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On Monday night, WWE superstar John Cena made his final appearance in his hometown of Boston for the company.
He defeated Dominick Mysterio, winning the Intercontinental Title and making sure that when he retires in one month, he does so as a Grand Slam champion (having held the World Heavyweight Championship, Tag Team Championships, United States Championship, and Intercontinental Championship).
It was a remarkable moment for Cena in an illustrious pro wrestling career. But the clock is still ticking, and when he walks away on Dec. 13, he’ll do so as one of the biggest stars the WWE has ever seen.
Before he does so, however, we’re looking back at the top moments from his run with the company.
John Cena’s Biggest Moments In The WWE
Cena’s background prior to wrestling is, unlike that of Hulk Hogan, in bodybuilding. After a D3 football career, Cena pursued a career in bodybuilding before moving to California in 1998 and starting to train for pro wrestling.
He signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2001 and trained in Ohio Valley Wrestling, which was more or less their minor leagues at the time.
Cena trained alongside fellow stars such as Brock Lesnar, Dave Bautista and Randy Orton in OVW. But it was 2002 when he truly broke through as a future star.
5) John Cena Debuts Against Kurt Angle
When Cena debuted in 2002, the WWE was undergoing a dramatic shift in programming. Cartoony characters such as The Undertaker were going for an edgier, more physical look, and just days prior, Vince McMahon had given his famous “ruthless aggression” speech, challenging performers to step up and become stars at a time when the company desperately needed them.
Cena would debut shortly after on WWE’s secondary show, Smackdown, against superstar Kurt Angle. WWE fans will remember well when Angle asked Cena what the quality he believed set him apart, with Cena answering “ruthless aggression,” before punching Angle in the face.
Sure, Angle won the match, but Cena established himself as an up-and-comer in the WWE ranks.
4) John Cena Wins His First Championship In The WWE
While Cena debuted in 2002, it wasn’t until 2004 that he first held a championship.
After his famous debut, the young star actually fell flat. Fans felt he lacked charisma, which is as big as any amount of in-ring talent when it comes to pro wrestling.
After some time off television, Cena returned with the “Dr. Of Thuganomics” persona, where he would fire off diss raps against his opponents. He eventually found himself in a feud with another established star, The Big Show, for the United States championship.
At WrestleMania 20 at Madison Square Garden, Cena opened the show with a surprising win over The Big Show, winning the first of what would become a plethora of title victories in the WWE.
3) John Cena Wins The WWE Championship For The First Time
While the United States title is a big deal, the biggest prize in the sport is undeniably the WWE/World Heavyweight Championship.
After winning the U.S. Title, Cena established himself as a fan favorite and one of the company’s top “babyface” characters. Cena would drop and regain the United States title several times, but was still the champion in 2005 when he earned a WWE Championship opportunity at WrestleMania 21 against then-champ JBL.
He’d lose the U.S. championship to Orlando Jordan thanks to interference from JBL, continuing their build to the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania.
At WrestleMania 21, Cena defeated JBL to win his first WWE championship and become, at the time, the company’s biggest babyface, a role he’d go on to occupy for decades.
2) John Cena Makes Incredible Return At 2008 Royal Rumble
In 2007, Cena was at the height of his popularity and held the WWE championship for over a year. However, on Oct. 1, 2007, he suffered a legitimate torn pec in a match against Mr. Kennedy.
One night later, he was stripped of his title, ending a 380-day reign. Cena then saw famed Dr. James Andrews to have surgery to repair the pec. Many expected the injury would sideline him at very least through WrestleMania 24 in March of 2008.
However, Cena shockingly returned by January 27, 2008 as the final, surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble at Madison Square Garden.
His return lifted the roof off the place, sending shockwaves through the crowd. Cena went on to win the match, eliminating fellow superstar Triple H to earn a championship match at WrestleMania.
1) John Cena Defeats The Rock At WrestleMania 29 To Become The Top Guy In WWE
There’s no questioning that Cena carried the WWE through the mid-2000s and into the 2010s. But he still wasn’t the company’s biggest star.
Instead, that label belonged to someone who had long since left the company to pursue a career in Hollywood: The Rock.
However, anytime The Rock returned to WWE programming, it was clear who the bigger star was.
At WrestleMania 27 in 2011, The Rock served as the “special guest host,” but ultimately found himself involved in the main event, costing Cena his WWE Championship match against The Miz after weeks of tension between the two.
One night later, on WWE RAW, the two met face-to-face and agreed to a match…one year later as the main event of WrestleMania 28. It was the first time any such match had been made so early.
By the time the match rolled around, neither was champion, but the tension between the two was clear and there was rumored animosity off-screen. Ultimately, The Rock won the match after Cena attempted to steal his famed move, “The People’s Elbow,” only to be thwarted.
However, he’d go on to win the Royal Rumble for the second time in 2013, earning a world championship match at WrestleMania in the process. At the same show, The Rock defeated CM Punk for the WWE Championship, setting up a rematch for the ages.
In the second “Once in a Lifetime” match between the two, it was Cena who came out victorious, passing the torch from The Rock to Cena as the face of the WWE.