Top 5 John Cena Mic Takedowns of All Time

“Pat McAfee Show” contributor Mark Kaboly lists his “Top 5 John Cena Mic Takedowns” over the legend’s illustrious 25-year career following his unforgettable callout of the WWE Universe on the March 17 edition of Raw.
 

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John Cena unleashes an unrelenting diatribe on the WWE Universe before The American Nightmare crashes the scene to call out his antics. Catch WWE action on Netflix, Peacock, USA Network, CW Network, Sony India and more. #WWERAW

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St. Patrick’s Day Massacre: It might be recency bias on my part, and I am sure there is some truth to that, but Cena’s segment to open Monday’s Raw in Brussels, Belgium was some of his finest work and maybe even his best. It most definitely will go down as one of his most memorable performances on the mic. You can debate that he’s had more memorable individual moments, but to spend 25 minutes in the ring and deliver a monologue that ranged from angry to heartfelt to even whiny that answered all the questions (except for the one, why The Rock? But there are four more Raws before WrestleMania that leaves plenty of time to get to that.) It was something that was not only fresh and new but met the moment following his jaw-dropping attack at WWE Elimination Chamber.

He did that. The message was clear: He’s not the problem; you are the problem. Instead of blaming Cody Rhodes or the company or the thirst for power, he went all in on YOU – the fan. Cena let everyone know that he will keep his entrance music, he will keep his ring attire, he will keep hawking merchandise. Cena had a young fan on the verge of tears, so nobody was safe. Cody Rhodes happens to be in the way. Like all good heel takedowns, there was plenty of truth to what Cena said about the fans. I liken it to laughing with the funny kid for 25 years to realize they are laughing at you and not with you. Cena had enough. Was it Cena’s best? Probably not at this moment, but I’m banking on it growing even more over time.

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Hear every blistering insult from John Cena and Roman Reigns’ intense and controversial confrontation.

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Beating The Big Dog: Cena might officially be a villain for the first time in his career, but make no mistake about it, he has turned in his share of villainous promos over his career. None may have been better than Aug. 29, 2017 on Raw. In the buildup of Cena vs. Roman Reigns at No Mercy, Cena rocked Reigns on the mic in the lead-up to the PLE every time. But this particular one stood out because Cena broke that proverbial fourth wall and held absolutely nothing back.

Reigns had a momentary lapse and lost his train of thought at one point, and Cena decided to embarrass him … big time. “Go ahead find it. Go ahead, I’ll wait. It’s called a promo kid, and if you want to be ‘The Big Dog,’ you’re going to have to learn how to do it so go ahead. See ya fourth wall.” The quick-witted response stood out and is what is remembered most to this day, but his entire execution was top-notch. “There’s an old saying that it’s better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you’re stupid than to open it prove them right” among other highlights. 

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Raw: The Rock responds to John Cena and weighs in on their WrestleMania showdown

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Crossing the line: Leading up to WrestleMania XXVIII, The Rock vs. Cena was being billed as a “Once in a Lifetime” blockbuster matchup. The Rock and Cena are some of the best talkers ever to step in a ring and pick up a microphone, and the two didn’t do anything in the buildup to The Showcase of the Immortals to alter that. On the Feb. 27, 2012 episode of Raw, the two traded barbs in the ring with Cena doing a lot of the swinging (people’s strudel, Kung Pao chicken, etc.) before he admitted years later that he crossed a line of what he did to The Rock. At the time, it was yet another peek into what “bad guy” Cena could be like. After spending 15 minutes in the ring, Cena humbled the guy who perfected promos. During the back-and-forth, Cena said, “I don’t need respect and loyalty to trend worldwide, just like I don’t need notes for my promo on my wrist. Nice tattoo.” It’s a line that’s still talked about more than a decade later that might have been out of line but is what’s remembered most about the segment and made it what it was.

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John Cena puts Austin Theory in his place before finally agreeing to take on United States Champion on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Catch WWE action on Peacock, WWE Network, FOX, USA Network, Sony India and more. #WWERAW

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In Theory: During the March 6, 2023 episode of Raw, Austin Theory challenged Cena to a match at WrestleMania for Theory’s United States Championship, one that Cena would ultimately accept, but it ended up being a footnote to the segment. Talk about a “bad guy” moment, Cena was downright brutal to the up-and-comer Theory that many believed went too far. Cena berated Theory in every way imaginable all while having more of a legit feel. Cena went on a 10-minute diatribe of condescending remarks and flat-out dismissal of Theory as a wrestler saying that he doesn’t care and the fans don’t care about him because “we don’t believe you.” The “cup check” to end the promo was one that crossed the line and cut even deeper. Hmm, very “bad guy”-like, no?

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The Leader of the Cenation journeys to “The Most Must-See Talk Show in WWE history.”

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A dude named Mike: Cena went off on The Miz and Maryse on the Feb. 28, 2017 episode of SmackDown that led to a Mixed Tag Team Match at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando. It might get forgotten as one of the more iconic mic moments in Cena’s storied career, but him allowing The Miz to speak for nearly 10 minutes before unleashing a flurry of insults makes it one of my favorites and one that doesn’t get talked about enough. “You are a dude named Mike who shortened his last name on ‘The Real World’.” He cited examples of The Miz stealing different traits from The Rock, Chris Jericho, Ric Flair, Daniel Bryan, and AJ Styles. With this line providing the exclamation point: “You are a dude dressed up like a dude playing another dude.”
 

Honorable mentions:

Cena vs. Daniel Bryan (2013)
Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler (2012)
Cena vs. Styles (2017)
Cena vs. CM Punk (2012)
Cena vs. Undertaker (2003)

BGB Media Staff

Publishing articles on film, television, and pop culture articles inclusive entertainment