10 John Cena Matches During His Part Time Run In WWE, Ranked Worst To Best

For twenty years, John Cena has not only been one of the most consistent performers in WWE but has elevated himself and the company beyond reaches that any fan thought was possible. While he may not have always been the most popular wrestler with hardcore fans, there is no denying John Cena's impact and importance in professional wrestling, and he deserves all the adulation that comes his way for his accomplishments.

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However, all good things must come to an end, which includes John Cena's time as a full-time wrestler. After putting his body through the punishment of the grueling schedule of a top performer in WWE, John Cena began wrestling only part-time in 2018. While his appearances have become few and far between, and not all of his matches are top quality anymore, Cena has finally earned the respect of wrestling fans.

10 WrestleMania 34 - The Undertaker

When it comes to legends in WWE, two names on the list are certainly both The Undertaker and John Cena. With both men having most of their careers in WWE, they solidified their status as important members of the roster in different time periods but became some of the most recognizable names in the wrestling business.

However, according to cagematch.net, their singles matches together have been few and far between and mainly took place while Cena was establishing himself on the roster. So when they were to finally meet up at WrestleMania 34, fans anticipated a barn burner but were instead given a match that lasted less than three minutes and only ended in disappointment.

9 WrestleMania 39 - Austin Theory

By 2023, John Cena had not only solidified himself as a legend in WWE but had already been away as a full-time performer for several years. However, the opportunity remained for him to return to the ring to pass the torch to a wrestler for the future and allow the fans to give him a true send-off.

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If the plans were for his match with Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39 to accomplish those things, then things did not go as planned. The match was not Cena's best showing and his heart did not seem to be in the performance, which did not do Theory any favours for his future even though he did defeat a legend.

8 Super ShowDown 2018 - Cena/Lashley Vs Elias/Owens

Back in 2015, John Cena was embroiled in a heated rivalry with Kevin Owens when he debuted on the main roster. The feud helped put Owens on the map as a performer and spring-boarded him into the main event scene.

When the pair were scheduled to reignite their feud during WWE's big event in Australia in 2018, fans were initially excited about it. However, when it was changed to a tag team match, fans began to lose interest. Ultimately, the match was among Cena's most boring and came and went without any fanfare.

7 RAW 2019 - Cena/Balor/Rollins Vs Lashley/Ambrose/McIntyre

In 2018, John Cena was still working hard in events with the likes of The Miz and AJ Styles, but decided to lighten his schedule the following year. Leading up to the Royal Rumble in 2019, John Cena truly began his time as a part-time wrestler and began making only sporadic appearances.

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Cena's first of only two matches in 2019 was to help promote an upcoming number one contenders match for the Universal Championship that he was involved in, while also furthering the Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose feud. A six-man tag team match like this is a fairly formulaic match that furthers different storylines and would be easy to miss on a regular Monday Night RAW card.

6 Smackdown 2019 - Cena/Lynch Vs Andrade/Vega

In 2019, there was no hotter wrestler on the entire planet than Becky Lynch. In the midst of her meteoric rise to her historic night at WrestleMania 35 where she truly became "The Man", John Cena returned for one night to have her back against Andrade and Zelina Vega.

While the mixed tag team match itself was a solid enough match, the feeling in the arena of having both Becky Lynch and John Cena in the same ring was absolutely electric. Combined with the fact that Lynch schooled Cena with his own "you can't see me" gimmick at the end of the match, it was another star-making moment for Lynch during her best year.

5 RAW 2019 - Universal Championship #1 Contendership

By 2019, John Cena had made his decision to fully transition to a part-time schedule in WWE due to his burgeoning film career and the need to reduce the wear and tear on his body. However, the decision was made even easier when he experienced an ankle injury leading into the Royal Rumble.

Despite initially declaring himself as a part of the Rumble, Cena suffered an injury in a number one contender match for the Universal Championship featuring Finn Balor, Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre. Finn Balor would ultimately win the match, and with Cena's endorsement face Brock Lesnar for the title weeks later.

4 Smackdown 2022 - Cena/Owens Vs The Bloodline

For the final Smackdown of 2022, WWE pulled out all the stops to end the year with a bang. Ultimately, there was no better way to finish the year than to bring in John Cena for his first match in over a year to take on the biggest group that WWE has seen in a long time.

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Cena has a history with both Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens, so he fits perfectly into the story to try and take out The Bloodline leading into the new year. Despite being unstoppable in most cases, The Bloodline met their match against Owens and Cena, and the crowd was sent home happy following a great match that proved Cena still had it.

3 Greatest Royal Rumble - Triple H

Leading into the Greatest Royal Rumble, John Cena had been falling on tough times personally and professionally. From his quick loss to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 34 to his public break-up with Nikki Bella, Cena needed a win to get himself back on track.

While WWE's Saudi Arabia shows have garnered much controversy, this match was one of both John Cena's and Triple H's best during the later stages of their careers. With much history between both future Hall of Famers, this match showed that they still had what it took to be showcased in big match situations when the time calls for it.

2 WrestleMania 36 - Firefly Fun House

While Bray Wyatt struggled to find his footing during his most recent WWE run, there is no denying that he was an intriguing character during his previous stint with the company. The WrestleMania 36 Firefly Fun House match may not have been every wrestling fan's cup of tea, but there is no denying its uniqueness and entertainment value.

The Firefly Fun House match was certainly not a traditional wrestling match, but it serves as an interesting time capsule for a WrestleMania that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. The cinematic match featured plenty of zany things, including dream sequences of Cena as a member of the nWo and a reprisal of his 2002 debut.

1 SummerSlam 2021 - Roman Reigns

Leading up to Roman Reigns' first full year as WWE Universal Champion, The Tribal Chief had already established himself as the top wrestler in WWE's new era. However, an old rival appeared after over a year's hiatus to challenge him for his top prize.

John Cena and Roman Reigns had only had one singles match against each other up to this point, where Reigns was victorious at No Mercy 2017. Ultimately, Reigns would win once again and continue his path of dominance by soundly defeating the now part-time John Cena in a fantastic match.