7 non-regular John Cena moves that surprised everyone
For almost two decades, John Cena has arguably been the face of WWE. The 16-time world champion needs no introduction and is respected worldwide for his strong work ethic and ability to captivate the crowd.
But he didn't become the global phenomenon he is today because of his technical ability inside the ring. For a number of years, Cena received a lot of flak for his wrestling style. However, there have been many occasions when the star has shown that he can wrestle quite well.
It's not like Cena can't perform some splendid moves, it's more about longevity. It's about being able to do what he does, day in and day out, without getting injured or injuring fellow wrestlers.
John Cena is definitely not a technical wizard, but rather a storyteller who knits stories using a blend of emotions, psychology, words and in-ring action.
Over the years, Cena's moveset has frustrated the vast majority of fans all over the world. However, everyone was pleasantly surprised when he started to vary his repertoire in matches with terrific wrestlers like Cesaro, CM Punk, Kevin Owens, Dolph Ziggler and AJ Styles to name a few.
In this piece, we'll take a look at the 7 best moves that John Cena ever burst out of his bag of latent moves:
#1 Emerald Flowsion
Emerald Flowsion is one of the coolest moves in John Cena's arsenal. He has sporadically used it against some noteworthy opponents, including CM Punk, in the past. It was his go-to move during the initial phase of his career.
This move involved a very smooth transition from the powerslam hold position to the side body slam. It's surprising that John didn't use this move more regularly.
#2 Sunset Flip Powerbomb
Sunset flip powerbomb by @JohnCena https://t.co/rRfjxX7qgh
When Cena doled out a crisp Sunset Flip Powerbomb for the first time in his career during his infamous rivalry with Kevin Owens back in 2015, fans across the world were left amused. Cena went on to execute this fluid move on a number of occasions and the crowd loved it every single time.
It’s an often-seen move in the world of pro-wrestling and Cena executed it to perfection. He used to flip onto his opponent's back and propel for a see-saw momentum to pull his opponent down to the mat, resulting in a sitout pin.
#3 Diving Tornado DDT
Cena delivering a diving tornado DDT was a sight to behold. He used it against various opponents during 2015-2017 when he was arguably having the best in-ring time of his career.
The process of this move involved 2 cascaded steps. The first step was to go to the top rope and apply the front facelock to the opponent. The second step was to jump forward and thrust into a hard swing around to drop the opponent head-first onto the mat.
#4 Electric Chair
John Cena is widely regarded as one of the strongest performers to ever walk into a squared circle. He has carved his stock sky-high by lifting large opponents. So, when Cena added the Electric Chair to his repertoire, it was rightly believable.
Given his raw strength, it was easy for Cena to hoist his opponents up onto his shoulders and then slam them down face first to the mat. He has performed this stellar move in classic bouts against Kevin Owens, AJ Styles and Seth Rollins.
#5 Throwback
Throwback by John Cena https://t.co/gUXEW2544b
The leader of Cenation showed off his athleticism by showcasing this infamous move back in the 2002-2007 timeline. The "Throwback" was often used by Cena during the initial years of his WWE career when he rose high up the ranks and cemented his brand value.
This move is essentially a running neck snap onto a standing opponent. Not only did this move have an impact, it always got a loud pop from the crowd. Charlotte Flair performs this move as "Natural Selection" with a slight variation of hers.
#6 Half-nelson into falling neckbreaker
Half-nelson into falling neckbreaker👌👌 https://t.co/vHqnfi2qr7
Widely recognized as one of the finest moves John Cena has ever performed, this move has created a lot of buzz in the past where people voiced their concerns as to why it wasn't a regular part of Cena's offense.
He put his opponents into half-nelson hold and transitioned into a falling neckbreaker while the opponents were mid-air, on their way to being planted hard onto the canvas.
#7 Springboard Stunner
This is arguably one of the most talked-about unique gems of innovative offense in John Cena's bunker. The Springboard Stunner left everyone shocked when they witnessed it for the first time at WrestleMania 31 where Cena locked horns against Rusev (now Miro in AEW).
Cena went on to showcase the move during his infamous "US Open Challenge" days. It's a dynamic move that requires impeccable precision and timing. It involved Cena running towards the ropes and bouncing off with a reverse leap to execute a stunner on his opponent as he landed.
Suggested: John Cena and 4 other superstars who were initially booked to win the Royal Rumble but they didn't.