John Cena may or may not be at WrestleMania this year, but regardless of whether or not he competes, the face of the franchise has had many great moments at the marquee event.
The "Cenation" leader first made a WrestleMania appearance at the 19th edition in 2003 in a rapping segment prior to the show, and he hasn't missed the WWE's cornerstone event since.
Cena has wracked up quite the impressive resume throughout the years at WrestleMania, taking on a who's who of opponents. The 15-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion isn't expected to appear this year due to his shoulder injury, but he continues to hint at a possible return on Twitter:
#KCCO hoping this plays sometime soon!! Maybe @WWE #WrestleMania ? #NeverGiveUp pic.twitter.com/G8hzf1lMtc
— John Cena (@JohnCena) March 26, 2016
Here's a look back at Cena's five greatest WrestleMania Moments:
5) Gold Standard
In his first WrestleMania match, Cena got a taste of WWE gold. In the first and only time to this date that Cena appeared in the opening match at WrestleMania, he toppled The Big Show to win the United States Championship at Madison Square Garden to put himself on the map at WrestleMania XX in 2004.
4) First Of Fifteen
Just one year after winning the United States Championship, Cena picked up his first of 15 World Championships. The "Cenation" leader ended the 280-day title reign of JBL to capture the richest prize in the game at WrestleMania 21 in 2005.
3) One On One With The Great One
Cena was booked to face The Rock in a dream match pitting wrestling's past against its present in what was at the time dubbed "once in a lifetime" at WrestleMania XXVIII in 2012. Cena lost that match, but ended up getting a chance at redemption, defeating The "People's Champion" the very next year at WrestleMania XXIX to capture the WWE Championship.
2) Besting Mr. WrestleMania
Cena went toe-to-toe with perhaps the greatest WrestleMania performer in history when he defended the WWE Championship against Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 23 in 2007. The back-and-forth match placed two of the WWE's all-time greats against each other, and in the end, Cena bested the "Hearbreak Kid" to retain his title.
1) Owning The Game
Though he was universally cheered when he first won the WWE Championship in 2005, the WWE Universe showed what a difference a year makes when Cena battled Triple H at WrestleMania 22 in 2006. The two legends had an iconic bout, but the Chicago crowd showed just how polarizing a figure Cena had become by mercilessly booing him. Cena, who still gets mixed reactions to this day, overcame Triple H and the WWE Universe to retain the WWE Championship.
