7 Matches Where John Cena Went FULL WORKRATE

The 5 September 2025 SmackDown became notable for John Cena handing over his United States 'Open Challenge' bit to Sami Zayn. That came over 10 years after they'd torn the house down in Montreal on the 4 May 2015 Raw. Somehow, despite that first match only lasting a shade over 10 minutes, it'd become known as an instant classic and one of Cena's best ever.

Bret Hart introduced Sami to a booming pop, and the 'Hitman' would've been proud of the match his man and John put together on the night. Keep in mind that this occurred during an era when Cena wasn't known as some technical workhorse who could produce bangers in his sleep. It was still during the dreaded: "You Can't Cena" and "Cena Sucks" days, so this was a nice treat for viewers.

One of the best things about his 'Open Challenge' spots was that they handed opportunities to guys who had been showing out on NXT or elsewhere on the wrestling map before reaching WWE. Sami was one of those, and so was his good pal Kevin Owens. Special mention to the absolute wars Cena had with KO in 2015, by the way. Those were really good.

In 10 rapid fire minutes, Cena made Zayn look like somebody who belonged on the main roster and was close to being his equal. It was a stunning show of professionalism and skill from a star so big he honestly didn't need to give anybody a leg up the ladder. If anything, Cena could've gone to Vince McMahon and said: 'I'm beating this dude in 3'.

Sami played his underdog role to perfection, and he stunned Cena with some tidy spots that'd pop back up in their 2025 redo.