WWE: 29 Iconic WrestleMania Moments

WrestleMania 21 - The John Cena Era Starts

It was a clunker of a match, but it served its purpose. JBL was a heel supreme, and spent months antagonizing John Cena. The whole process made Cena look fantastic €“ a clean-cut poster boy who could stand toe-to-toe with JBL on the microphone. Fans loved his bold approach to bringing down the old guard, and it seemed inevitable that Cena would be next to wear the crown.

So while the match itself will never be cited for its masterful grappling, a simple story was all that Cena needed in this case. They had already spent a lot of time building to this match, so fans were rabid for closure, no matter what the route to get there. JBL beat the hell out of Cena, and somehow Cena managed to come back for the victory. No one seemed to care that John Cena's sudden recovery defied logic, that's how happy everyone was to see him holding the WWE belt. His logic-defying recoveries (both in and out of the ring) have continued to this day. It wasn't long before some of those same rabid fans turned on him, citing a repetitive moveset and stale character. But for now, in this moment, Cena could celebrate his first flag being planted at the summit where he still stands today.