Shocking Omissions: Wrestlers John Cena Has Never Battled in a Big Match
John Cena
10. Jeff Hardy
Despite dominating WWE during the same era, John Cena and Jeff Hardy never faced off in a marquee PPV singles match. Their limited encounters—a lone Raw singles bout and a non-televised WWE Championship match in 2007—never evolved into a sustained feud. WWE’s reluctance to pit two top babyfaces against each other, combined with timing and storylines, left this high-profile clash of fan favorites as one of the most surprising omissions from Cena’s PPV history.
9. Shane McMahon
John Cena’s legacy is built on high-stakes, high-profile matches, making it surprising he never had a singles feud with Shane McMahon. While they met in multi-man bouts, WWE never booked a one-on-one clash. McMahon, known for spectacle, risk-taking, and crowd engagement—traits Cena also excelled at—could have created a memorable, story-driven program. Despite the perfect ingredients, WWE never explored what might have been a standout rivalry between two top-tier performers.
8. William Regal
Though John Cena and William Regal were active during the same era and often shared the ring, they never clashed in a televised singles match. Regal’s peak as a dominant heel, including his King of the Ring victory, coincided with Cena’s reign as WWE’s top babyface. A short-term feud could have showcased Regal’s technical mastery against Cena’s power-based style, but their encounters were limited to tag and multi-man bouts, leaving fans without what might have been one of Cena’s most stylistically diverse rivalries.
7. Sting
Sting’s short WWE tenure prevented several dream matchups, including a one-on-one clash with John Cena. While the two teamed on Raw, notably against Seth Rollins and Big Show, they never faced each other in singles competition. Both were positioned as heroic figures whose star power could have carried a major event. Sadly, Sting’s neck injury and limited in-ring schedule made the matchup impossible, leaving fans to wonder what could have been a marquee encounter between two WWE icons.
6. Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon built his career on challenging WWE’s top heroes, yet John Cena never received a full-fledged PPV feud with “The Boss.” Their brief Raw encounter saw Cena defeat McMahon in under four minutes via disqualification, but a longer program never materialized. As WWE’s ultimate standard-bearer, Cena could easily have carried a storyline against the company’s most notorious authority figure. While in-ring quality may have been secondary, the spectacle and storytelling potential of such a rivalry were undeniable.
5. Mick Foley
John Cena and Mick Foley’s careers overlapped enough to hint at a potential matchup—but the timing never aligned. While Cena was rising to superstardom, Foley often appeared in limited roles, frequently serving as a special guest referee in Cena’s biggest matches. Foley’s brutal encounters with Cena’s rivals, including Edge and Randy Orton, make the absence of a direct clash even more striking. A hardcore-style bout between Cena’s intensity and Foley’s legendary resilience would have been electric, but the stars never fully aligned.
4. Goldberg
Goldberg and John Cena officially shared the ring just once—the 2004 Royal Rumble—but never had a meaningful encounter on WWE television. Both were portrayed as unstoppable forces at different points, making the absence of a singles clash all the more surprising. Whether during Goldberg’s initial run or later returns, a short, explosive showdown with Cena could have been promoted as a blockbuster attraction. Despite obvious fan interest, WWE never seized the opportunity to make the matchup a reality.
3. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin’s retirement nearly perfectly overlapped with John Cena’s rise, robbing WWE of what could have been one of its most iconic matches. While Cena went on to clash with The Rock in multiple historic bouts, Austin remained largely out of in-ring action. Although Austin later returned at WrestleMania 38 to face Kevin Owens, the timing never allowed for a showdown with Cena. Considering their status as two of WWE’s most influential stars, the missed matchup stands as one of wrestling’s biggest “what ifs.”
2. Samoa Joe
When Samoa Joe debuted on WWE’s main roster, a singles showdown with John Cena seemed inevitable. With real-life history from their early training days and contrasting in-ring personas, the matchup promised a compelling narrative. Though they shared the ring in a Raw tag match and faced off twice at live events, a televised singles match never materialized. Cena’s reduced schedule during Joe’s tenure contributed to the missed opportunity, leaving what could have been a marquee rivalry as one of WWE’s notable creative oversights.
1. Ric Flair
John Cena and Ric Flair share a unique legacy as 16-time world champions, yet despite teaming on several occasions, they never faced each other in a singles match. By Flair’s later WWE run, Cena was firmly established as the company’s top star, while Flair still delivered memorable performances. A one-on-one encounter between the two would have carried immense symbolic significance, proving a historic clash of eras—even without a championship at stake. Moreover, that fabled world championship was recently broken by Cena at WrestleMania 41 when he beat Cody Rhodes to win the WWE title and become a 17-time kingpin. However, a clash with 'The Nature Boy' will always remain a dream.
