John Cena Farewell Tour: Revisiting His 5 Greatest WWE Rivalries

Aaron Young|published: Sun 14th September, 17:52 2025

credits: Jonathan Bachman/AP Images for WWE | source: AP

There are now only 10 dates left on the John Cena farewell tour. The G.O.A.T.’s next appearance will be in Springfield, Massachusetts, his home state. The WWE Universe has little time left to witness the last real champion.

With only so many appearances left, fans are speculating about who Cena’s opponents will be. That being said, let’s look at five of John Cena’s greatest rivals, starting with his current feud against Brock Lesnar.

Brock Lesnar

Photo credit: Don Feria

On Aug. 2 at SummerSlam 2025, the Beast Incarnate made a shocking return to WWE, confronting John Cena and delivering an F-5. Fans were left wondering why Lesnar showed up, given the controversy surrounding him. Nonetheless, Cena and Lesnar are no strangers. These two have squared off four times in their illustrious careers. Lesnar has won three of them, including a WWE Championship match in 2003.

The Beast returned the night after WrestleMania 28 to a thunderous ovation, where he targeted Cena. That led to a very one-sided match where Lesnar squashed him. Now, the two will face off at Wrestlepalooza on Sept. 20 in Indianapolis. Rumor has it WWE is uncertain on who should win the match, so fans will have to tune in to see the outcome.

Kurt Angle

Image: WWE Network

When Kurt Angle held an open challenge on the June 22, 2002, edition of SmackDown, he wasn’t expecting a rookie like John Cena to come out. When Angle asked what quality Cena possessed, the rookie said “ruthless aggression” and slapped him. Cena held his own in their first encounter, despite losing, and they have since fought four times.

Although they didn’t have any significant matches, Angle will always be tied to Cena’s career as the veteran who gave a rookie a chance.

The Rock

source: AP

Dwayne Johnson is one of the most recognizable people on the planet, and as The Rock he has faced off against many opponents inside the squared circle. He and Cena have had a bitter rivalry, culminating in two WrestleMania matches.

During their clash, the two traded barbs with each other. Highlights included Cena calling out The Rock for having his promo written on his wrist and The Rock mocking Cena’s brightly colored shirts. Despite their bad blood on-camera, the two have made up since.

CM Punk

credits: WWE

When CM Punk sat down on the June 27, 2011, edition of Raw, no one expected what was about to come next. As Cena lay helpless in the ring, Punk listed off his complaints about the company, saying he was upset he wasn’t in the main event of WrestleMania.

Punk and Cena would deliver a classic at Money in the Bank, where Punk won the title and ran off into the crowd. He returned a week later to reignite the rivalry. Just this year, the two clashed in Saudi Arabia with Cena as the heel and Punk as the babyface. Their incredible promo skills will always link them in WWE history.

Edge

Last but not least, the Rated-R Superstar. Edge and Cena have fought each other nearly 200 times in their careers. A breaking point in their rivalry came when Edge cashed in Money in the Bank on Cena and became champion at Elimination Chamber. Another highlight came when Cena defeated Edge for the WWE Championship in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at Unforgiven in 2006.

Unfortunately, WWE fans will not get the chance to see Edge take on Cena during the farewell tour, as Edge is now with All Elite Wrestling.