Why John Cena Might Lose At SummerSlam: A Look Back At His 5-10 Record
The name ‘John Cena’ is synonymous with success.
Though his SummerSlam journey spells anything but.
It is 2025, and on August 3, Cena will compete at the premium live event for a sixteenth time—his opponent: “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes.
Going into the match, John Cena is a record 17-time world champion. He eclipsed Ric Flair at WrestleMania 41, where he defeated Rhodes, the then-Undisputed WWE Champion.
Cena’s record at ‘the Biggest Party of the Summer’ reads 5 wins and 10 losses, which is a far cry from “success.”
These are nervous numbers.
A few weeks ago on SmackDown, Cena attempted to withdraw from his scheduled match against Rhodes, citing emotional exhaustion, before being forced to sign the contract.
A highly motivated Cody Rhodes brings bad news for the champion, considering the time of the year and his numbers at SummerSlam.
Whether Cena triumphs or drops the title remains to be seen. Meanwhile, here’s a look back at his SummerSlam record showing long odds.
2004
John Cena’s SummerSlam debut came in the first match of the best-of-five series for the United States Championship against Booker T. In a bout lasting over 10 minutes, Cena won, starting his journey at 1-0.
2005
Cena was drafted to RAW while holding the WWE Championship. He picked a feud with Chris Jericho, with their match set at SummerSlam. Cena retained his title, maintaining a perfect 2-0 record.
2006
Cena’s first SummerSlam loss was against Edge, which also led to him losing his championship. The match witnessed interference from Lita, allowing Edge to use brass knuckles for the win. (2-1)
2007
Randy Orton challenged Cena for the WWE Championship in their long-running rivalry. In a closely fought match, Cena managed to emerge triumphant, adding a third SummerSlam win against one loss. (3-1)
2008
In a singles match, John Cena lost to Batista in the penultimate match of the evening. It took a second Batista Bomb from “The Animal” to hand Cena his second SummerSlam loss, bringing his record to 3-2.
2009
The Randy Orton vs. Cena match saw multiple restarts due to Orton’s shenanigans to get himself disqualified. It ultimately ended in Cena’s loss after an interference from Brett Dibiase, the record now 3-3.
2010
Cena led Team WWE in a 7-on-7 elimination tag team match against The Nexus. Cena ended the match by submitting Wade Barrett, a controversial win that hurt The Nexus’ momentum. (4-3)
2011
Cena defended his Undisputed WWE Championship against CM Punk, with Triple H serving as the guest referee. Punk pinned Cena despite the latter’s foot being on the bottom rope, setting up a 4-4 record.
2012
Cena entered a triple threat contest against defending champion CM Punk and the Big Show. Punk snatched the victory, signaling the first negative imbalance in Cena’s record at 4-5.
2013
In a highly praised match, John Cena lost the WWE Championship to Daniel Bryan, with Triple H serving as the referee. The loss brought Cena’s SummerSlam record to 4-6.
2014
Arguably, Cena’s most humiliating defeat came at SummerSlam 2014, where Brock Lesnar squashed him by hitting 16 German Suplexes to extend Cena’s negative record to 4-7.
2015
In a winner-takes-all match, Cena lost his United States belt and the WWE Championship to Seth Rollins. Hollywood celebrity Jon Stewart interfered and aided Rollins. (4-8)
2016
In his first year in WWE, AJ Styles defeated John Cena in a critically acclaimed singles match, handing the latter his ninth SummerSlam loss against four wins. (4-9)
2017
Cena faced and defeated Baron Corbin in a singles match at the 2017 SummerSlam, securing his fifth win. (5-9)
2021
Roman Reigns successfully defended his Universal Championship against John Cena in what was the latter’s last match as a top singles competitor at the time. (5-10)