10 Best Major John Cena Feuds
5. Vs. The Rock
The Rock fired the first shot in one of the greatest promos of all time - his return on the February 14, 2011 RAW.
It was phenomenal stuff. Rock eviscerated the Cena character with his next-level wit and charisma, just as its dominance reached its post-Nexus nadir, capped off with perhaps the greatest ever pro wrestling diss: "A blindfolded, stuck-in-his-basement Stevie Wonder could you see your monkey ass." Rock then cost Cena his chance to dethrone The Miz at WrestleMania XXVII, setting up their "Once" In A Lifetime match at 'Mania XXVIII.
The promo wars exchanged in the build were never less than fascinating. The segments were funny, tense, personal - they even seemed counterproductive at times, not that it ultimately mattered. The event produced the biggest buy rate in the history of wrestling on pay-per-view. It was easy to accept the fact that these two megastars had a genuine dislike for one another - a difficult proposition in the post-kayfabe age.
The matches themselves haven't aged well; slow, overlong and often cheesy, the tension didn't translate all that well to the ring. Still - in the moment, when it mattered, Cena and Rock held the attention of rapt audiences in both Miami and New Jersey, and to the millions - and millions...