10 WWE Matches John Cena Should Have Lost
5. Vs. Chris Benoit (SmackDown, April 17, 2003)
Yes, even back in his humble origins as The Doctor of Thuganomics, the Chain Gang Commander was still picking up victories where he shouldn’t have.
After Brock Lesnar won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XIX, a No. 1 Contender’s tournament was held on SmackDown to determine his challenger for Backlash. The finals came down to Chris Benoit and a young John Cena, not even 12 months into his WWE career.
The match itself was nothing to scoff at, and Cena picking up the upset victory over the veteran Benoit was a great way to put the fresh star over. What was a problem, however, was Cena’s performance against Lesnar at the PPV. It was quite clear that the young lion didn’t belong in the main event scene just yet. If Cena had taken the fall on April 17, 2003, there would be little doubt that a Backlash main event between Lesnar and Benoit would’ve been an absolute classic.