John Cena and Brock Lesnar have provided WWE fans with a collection of memorable in-ring showdowns over the course of their prolonged kayfabe rivalry in the promotion. The two WWE icons have gone head-to-head six times inside the ring to date, with their seventh singles clash scheduled for September 20 at WWE Wrestlepalooza, which might eventually become their last match.
Almost every Cena vs. Lesnar encounter to date has been a barnburner. Still, there will always be space for a comparative analysis between them to choose the best. So here’s our list of all the Cena vs. Lesnar singles matches, ranked according to their quality from the least impressive one to the most.
6. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar: September 19, 2002, on SmackDown
The iconic Cena vs. Lesnar rivalry began in 2002, with their first singles match featured on the September 19 episode of SmackDown. Despite making his in-ring debut on May 18, 2002, Lesnar had already claimed the WWE Championship by then. However, the first Cena vs. Lesnar match didn’t involve Lesnar’s title, as the two locked horns in a non-title match.
With his larger physique and insane strength, Lesnar controlled most of the match. Cena had a few moments of his own here and there, but Lesnar’s strength and skills mostly outshone him. The seven-time WWE champion put out a show of his inhuman strength late in the fight by maneuvering Cena’s crucifix attempt into a brutal F5. Lesnar won the first installment of his rivalry with Cena via pinfall following his finisher.
Check out the full match below:
However, we rate this encounter as the least impressive in the series of Cena vs. Lesnar matches. The lack of experience of both stars became evident at multiple junctures of the match.
5. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar: April 27, 2003, at Backlash
Cena challenged Lesnar for the WWE title in the third installment of their rivalry at Backlash on April 27, 2003. This was also the first time Cena locked horns with Lesnar in a PPV event.
The 17-time world champion played the aggressor early in the fight. Still, the momentum shifted within an instant as Lesnar crushed Cena with backbreakers, spears, clotheslines, and a plethora of other moves.
Cena picked up the pace several times in the match, along with making Lesnar bleed after banging his head onto the steel steps. However, his momentum was disturbed by Lesnar’s sudden attacks, who didn’t give up even after taking a low blow from Cena, besides absorbing several other vicious moves.
The match turned out to be a lengthy affair, with Lesnar eventually winning by pinfall after an F5.
Check out the full match below:
This encounter sits at the fifth spot of our list as the match looked reckless at several points instead of a well-executed performance.
4. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar: February 13, 2003, on SmackDown
After hosting the first Cena vs. Lesnar encounter on September 19, 2002, SmackDown also played host to the duo’s second match on February 13, 2003.
By this time, Cena had morphed into the ‘Doctor of Thuganomics’ who wrestled in jorts, leaving behind his usual wrestling trunks. However, he was still young in the roster and was trying to make his way into the WWE title scenario by feuding with Lesnar amidst ‘The Beast Incarnate’s’ rivalry with Kurt Angle.
The previous entry clarifies that he succeeded in his efforts and went on to face Lesnar for the WWE Championship at Backlash, where he lost. Nevertheless, the result of this match was the same: a defeat for Cena.
Lesnar clearly had the upper hand in the match despite Cena’s incredible show of resilience. However, the 14-time undisputed WWE champion shocked the crowd as he struck Lesnar with his chain in the latter half of the fight. Still, Cena found Lesnar’s strength too much to overcome. Despite being hurt, the reigning champion ended the match in his favor with a vicious F5 followed by a pinfall.
Check out the full match below:
This match didn’t have any specific drawback, but we ranked it fourth on this list due to the high quality of the other Cena vs. Lesnar encounters about to follow.
3. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar: August 17, 2014, at SummerSlam
The fifth clash between Cena and Lesnar was a special one, as two titles were on the line: the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship. Hence, the WWE billed it as a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match.
This matchup was the most one-sided affair out of all the head-to-head clashes between the duo. Lesnar took Cena to Suplex City amidst the fight to dismantle him with an unusually high number of suplexes. Despite brief moments of success, Cena couldn’t avoid defeat as Lesnar rolled him up in the end to secure a victory via pinfall.
Check out the full match below:
Lesnar’s fans may have enjoyed the matchup due to their beloved star’s domination. However, this made the match a bit predictable, which is why we put it at the third spot on our list.
2. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar: September 21, 2014, at Night of Champions
Cena had an untoward beginning to 2014, losing his WWE and World Heavyweight Championship to Lesnar at SummerSlam in a lopsided affair as mentioned in the previous entry. The 14-time WWE champion had nothing except revenge in his mind as he stepped into the ring against Lesnar at Night of Champions on September 21 in the same year.
Despite absorbing a number of Lesnar’s attacks initially, Cena kept creating small moments for himself with his chokeholds. The ‘Cenation’ star’s fourth STF lock troubled Lesnar visibly, but his momentum was broken by an attack from the reigning Money In The Bank briefcase holder, Seth Rollins.
Rollins cashed in his to take advantage of the injured Lesnar and bag his title. However, Cena’s attack caused him to run away. As a result, Cena won the match via disqualification, but was denied regaining the WWE Championship, which stayed under Lesnar’s control.
Check out the full match below:
Cena’s incredible resistance and the unexpected twist at the end of the match make us rate this one as the second-best Cena vs. Lesnar singles clash.
1. John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar: April 29, 2012, at Extreme Rules
Brock Lesnar went right after John Cena following his eagerly awaited return to the WWE on the April 2, 2012 episode of Raw. The entire Raw roster had to come up on stage to break the melee between the two during the episode. In the end, Cena was left bleeding from Lesnar’s attack.
The bad blood between Cena and Lesnar gave fans an absolute banger on Extreme Rules on April 29. Despite fearlessly meeting Lesnar’s vicious strength, Cena was dominated for most of the match due to his rival’s size advantage. Lesnar got Cena bleeding with a fierce strike shortly after the start of the match.
However, the 17-time world champion had the last laugh as he knocked Lesnar out in the end with his chain wrapped around his fist. The bloodbath ended with a pinfall victory for Cena after he AA-d Lesnar on the steel steps.
Check out the full match below:
The intense twists and turns and the exciting ending to the match are the reasons behind rating the Cena vs. Lesnar 2012 Extreme Rules clash as the best of the six singles encounters they have delivered to date.
Do you agree with our list? Or would you like to alter a few positions? Let us know in the comments below.
But don’t forget to tune into Wrestlepalooza on September 20.
