Every Wrestler Who Defeated John Cena For The WWE Title (And How They Did It)

Dethroning 'The Champ'

Bray Wyatt WrestleMania Sign
WWE.com

Bray Wyatt joined an elite group by virtue of his Elimination Chamber victory at Sunday's Pay-Per-View.

Not only is he now in the company of the select few to hold the WWE Title, he also becomes a member of an even more exclusive club, having taken the title from John Cena.

Though the switch took place in a multi-man match, Wyatt can claim the distinction, and pridefully so having despatched the Champion himself en route to victory.

But who else can lay claim to ending a fabled John Cena title reign?

WWE have excitedly trumpeted Cena's record-equalling sixteen World Title runs lately, but sixteen wins means sixteen losses, and some superstars have even taken 'Big Match John's prized possession on more than one occasion.

After over a decade as 'The Face That Runs The Place', here's collection of every superstar who managed to defeat Cena for the WWE or World Heavyweight Title.

10. Batista

Cm Punk John Cena
WWE

Throughout much of the mid-2000s, John Cena and Dave Batista shared matching trajectories, making huge waves on Smackdown and Raw respectively in 2004 en route to both winning World Titles at April 2005's WrestleMania 21.

Due to the brand split at the time though, the two were rarely matched up, and when they were, WWE gold was usually contested elsewhere on the card.

That changed at February 2010's 'Elimination Chamber' Pay-Per-View, when Batista decimated an already-dismantled Cena to claim the WWE Title minutes just minutes into the new Champion's reign.

Having defeated Triple H, Randy Orton, Kofi Kingston, Ted Dibiase Jr & previous titleholder Sheamus in the Elimination Chamber immediately preceding an interruption from Vince McMahon, Cena was too exhausted to even stand as the boss confirmed he'd be repaying a favour to Batista and offering him a title shot right there and then.

Cena took a wild swing in limp defence of his prize, but 'The Animal' was ruthless in his attack, rattling 'The Champ' with a spear and a Batista Bomb to register a quick pin and set up their WrestleMania 26 rematch.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett