Ranking Triple H's 19 WrestleMania Matches - From Worst To Best

4. Triple H Vs. John Cena (WrestleMania 22)

The WrestleMania 22 main event between Triple H and John Cena is a match that does not get nearly the credit it deserves for the story it told. Heading into the show, Cena was the young two-time WWE Champion riding a wave of momentum following his first year as the undisputed top babyface in professional wrestling. Yet, there were still doubts about his ability to carry the brand, to be the franchise star. After all, he had waged war with, and defeated, John Bradshaw Layfield, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle and Edge but none of those Superstars were considered the elite of the elite. Cena was still lacking that one definitive win that reaffirmed his position as "the guy" going forward. To pick up that win, he would have to face Triple H, the measuring stick for professional wrestling in the 2000s. The Ric Flair of his generation, he was the Superstar by which all other wrestlers would be judged. It meant something to go toe-to-toe with him at the biggest event of the year and Cena was about to find out just how much. Triple H was arrogant, seeing Cena as just another young stud testing his throne as the King of Kings. He looked unmoved by everything that Cena threw at him, even taking the time to pull out the old DX crotch chop in defiance of the champion's onslaught. He was going to bowl over Cena in what he referred to in advance as the "easiest match of his life" and regain the WWE Championship. Except, things did not go that way. Cena frustrated the challenger to the point that The Game had to pull out a sledgehammer to try and score the fall. Even his Pedigree failed to put the young star down. Eventually, he found himself trapped in the STF. Despite his attempts to crawl out of it, to inch his way to the safety and security of the ropes, Triple H had no choice but to tap out as the fans in Chicago's AllState Arena erupted, unable to believe that the heavy favorite had just lost to the babyface they had spent the entire match rejecting. A brilliant bit of booking and two extraordinary performances by the wrestlers involved helped elevate the lackluster main event, at least on paper, to immortality.