John Cena is undoubtedly one of the most notable and successful WWE superstars of all time, and he is also someone who is among those with the most PPV matches in WWE history. Over the course of his dominance at the top of the card, he has faced a whole load of different opponents.
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At times, Cena has battled the best of the best, going toe-to-toe with The Rock, Triple H, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and CM Punk, though at times his opponents have been quite random. Some of these are wrestlers he has battled with at other times too, though the context of certain matches makes them feel completely out of left field and quite odd.
10 Finlay - Armageddon 2006
Finlay was never a main eventer in WWE, though in 2006 he did manage to find himself in the closing match of a PPV. Teaming up with ally Booker T, the pair took on the super-team of World Heavyweight Champion Batista and WWE Champion John Cena.
Just looking at the names involved, it was a foregone conclusion that the two top babyfaces were going to win this match. For the most part, it felt very much like a house show encounter, and there was really no reason for it to be in the main event spot.
9 Billy Kidman & Torrie Wilson - Rebellion 2002
At only John Cena’s second ever PPV, he came up against quite a random opponent when you consider how the rest of his WWE career would progress. At Rebellion 2002, he was across the ring from Torrie Wilson.
Of course, this wasn’t a singles match, but a mixed-tag team match instead. Cena teamed up with Dawn Marie to take on Torrie Wilson and Billy Kidman in a losing effort. This is perhaps the lowest Cena has ever felt when it comes to his position on the card.
8 John Laurinaitis - Over The Limit 2012
John Cena was put in an anti-Authority feud in 2012 against John Lauritinaitis, much to the chagrin of fans. Instead of taking on a monster heel or a chosen fighter at Over The Limit, he would actually wrestle Laurinaitis in a match - in the main event no less.
This was nothing close to a Daniel Bryan vs Triple H or a Steve Austin vs Mr. McMahon, and it instead stunk out the joint. It was a hard to watch match, and it even ended with the heel General Manager stealing a win.
7 Sheamus - TLC 2009
As his career progressed, Sheamus wouldn’t become a “random” opponent for anyone, but in his first few months on the main roster, he certainly fit that billing when he shockingly rose the ranks and challenged John Cena for the WWE Championship.
Sheamus was still pretty much an unknown, and his only feud of note to that point was against Jamie Noble. However, the young star earned the right to fight for the gold at the TLC PPV, and somehow won the match, much to the complete bewilderment of fans.
6 Baron Corbin - SummerSlam 2017
By the time 2017 rolled around, John Cena’s WWE schedule was declining rapidly, so seeing him wrestle a PPV match was beginning to feel very significant. However, competing against Baron Corbin didn’t get anyone excited.
This was essentially a squash match, and it served no real purpose. Cena would have been better suited to a higher profile opponent here, rather than just facing the first heel that WWE could find.
5 Mick Foley - Vengeance 2007
By the time 2007 rolled around, Mick Foley’s in-ring career in WWE was all but over. Following Cena’s debut on the main roster, Foley had just a handful of matches in the company, putting over the likes of Edge and Randy Orton.
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It was certainly surprising and quite surreal to see him in the ring with John Cena though. At the 2007 Vengeance PPV, Cena defended his WWE Title in a Five-Way, which also involved Booker T, Bobby Lashley, and Randy Orton. Foley’s involvement was very random indeed, and it marked his final ever WWE Championship match.
4 Jesus - Armageddon 2004
During his feud with Carlito, Cena suffered an attack from Carlito’s bodyguard, Jesus, who would stab Cena in a nightclub. Instead of pursuing legal actions or pressing any charges, this resulted in a match at the Armageddon PPV in classic professional wrestling storytelling fashion.
Cena ran through Jesus in a Street Fight, which would mark Jesus’ one and only PPV match in the company before he was shortly released thereafter. It was truly a bizarre storyline.
3 Mike Knox - No Way Out 2009
Mike Knox’s time in WWE was very forgettable. WWE’s attempts to build him up as a monster heel were pretty unremarkable too. In 2009, he found himself briefly in the World Title picture, competing in the World Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber Match.
He didn’t spend long in the match, getting beat by Chris Jericho. Knox was eliminated before Cena even made it into the ring, but on paper they did compete in a PPV match against each other.
2 Sabu - Vengeance 2006
Imagining Sabu and John Cena in the same ring feels quite surreal, but this match did in fact take place in 2006 at the Vengeance PPV. After Cena had lost his WWE Title at the One Night Stand event, he took issue with ECW, and this led to Sabu earning a match against him.
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This was a Lumberjack Match which was wrestled under ECW Rules, and for a 6-minute match it was fine. It was nothing special, though it was certainly bizarre to see two wrestlers from completely different walks of life find themselves in a match on a WWE PPV.
1 R-Truth - Capitol Punishment 2011
R-Truth turned heel in 2011, and unlocked a very entertaining side of his career that would somehow see him challenging John Cena for the WWE Championship in the main event of a PPV.
When looking at Truth’s career, it is clear to see why this felt completely and utterly random and out of left field. Truth did do well in his role, but he was never a realistic threat for WWE’s top prize.
