John Cena's 10 Greatest WWE Moments
9. Bleeding (A Lot) - Judgmenet Day 2005
Three years on from that WrestleMania coronation, Cena and JBL came back together for the final First Blood match to be seen under WWE's watch. As the company was heading towards the PG Era, the match ended when JBL popped a blood capsule in his mouth which, judging by the reaction, a lot of fans didn't even see.
This was the hill Cena's character often died on; the shining embodiment of the PG state of WWE that was rejected by fans of the Attitude Era. Cast your mind back to Judgment Day 2005, two months after Cena beat JBL at 'Mania, for an example of what the man sacrificed for his craft.
Their I Quit match was a relentlessly brutal clash that wasn't far away from Eddie Guerrero/JBL levels of horrendous. Both guys had the audience unsure of how to react, with every inch of Cena's face covered in crimson. Looking at it after more than a decade of PG sports entertainment gives the bout even more shock value, and Cena gained a lot of respect from some who had already relegated him to the bland babyface persona he has been plagued with for years.