20 Incredible John Cena Matches To Binge-Watch Before He Retires
9. John Cena vs Shawn Michaels - Raw, 23rd April 2007
John Cena vs Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 23 was a meeting of generations, with Cena having held the WWE Championship for 20 of the 24 months running up to this contest, and HBK looking to win the biggest prize in the game for the first time in nearly five years. Cena retained by making Mr. Wrestlemania tap on 'The Grandest Stage Of Them All', but their rematch later that same month on Raw in London is where the real action is.
This non-title bout on the April 23rd, 2007 edition of Monday Night Raw was 56 minutes of classic in-ring storytelling and drama, played out before a red-hot crowd that gave their all throughout. With Michaels shedding his smiles and swagger for gritted teeth and animosity, and with Cena at his physical peak, this match-up was the perfect meeting of John Cena's power and popularity, and Shawn Michaels' superhuman selling ability.
Culminating in 'The Showstopper' taking an AA, only to land flat on his feet and deliver a roof-raising Sweet Chin Music to earn a pinfall victory, this is one of the best matches of Shawn Michaels' second run at the top, and a thumb in the eye to any who had lingering doubts about John Cena's in-ring excellence.