5 best moves of his WWE career

Publish date: 2024-06-22

One of the biggest criticisms of John Cena's early career was his supposedly limited moveset. While The Champ always possessed an impressive array of moves, he continued to add new ones to his arsenal, eventually silencing his critics. His US Open challenge was the biggest showcase of how vast his moveset was, and this carried over into feuds with the likes of AJ Styles and Roman Reigns.

With Cena's 20th-anniversary celebrations in WWE coming up, fans and legends alike have been reflecting on his decorated career. The Cenation Leader's greatest moments, returns, reigns, and even rivals have been hotly debated by the Internet Wrestling Community. His moveset has also been a topic of discussion during the company's designated "Cena Month".

With that in mind, let's explore the five best moves from the sixteen-time champion's career.

#5 The Sunset Flip Powerbomb is one of the best John Cena moves of recent years

The Sunset Flip Powerbomb was added to John Cena's moveset during his 2015 US Open challenge. The move was impactful and swift, changing the pace of a match in an instant. The fact that it transitioned into a pin resulted in incredible near falls that kept the crowd on the edge of their seats.

The sunset flip powerbomb is still one of Cena's best big-match maneuvers. It's so good that it would make for a believable finishing move if he chose to use it as such. This late-career addition to The Cenation leader's moveset is one of his most inspired in-ring improvements.

#4 John Cena's dropkick is underrated

Cena executes a dropkick on Bray Wyatt

While the dropkick does not come up often when discussing John Cena, it is one of the moves he has used throughout his career. The Champ executed the move in his debut against Kurt Angle and has continued to use it for two decades. His version of the move is not as celebrated as those of lighter, more agile superstars such as AJ Styles, but it's still a thing of beauty.

The agility and athleticism of The Champ's dropkick has wowed the WWE Universe for years, and it remains one of his most dependable moves. As such, it warrants a place on this list.

#3 The Five Knuckle Shuffle is a fan-favorite John Cena move

The Five Knuckle Shuffle is one of Cena's most popular moves

The Five Knuckle Shuffle is not John Cena's most effective move, but it is definitely one of his most popular. It does not end matches or break opponents' backs, but the Shuffle engages crowds like few other maneuvers in the entire business. The move culminated the iconic core routine of Cena's matches for over a decade, affectionately named the "Five Moves Of Doom."

Audiences the world over still fill up with anticipation when The Champ executes a shoulder block and spinout powerbomb. He then proceeds to throw up an arm, taunt his fallen opponent with the legendary "You Can't See Me" catchphrase and hit the Shuffle. This fan-favorite move is as integral to Cena's character as any in his repertoire.

#2 John Cena made the STF one of the most devastating moves in WWE

The Champ applies the STF to Triple H

The Stepover Toehold Facelock, or STF, is John Cena's most iconic submission move. The sixteen-time world champion has used submissions like the Figure Four leglock on occasion, but the STF is the one that is most emblematic of him. Whether countering an opponent's advancing attack or bringing a match to a climactic and nail-biting end, the move is both effective and slick.

He has used the maneuver to great effect, using it to win multiple world titles and WrestleMania main events. In terms of effectiveness, popularity, and longevity, only one other move in Cena's quiver surpasses the STF.

#1 The AA is John Cena's most iconic move

To have a career as legendary and accomplished as John Cena's, one needs an incredible finishing move. The Attitude Adjustment is one such move that fittingly provides a climax to all of the Cenation leader's moves, especially in big matches. It is not only impressive but also adjustable, conquering superstars of all sizes in every setting.

Cena has found great success with the move, whether delivering it in the middle of the ring to Rey Mysterio or on the announce table to The Great Khali. Variations such as the double AA and super AA from the top rope have helped him win some of the biggest matches of his career. No move has influenced Cena's career more than the Attitude Adjustment.

Quick Links

More from Sportskeeda

" modalPopup.closeOnEsc = false; modalPopup.setHeader("Why did you not like this content?"); modalPopup.setContentText(modalText); modalPopup.addCancelOkButton("Submit", resetRatingAndFeedbackForm, sendRating); modalPopup.removeCloseModalIcon(); modalPopup.disableDismissPopup(); modalPopup.open(); } else { sendRating(index); } } function sendRating() { var requestPayload = { "post_id": 1141681, "rating_value": ratingValue } if (ratingValue > 3) { requestPayload.rating_feedback_type = null; requestPayload.rating_feedback = null; } else { if (!$('input[name="drone"]:checked') || !$('input[name="drone"]:checked').value) { showErrorMessage('option'); return; } if (!$(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea") || !$(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea").value) { showErrorMessage('note'); return; } var selectedOption = $('input[name="drone"]:checked').value; var feedbackNote = $(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea").value; requestPayload.rating_feedback_type = selectedOption; requestPayload.rating_feedback = feedbackNote; } pureJSAjaxPost(addratingAPI, requestPayload, onsaveRatingSuccess, onsaveRatingFail, function() {}, true); } function resetRatingAndFeedbackForm() { var activeStars = Array.from($all('.rating span.rating-star.active')); for (var i=0; i < activeStars.length; i++) { activeStars[i].classList.remove("active"); } if ($('input[name="drone"]:checked')) { $('input[name="drone"]:checked').checked = false; } var userNote = document.querySelector(".post-rating-feedback-note textarea"); userNote.value = ''; modalPopup.close(); } function onsaveRatingSuccess() { modalPopup.close(); savePostIdInUserRatedPostsCookie(); $("#post-rating-layout").classList.add("hidden"); $("#post-rating-message").classList.remove("hidden"); window.setInterval(function showMessage() { $("#post-rating-widget").classList.add("hidden"); }, 3000); } function onsaveRatingFail() { console.error('Saving post rating failed!'); modalPopup.close(); } function savePostIdInUserRatedPostsCookie() { userRatedPostIds.push(1141681); var expiryTime = new Date(); expiryTime.setMonth(expiryTime.getMonth() + 12); // Expiry after 1 year setCookie("user_rated_post_ids", JSON.stringify(userRatedPostIds), expiryTime); } function isPostRatedByUser() { var userRatedPostIds = getCookie('user_rated_post_ids'); if (userRatedPostIds) { try { userRatedPostIds = JSON.parse(userRatedPostIds); } catch (err) { console.error(err); return false; } } else { return false; } if(userRatedPostIds.indexOf(1141681) >= 0) { return true; } else { return false; } } function getRatingCountByPostId(postId) { return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) { pureJSAjaxGet( getRatingCountBaseURL + postId + '/rating/count', function(data) { try { data = JSON.parse(data); if (data.meta_value) { resolve(data.meta_value); } reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); } catch (err) { reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); } }, function(err) { reject("Failed to fetch rating count for the post:" + postId); }, true); }); } function showErrorMessage(messageType) { var messageContainerId = '#' + messageType + '-error'; $(messageContainerId).classList.remove('hidden'); window.setInterval(function () { $(messageContainerId).classList.add("hidden"); }, 5000); } (function() { var callFired = false; function lazyLoadPostRating() { if (callFired) return; callFired = true; if (!isPostRatedByUser()) { getRatingCountByPostId(1141681) .then(function(ratingCount) { if (ratingCount < 10) { $("#post-rating-widget").classList.remove("hidden"); } }) .catch(function(err){ console.error(err); }); } } document.addEventListener("scroll", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); document.addEventListener("mousemove", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); document.addEventListener("touchmove", lazyLoadPostRating, { passive: true, once: true }); })();