100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)
22. Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena (Raw, 23 April 2007)
Fans piling into Earl's Court in London, England had to pinch themselves at the prospect of seeing a WrestleMania 23 rematch between re-energised icon Shawn Michaels and top WWE breakout star John Cena on the 23 April 2007 edition of Raw. Those people then surely lost their collective minds once HBK and 'Super Cena' went almost 56 minutes in one of the best WWE TV matches ever.
In fact, scrap that. It's one of the best WWE matches period.
Naturally, some telly ad breaks did threaten to ruin the flow of what Shawn and John were doing, but they showed superior skills to overcome that and turn this into a true gem that was frankly unmissable. Knowing they were going for nearly an hour, the pair laced the first half (especially) with plenty of psychology and a 'feeling out process'. If that sounds boring, then don't worry - this was captivating stuff between two masters.
By the end, both guys were struggling to even punch or kick one another properly. That was totally deliberate. They wanted to sell just how knackered they were, and the announcers did a bang up job of putting across the idea of a stalemate. Then, just as it looked like they'd wrestle forever, Michaels biffed Cena with another 'Sweet Chin Music' to take home the win.
Laugh in the faces of those who claim John Cena "can't wrestle". Show them this whilst you chuckle. Hanging with one of the greats for almost a full hour wasn't something just anybody in the biz could do back in 2007. Cena made it look like second nature.