5 matches John Cena needs to have before he retires

#4 Braun Strowman (At a Wrestlemania or Summerslam)

Let's do this properly.

Whenever Cena returns to the WWE after a few months of absence, he always makes the point that if the new generation of superstars wants to be taken seriously, they need to go through him first. And while many might initially scoff at this suggestion, there's no denying that there's more than an element of truth to it.

After all, whenever fans get excited about a new talent like Finn Balor, AJ Styles or even Roman Reigns, we know in our heart of hearts that beating John Cena clean still means more for their future prospects in the WWE than winning a world title. As long as he remains the measuring stick in Vince McMahon's eye, Cena will always be the man to beat.

While we did get a Cena vs. Reigns rivalry earlier this year, there was something thoroughly underwhelming about it. These two men really should have met at a Wrestlemania and the fact that they didn't make the whole feud slip under people's radar. It was almost as if Vince had gone cold on the idea of Reigns taking over from Cena so soon.

This is why, if Cena ever meets Braun Strowman one-on-one in the ring, the very least it deserves is a Summerslam or Wrestlemania. Vince and the fans appear to have finally found some common ground in Strowman, a man with the size and stature that normally keeps Vince happy and who also appeals to enough of the audience to get consistently positive receptions.

For everything Cena vs. Reigns wasn't, Cena vs. Strowman needs to be. Much like the Monster Amongst Men became the defacto babyface against Roman, he will surely be again in a feud with Cena, and that might be enough to really cement Strowman as WWE's next top star.