Moments where Cena looked strong that you enjoyed

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

This is just to counter the negativity of the other two threads about him now. Just for a balance.

One of my favorites was when he dressed down Mr. McMahon the week after Punk’s promo before Vince added the firing stop. I actually think their back and forth carried more weight than the angle that kicked it off.

[Deleted]

The way he beat Umaga at Royal Rumble 2007 made Umaga look like an absolute animal. One of the best examples of "look strong in defeat" I've seen.

[Bang Bang Bart]

Cena winning the I Quit match vs. JBL at 2005 Judgement Day. While excessive bloodshed is now uncomfortable to look back on in wrestling, it worked here to make Cena look like an utter badass.

[mystermystery]

That time he beat the Great Khali by Attitude Adjustment-ing him off a crane or something like that.

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

Kinda controversial but I loved when he beat Brock in that first match back.

Dude got beat up and tortured but Brock underestimated Cena’s old ability to fight dirty.

[Ben Wyatt]

Nov 28, 2020 20:39:16 GMT -5 @negan said:

The way he beat Umaga at Royal Rumble 2007 made Umaga look like an absolute animal. One of the best examples of "look strong in defeat" I've seen.

My favorite LMS match. Umaga should have been MADE after that

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

Nov 28, 2020 21:58:33 GMT -5 Ben Wyatt said:

Nov 28, 2020 20:39:16 GMT -5 @negan said:

The way he beat Umaga at Royal Rumble 2007 made Umaga look like an absolute animal. One of the best examples of "look strong in defeat" I've seen.

My favorite LMS match. Umaga should have been MADE after that

It’s really a shame the dude had so many issues.

[Chiral]

The I Quit match at Judgment Day 2005 ruled. I was a kid in the crowd and was full on real to me damn it mode in that match.

[Deleted]

I ain't even gonna hold you.

For as f***ed up as the "Great Wyatt Burial of 2015" was I was cracking up at how cartoonishly Cena destroyed them. It wasn't just Bray, it was his boys too and he did it while Mark Henry and Big Show were outside of the ring cheering him on. I was in tears with laughter.

Cena in that Kane feud was also amazing to me. See, if he's strong in cartoony ways I can get behind because that's just the silly wrestling stuff I can deal with.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

When he smacked up Baron Corbin and told him to stay out grown folk business

[Perfect Timing]

The chamber match where Edge cashed in.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Nov 29, 2020 6:55:19 GMT -5 Perfect Timing said:

The chamber match where Edge cashed in.

No, I said “where Cena looked strong.” Cute little answers like Summerslam 2014 or when he jobbed to Taker or got embarrassed in some way, that’s not what I was looking for.

[4real]

When he first actually lifted the Big Show up for the FU at Survivor Series 03 I thought it was pretty impressive.

[Squirrel Master]

Nov 28, 2020 21:58:33 GMT -5 Ben Wyatt said:

Nov 28, 2020 20:39:16 GMT -5 @negan said:

The way he beat Umaga at Royal Rumble 2007 made Umaga look like an absolute animal. One of the best examples of "look strong in defeat" I've seen.

My favorite LMS match. Umaga should have been MADE after that

As I mentioned in another thread, Umaga wearing the Big Gold should have been a thing.

[Squirrel Master]

I enjoyed the beating he put on Jesus Aguilera at Armageddon.

[krozor]

It all went very poorly, very quickly, but the original Nexus attack is the one time that Cena felt like the cool, admirable, insanely tough superhero that they wanted him to be. Seven guys show up and destroy everything, then surround Cena. And he has this wonderful, wordless moment of "Well, guess I gotta fight all seven of you, then!" and tries to do it. He can't win but he tries anyway because he has to. THAT'S a hero. And appropriately, it takes all seven guys and all of their finishers to do it, and for the first time in a long time, a lot of us bought it because they bothered to make it look hard to be that tough.

That seems to be the common thread among choices: any time he looks like he has to work for it, it feels earned. It's Hogan's secret: if you make it seem like you're worried you might lose, the fans will be worried you might lose, too, and even more of them will be happy if you win.

[fw91]

Idk either the 12th or 18th time he AA’d the Big Show.

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

Nov 29, 2020 11:29:54 GMT -5 krozor said:

It all went very poorly, very quickly, but the original Nexus attack is the one time that Cena felt like the cool, admirable, insanely tough superhero that they wanted him to be. Seven guys show up and destroy everything, then surround Cena. And he has this wonderful, wordless moment of "Well, guess I gotta fight all seven of you, then!" and tries to do it. He can't win but he tries anyway because he has to. THAT'S a hero. And appropriately, it takes all seven guys and all of their finishers to do it, and for the first time in a long time, a lot of us bought it because they bothered to make it look hard to be that tough.

That seems to be the common thread among choices: any time he looks like he has to work for it, it feels earned. It's Hogan's secret: if you make it seem like you're worried you might lose, the fans will be worried you might lose, too, and even more of them will be happy if you win.

Remember when the crowd actually chanted Never Give Up when he was forced to join Nexus. Jesus Christ.

[msc]

tbf the first time I saw him AA/FU Big Show it was amazing.

[dbrussel]

Everytime when he looked strong but his opponent gained something in the process. Like the Edge cash in or the Nexus feud before it went....well you know.