John Cena didn’t become John Cena only because he held the biggest belt. The world championships made him famous — but the “other” titles are what made him complete.
That’s why his late-career push to finish the WWE career Grand Slam hit fans so hard: it wasn’t a trophy hunt, it was a full-circle confession. As ESPN noted when it happened, Cena finally captured the Intercontinental Championship in November 2025 by defeating Dominik Mysterio on Raw, completing the modern Grand Slam checklist (world title + IC + U.S. + one of the tag titles).
And when you rewind his career through only the non-world pieces — United States, Intercontinental, and Tag Team gold — you don’t get a footnote. You get the soul of “Big Match John”: the guy who could headline WrestleMania… and still turn a random Monday into a must-watch title fight.
The Modern WWE Grand Slam Titles (Minus the World Title You Already Covered)
Per ESPN’s modern-era guideline, the Grand Slam requires: a WWE/World Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, the United States Championship, and one of the two tag team titles.
We’ve already handled the world-title reigns — so this is everything else that finished the portrait.
1) United States Championship — Top 5 John Cena U.S. Title Reigns (He Has Exactly Five)
Cena’s U.S. Championship story isn’t “mid-card.” It’s mission work — the belt he treated like a spotlight, a challenge, a proving ground.
5. Reign #2 — 2004 (The comeback proof)
This is the reign fans sometimes forget because it was short compared to what came later — but it mattered. It confirmed his first U.S. title win at WrestleMania 20 wasn’t a fluke, and it kept his momentum alive before the WWE Championship era truly began. (WWE’s lineage recognizes Cena as a five-time U.S. Champion under the WWE banner.)
4. Reign #3 — 2007 (The champion who never hid)
By the late 2000s, Cena’s U.S. Title periods weren’t about “moving down the card.” They were about WWE reminding everyone: he can be the face of the company and still elevate a secondary title by treating it like it matters.
3. Reign #4 — 2012 (The grown-man work)
This is the reign a lot of long-time fans mention when they talk about “Cena the pro.” Less about spectacle, more about consistency — showing up, defending, being the standard.
2. Reign #5 — 2015 (The second run… the one fans swear could’ve lasted forever)
By late 2015, Cena had already turned the U.S. Title into the hottest thing on Raw — and when he won it again that fall, it felt like he was trying to rescue the belt back into relevance all over again. (This is also the reign that ended with a huge moment fans still debate.)
1. Reign #1 — 2015 (The U.S. Open Challenge: the reign that became a movement)
This is the one that lives forever.
WWE itself called the U.S. Open Challenge “one of Raw’s indisputable highlights,” and documented how it created weekly opportunities for wrestlers to perform on a bigger stage — matches like Dean Ambrose (March 30, 2015), Stardust (April 6), and Sami Zayn (May 4) are still part of the official memory of that reign.
And the way it ended? That’s part of why it’s legendary. WWE’s own recap notes that Alberto Del Rio returned at Hell in a Cell 2015 and defeated Cena for the U.S. Title during the Open Challenge.
Fan reaction to that finish has never stopped — you can still find live post-match threads from that night full of shock, anger, and “wait… that’s how the Open Challenge ends?” energy.
That’s what makes this reign special: it didn’t just produce great matches — it produced weekly emotion. People tuned in because Cena made the U.S. Title feel like a main-event promise: somebody is about to have the match of their life.
2) Intercontinental Championship — One Reign, Five Defining Moments
John Cena only has one Intercontinental Championship reign — which is exactly why it’s so emotional. It wasn’t “another accolade.” It was the last missing piece.
ESPN and WWE both recorded the key fact plainly: on Raw (Nov. 10, 2025), Cena defeated Dominik Mysterio to win the Intercontinental Championship for the first time, completing the Grand Slam.
So instead of pretending there are five IC reigns, here are five real, defining moments inside the one reign:
- The night it finally happened (Boston, Nov. 10, 2025): WWE called it “history-making Raw” and framed it as Cena’s final hometown appearance, making the title win feel like destiny.
- The symbolism: a man who carried WWE’s top prize for years still cared enough to chase the belt that defined workhorses and legacy builders. (That’s why fans erupted online — because it felt like completion, not conquest.)
- The proof he was still “Big Match John”: WWE published the full match and highlights, and the conversation afterward wasn’t “can he still go?” — it was “he’s still him.”
- The last PLE title fight: heading into Survivor Series WarGames, WWE positioned Cena vs. Dominik as part of his “final PLE” stretch, making every defense feel like borrowed time.
- The heartbreak ending: at Survivor Series WarGames (Nov. 29, 2025), Cena’s IC title match ended in chaos and controversy — a finish packed with interference and a shocking return that swung the result. Whether fans loved it or hated it, it felt like wrestling: joy, rage, disbelief all at once.
That’s what made the IC reign powerful: it wasn’t long — it was loud, and it was final-chapter loud.
3) Tag Team Championships — Ranking All 4 John Cena Tag Title Reigns
Under the modern Grand Slam rules, you only need one tag title reign — but Cena collected tag gold in multiple eras, with wildly different meanings.
Cena has four recognized WWE tag team championship reigns across the lineages (WWE Tag Team and World Tag Team).
So here are all four, ranked — no fictional “five.”
4. John Cena & The Miz — WWE Tag Team Champions (2011)
It’s historically famous for the absurdity and the trivia: it exists, it happened, and it’s remembered because it was chaos more than chemistry.
3. John Cena & David Otunga — WWE Tag Team Champions (Bragging Rights 2010)
This one is pure storybook wrestling: Cena, forced into an “unlikely” partnership, ends up delivering tag gold into The Nexus’ hands. WWE’s own Bragging Rights recap frames it exactly that way — an impromptu title match, an unexpected team, and Cena’s STF sealing it.
2. John Cena & Batista — World Tag Team Champions (2008)
This reign is remembered because it was combustible: two alpha stars temporarily aligned, the kind of “can they coexist?” energy that fans always bite on. Even general event histories from the era note the Cena/Batista tag run as a key beat in their 2008 collision course.
1. John Cena & Shawn Michaels — World Tag Team Champions (2007)
This is the one fans bring up with a smile because it was magic: two rivals forced into uneasy teamwork, turning into must-see TV. It also fed directly into the legendary Cena vs. Michaels singles run that year — the tag title story that didn’t feel like a detour, it felt like a fuse.
Why These Reigns Matter More During Cena’s Final Week
Right now, the conversation around Cena is huge — his final match is promoted as a historic farewell, and even mainstream outlets are framing the ending like an era closing.
But the reason fans are emotional isn’t just the number “17.” It’s the memory of how he carried everything else:
- Turning the U.S. Title into weekly appointment television with the Open Challenge.
- Completing the story with the Intercontinental Title in his hometown, in the last stretch of his run.
- Winning tag gold in ways that felt like WWE at its most dramatic: unlikely partners, combustible alliances, and stories that mattered.
That’s why this Grand Slam finish hit the way it did. Because it wasn’t a checklist.
It was John Cena proving — one last time — that he could make any championship feel like the top of the mountain… simply by caring about it like it was.
Make sure to subscribe to our Late Night Crew Wrestling YouTube Channel. Follow @yorkjavon, @kspowerwheels & @LateNightCrewYT on X.
