20 Greatest WWE SmackDown Superstars Ever

9. John Cena

The Rock SmackDown Fox
WWE

Every version of John Cena has been the best version on SmackDown.

Gritty wrestler Cena made his debut on the brand in 2002 with a blinding display against Kurt Angle, whilst his rapper (and diluted subsidiary) persona was formed entirely on the post-Brand Split B-show. Even the John Cena of today - a bantering buffoon with a penchant for p*ssing about - does the job more efficiently on Tuesday.

He obliterated Baron Corbin's past, present and near-future in 2017, only to remind everybody what earned him so much in-built respect in the first place with a tantalising last run at AJ Styles' WWE Championship in early 2018.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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