the comeback match between WWE’s two biggest stars was legendary, and Cena completed his redemption story by pinning ‘The Great One’ to claim the company’s biggest prize.
Second Royal Rumble win (2013)
Including his loss to The Rock, Cena endured a difficult 2012 both professionally and personally, and vowed to make 2013 his comeback year.
Cena entered the Royal Rumble that year at number 19, with a long battle ahead of him and a number of tough competitors still going strong.
Cena was able to eliminate two Superstars in quick succession, and outlasted 29 other Superstars to win the Rumble match and a World Title opportunity against the champion of his choosing.
Cena had four eliminations in total during this match and at the time became the fourth Superstar in history to win a Royal Rumble match twice and started the year in the best possible way.
Matching the Nature Boy (2017)
Before 2017, Cena had not won the WWE championship since 2014, a long period of time for the leader of the Cenation. Fans had been clamouring for Cena to have a shot at the title and equal Ric Flair’s record of 16 WWE world championships.
He was given that chance at the 2017 Royal Rumble, but standing in the way was AJ Styles, who was in the middle of his maiden run with the company’s top crown.
Cena had yet to beat Styles having suffered defeats to the ‘Phenomenal One’ at Summerslam and Money in the Bank in 2016.
In what had been an intense and hard-hitting rivalry both in the ring and on the microphone, Cena had the final say in what was an outstanding match. He nailed Styles with two vicious Attitude Adjustments to make history in front of a raucous Alamodome crowd.
The Legacy Begins (2002)
It is hard to forget Cena’s first WWE debut, especially as it was in response to an open challenge from the renowned Kurt Angle.
The historic moment initiated the career of one of WWE’s greatest superstars.
Angle challenged any of the WWE Superstars to take him on at the end of an episode of SmackDown and Cena answered the call.
Entering the ring and announcing his name, Cena went on to state that his ‘ruthless aggression’ would leave him victorious, and delivered a vicious slap to the Olympic gold medalist before losing a hard fought match to him. After receiving an endorsement from the Undertaker backstage, the future was certainly bright for Cena, and so it proved.
The Time is Now (2008)
Probably one of Cena’s most surprising moments in his WWE career was his comeback match in 2008.
Cena had suffered a pectoral injury, and due to the severity of the injury, was not set to compete for an extended period of time.
Despite this, having made a remarkably quick recovery, Cena made his dramatic return six months early, as the final entrant of Royal Rumble 15 years ago today, a comeback people still talk about.
Fans, wrestlers (and medical professionals) were surprised to hear ‘The Time is Now’ walkout song sound around the arena, as Cena entered the famed Madison Square Garden.
Triple H, the last man standing in the ring, was astounded, and had his Royal Rumble Champion dreams were stripped away from him as Cena finished 'The Game' with his signature AA move before eliminating him to win the match.
