10 Best "Passing Of The Torch" Matches In WWE History
8. John Cena Vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 23)
Some “passing of the torch” moments aren’t as immediately obvious as others, and Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena falls into that category. Cena was originally pegged to wrestle Triple H at WrestleMania 23, but The Game tore his quad in January, which put an end to that idea. Michaels then earned his shot at the WWE Championship by defeating Randy Orton and Edge in a triple threat match, and though he and Cena were WWE Tag Team Champions heading into the match, HBK had dropped his partner with a Sweet Chin Music a few weeks prior.
There was plenty of heat heading into this match as a result, and Cena taunted Michaels with a DX crotch chop early on. HBK worked his way back into the match by straight-up out-wrestling Cena, and with Michaels put over as a “big match player” on commentary, it was clearly going to take a Herculean effort for Cena to overcome him.
The match soon developed into a thrilling encounter, and Cena fought through a sustained assault on his knee. It took multiple STFU attempts to do it, but Cena eventually triumphed, forcing his opponent to tap-out in just under 30 minutes.
It’d be a stretch to call this a career-making win for Cena, but it was hugely important in legitimising him as a major player. He became WWE’s undisputed franchise after defeating the greatest showman in wrestling history, and while Cena hasn’t always been the most popular wrestler around, he has remained in that role ever since.