AJ Styles vs. John Cena

[10.0] "Equally as good as their Royal Rumble match imo, it just depends which guy you like more and which ending you prefer. I think the stakes in that match are bigger which helps but they pretty much nailed it here wrestling wise with a clean AJ win to boot ****3/4"

[10.0] "Huge improvement on the first match, absolute banger here. Styles wins clean and Cena did a great job conveying just how much of a threat AJ was through his facial expressions and body language. Really good counters all throughout the match and great selling from both men as well. Got a little slow in the middle but the end sequence was amazing. (8.75/10)"

[9.0] "[****3/4] 2-0. AJ STYLES IS TWO AND 0 AGAINST JOHN CENA. They say styles make fights, and, no pun intended, AJ's more refined style of wrestling seems to give him the upper hand over Cena's superhumanity, leading up to the first Styles clash, almost right after getting hit with 4 of the 5 moves of doom. Cena kicks out and responds with an AA out of nowhere. It happens so suddenly, the announce team is still in the middle of the usual "well if he hooked the leg there" tirade over the PinP replay of the Clash. Cena doesn't have the style advantage, but he's got more raw power, and he's an in-kayfabe superhero who will dust off the gnarliest of moves when the situation calls for it. They trade bomb after bomb after bomb. Both men hit their submission finishes and their signature flying moves to no avail. I think how much work they physically put in leading up to that Super AA kickout is what makes that spot, and Cena's reaction to it, so potent. Styles goes on to beat him clean by countering an attempt for the 3rd AA into a Styles clash, and the NYC crowd erupts. Styles beats him clean, and Cena has to question if his time is in the past and it's time to give up in the face of an immovable object as he leaves his *Never Give UP* sweatband in the ring. 10 years more of history-making, and both men have decided to leave a bit more than a sweatband in the ring. This is a match that defined what both men were at their very best."

[9.0] ""legacy affirmed, career defined". this match is what established the entire WWE career of AJ Styles"

[10.0] "People really think this isn't a 10? Like seriously what is this match missing? This is some of the best wrestling I've ever seen. AJ and Cena always put on a show."

[9.0] "This was a great WWE style match and in my opinion the best of the year for AJ (surpassing his WK match with Nakamura). AJ is easily the best in ring worker in the WWE today and I will be shocked if he doesn't get the WWE title soon."

[9.0] "Cena is really deep in his bag here and both these guys just gel so well together. Slightly better than their first encounter at Money in the Bank. Both guys hit their finishing moves a couple times but can't seem to put the other away. A really solid match and another banger put on between these two."

[8.0] "The RR 2017 match gets most of the attention and I think that's because it's a title match. Fair enough but I think this is the better of those two. One reason is the fact that a lot of fans, including myself, never thought it would happen. Dream match gets casually thrown around, especially in TNA, but this really was a dream match. It does fall into the WWE trap of doing nothing but signatures and finishers for the last several minutes and kicking out of them but it's still a great match."

[9.0] "This match I feel is better than the last match but one of its a strengths is also a minor nitpick for me.. it was pretty even match and when Cena hits the super AA and doesn't get the win, its like he's in shock and the post match felt like he was retiring... in hindsight, that's ridiculous.. I do love that Styles won clean here.. very rare occurrence"

[10.0] "Great match -- one of the best matches in SummerSlam history. Cena and AJ have incredible chemistry together, and this match makes it absolutely clear!"

[9.0] "[4, 75 Stars] It's one of Cena's top five matches of his career. It's the kind of match you never get tired of watching. The rivalry between Cena and Styles was really great, and the booking was superb throughout."

[7.0] "I can't remember if I watched this one back then but seeing it now, I have mixed feelings. I'm starting to think I'll end up preferring their first match over any of their later ones. Even the Royal Rumble match (which I've revisited many times over the years) has always felt a tad overrated to me even though I like it. But since I'm warming up for their final encounter, I'm going to rewatch that Rumble bout again for the fourth time as I go through their entire series. This particular match though feels pretty flawed. They kicked things into the next gear way too early and the pacing felt rushed. The dynamic between them never had time to properly establish itself because the psychology was weak, unlike their MITB match where the psychology was just phenomenal. Then it slipped into that typical mid-late 2010s Cena formula: wrestler A hits a move and goes for the pin, wrestler B kicks out; then A goes for another move, but B reverses, hits his own move, and goes for the pin, only for A to kick out and the cycle just keeps repeating. Their Rumble match had the same thing as well if I remember correctly. Even the crowd here wasn't nearly as electric as it was at MITB, probably because this match lacked the same emotional depth and storytelling foundation. They also went into that "taking turns" submission reversal pattern, the Benoit-Angle type of sequence (which they'll repeat at the Rumble too) something I'm not a huge fan of because it feels overly formulaic and inauthentic. The MITB match on the other hand also had much better selling and far stronger emotional impact. This one might be more kinetically exciting on the surface, but it's very shallow underneath. The closing stretch was solid and salvaged things a bit, but the psychological build should've been there from the start. Instead, they only started developing it around the climax which is what ironically made the climax stand out. Had they built that dynamic from the beginning, the stretch at the end (which was already great) would've carried even more meaning. If you took this same finishing stretch and blended it with about two-thirds of the MITB match (for the psychology) and a little bit of its final third (for the cool counters and momentum shifts), this could've been an all time classic. In fact, watching this makes the MITB match feel like a masterpiece even though MITB match isn't really a masterpiece but way better than this one. Still, let's see how I feel about their Royal Rumble match when I rewatch it. I've already seen it a few times over the years, but now that my taste has evolved and my understanding of match psychology is deeper, I'll be watching it through a new lens."

[8.0] "The match begins to worry me near the beginning, showing me that the 10-year-old that watched this match back in 2016 may not have been correct about the quality of the match. Me, now 20, having a much different view on professional wrestling, would say 10-year-old me was still absolutely correct. The beginning of this match is kinda just a moves match. Great action, but it had me worried. However, this match then goes into wearing the other down, not going to the well too much, and knowing your enemy. Until the last three moves of the match, nobody hits their finish more than once. The other guy is always countering the attempt, or they just don't wanna go to the well too often. The submission section on the ground is used to wear the other guy down, Cena really works on trying to break Styles with his STF. The Calf Crusher by Styles works at Cena's leg, and it actually pays off later in the match. Maybe its not the most intricate storytelling in the world, but I would be lying if I said i didn't find it interesting. The crowd is very behind this one, and for good reason. Its a great fight, and even with the beginning of the match being a bit iffy, I still enjoyed this immensely. Negatives for that beginning portion, positives for the later story and action all-around. [****]"

[9.0] "One of the Summerslam' classics. I absolutely adore 2016 version of AJ and when you paired him with descending, but still relevant Cena, you got a certified banger."

[9.0] "Excellent match. I think WWE overrated a bit putting at second at their best twenty five Summerslam matches. It is not even the best John Cena match that ever happenned at the Summerslam for me, but okay I guess, the list is not builded under my thoughts. It was the first time we had a proper bout between Cena and Styles, without interferences and with a desired clean victory of AJ into John Cena without letting Cena look "weak". Cena when he wants to prove for anyone that he is not a "he can't wrestle" guy produce some speechless action even for his biggest haters. This was probably the best in ring version of him followed with the Peak AJ, probably the best in ring version from someone else at a WWE ring and I am not kidding. Fucking fantastic."

[8.0] "Probably one of the best John Cena matches out there for my money. I've been back tracking a lot of Cena's career lately and it has soured my view on him as worker but at Summerslam 2016 he had one hell of a back and forth with AJ Styles. Styles slowed down a bit when he signed with the fed but upon arrival he elevated that roster as he brought guys like Cena and Reigns to great matches like these. The match still suffers from a slow start and a poor STF that comes with a Cena match but this still had a great build, lots of fantastic counters and Cena pulling out some pretty inventive offensive moves. A dream match through and through. The WWE poster boy and the king of the indies did not disappoint"

[10.0] "A really phenomenal match between both men that went miles ahead their first match at WWE Money In The Bank (2016) with absolutely spectacular in ring work, spots and psychology between each other, the crowd was molten red hot throughout everything, and it was a thrill ride from start to finish."

[5.0] "Little going on underneath in this one. If their first matchup showed different approaches from both men when it came to countering (Styles seemed to have it planned and avoid the first tries, and only got caught by Cena's relentless. Cena was more reactive, getting caught off guard but then modifying his approach to counter AJ), there's just not any room for that here. It's not their first time in. Cena does know Styles' abilities and moves, he is ready for them from the jump. It makes lots of sense, but it also makes for a much less satisfying narrative progression. They just kind of stagnate. They switch up a bit of the build up, but what they really change is the second half. It's almost all bomb throwing and bomb avoiding for half the bout without their nuances in approach that made their first encounter especial. Disappointing to say the least."

[9.0] "probably one of my favorite wwe matches. from a time i totally checked out of wrestling, watching this as an adult with the view on wrestling i have now. this match rocks and i cant wait to watch the rest of their singles matches."

[8.0] "A big time non title match that delivers. Super hot crowd that get Cena and AJ hyped up, things start off very well, then AJ hits a Styles Clash about 7 minutes into the match, immediately followed by an AA from Cena, and I hated it. Then, it's basically both guys hitting big moves after big moves. Those big moves are cool and well executed though, there's also a nice submission counters sequence, a genuinely shocking kickout and a genuine surprise with AJ winning clean. Sure, it's mainly a "best of", but the crowd absolutely loves it and it made for an entertaining and highly enjoyable match. *** 3/4"

[9.0] "This started off so hot and rapid, but that may have been its disadvantage when it got to the rising action of the match. The first 10 minutes were like a shotgun blast, but let off into what was a slow bleeding process throughout the middle of the match, but eventually, we saw another blast out of the shed. Even despite the slower middle part of the match, it was damn close to a 5 star. This match reminded me that this was the closest we got to Cena working a NJPW main event type of match, especially around this era. Styles got a clean victory over him, which was huge after the loose match they had at MITB about two months prior. A huge setup for his eventual title win, and an all-time year for him. I'm not sure if this is their best match together, I'd have to rewatch the Royal Rumble 2017 bout, but it was one of WWE's best matches in 2016. ****3/4"

[5.0] "Wasn't a fan of their previous match and I might like this one less. There's no rhyme or reason for anything in this match, it's just hitting signature moves and spamming finishers. There's no meat, no substance whatsoever. Extremely disappointing match."

[9.0] "one of the best matches in summerslam history. Aj styles and john cena legitimately is one of the only matches where every singles time they had a one on one match it was better then the last one. It is actually crazy to me how that worked. Loved how after the first singles match where styles cheated to win this time he got it straight up which i think helped him a lot as a whole. 4.50 stars"

[9.0] "Insane match. The chemistry between both is great, and the near-falls added so much to the match. Styles do really well with most of his already consolidated moveset, but this match is one from Cena's time where he was doing some new stuff in the ring, which is awesome but also funny because he kinda stiff with it. AJ winning came as the right choice, and just overall a well-pieced match with a great ending."

[9.0] "This match absolutely fucking slapped, from minute one right to the very end it had everything that makes a classic televised match. AJ hitting that final Styles Clash, the avalanche AA from Cena, both of these guys had phenomenal (no pun intended! ) chemistry with each other. Also the crowd.. the crowd was SO behind Styles and it really made that ending something special."

[7.0] "Just an extremely good match with a few things going against it. This match is all about the counters and swapping sequences. How they get to and get out of moves is just a work of art. Some of the best counter wrestling and maneuvering you'll ever see. There's no down time to this contest. Every minute they get is used to craft their art. However, my biggest problem is that there's very little selling going on. And that makes it feel like a dance more than a match to me. In the MITB match, they both sell the others submission moves. In this one, Cena's not selling the leg at all. Nor is AJ selling anything from Cena's punishment. It just takes me out of the fight a little bit when no one is wearing the wounds of war. But a lot of modern wrestling is like this. The crowd is the other knock on this match. Much like a lot on this card, the crowd on this night just seemed like they were there to lambast anything they didn't care for no matter what. So they're more focused on booing Cena than appreciating the match. A lot of big moments in this match aren't getting applauded for or getting solid reactions because they're booing at or chanting against Cena. A great match is a great match, and when art is being made in that ring, I feel like you need to respect even guys you don't normally care for. All in all, and extremely good match worth your time multiple times. Just maybe slightly missing a little bit to be considered an all time classic."

[10.0] "Amazing match, one of my favorites of all time, absolute electric atmosphere and these two always deliver. My personal favorite between Styles and Cena. This was the best John Cena has ever been in my opinion. The sheer shock after AJ Styles kicks out of the avalanche AA will always get me. One of the greatest of all time, AJ Styles athleticism was amazing. John Cena rising to his level to match him, pulling out moves we don't regularly see from him, put it all together and we get this masterpiece. Something about this match makes me prefer it over their Royal Rumble fight, it feels more natural to me."

[9.0] "Epic atmosphere in this dream match between John Cena and AJ Styles. It didn't disappoint either, with Cena pulling out stuff we've never seen before. Great chemistry between them, and definitely a hard-hitting match too. Styles only debuted at Royal Rumble the same year, so it's great that he was getting pushed so hard right away. I love how shocked Cena was after AJ kicked out of the Avalanche/Super AA. Definitely the spot of the match. Awesome."

[9.0] "This is a dream match that lived up to the hype. Cena brought out his work boots for this one. It says they went 20 minutes but they were working so fast it felt like 7 minutes."

[8.0] "match didnt feel long. very fun back and forths. aj and cenas chemistry is unreal i hope they have another match tg. only nit pick i have is cenas moveset as always is very repetitive. but very good match overall **** from me"

[8.0] "The face of WWE for over a decade vs the biggest name outside of WWE in that same time. The first match at Money in the Bank was really good but this one is a step up in my opinion. So slick and so smooth Styles was long considered one of the best in-ring performers in the world but Cena is just as capable here. Wild to think this guy had arenas chanting "You can't wrestle" at him. They fit so well together and the chemistry that was on display previously is only better here. Styles picks up a huge win over the face that runs the place which will catapult him into the main event scene on Smackdown leading to their legendary clash at the Royal Rumble the next year. 4.25 stars."

[9.0] "[4.25*] Absolutely astonishing match. I love these matches where Cena just casually comes up with some insane crazy-looking moves with the You Cant Wrestle crowd just speechless, lmao. They did the same little story with the selling and it was great, the pacing was way higher and they seemed even more connected. This match was fucking electric with both guys already hitting their finishers with just 8 minutes of bout. The ending stretch was phenomenal and AJ kicked-out of the Avalanche Attitude Adjustment for the first time on this match. I forgot the result and legitimately popped when AJ won. Incredible experience!"

[10.0] "I know a lot of people love the rumble ppv match. But I prefer this from a long shot. This was when this rivalry peaked in my opinion. The finish was insanely clean as well. The phenomenal forearm to JBL perfect commentary and AJ winning clean. Perfect."

[8.0] "Great match, but I might be one of the few here that thinks this is a step down from their match at Money in the Bank... I thought this was very cool, the atmosphere wasn't as great, but it was hot, divided as always, but much more in favor of AJ Styles this time, Cena was heavily booed, and the building was like, 80% rooting for AJ. For me the main problem here that makes me think this wasn't as great as some people say, is that it was much more focused on moves and nearfalls than selling and psychology, and for me the structure here was way simpler and less exciting, because they were hitting finishers very early, and this took out the magic of the false finishes, with the exception of the Avalanche AA, which was awesome. What really boosts this match is the ending, if the match at MITB had a disappointing ending, this one was phenomenal, and another masterclass by John Cena, that sold with perfection every single emotion here. After the insane nearfall by AJ, Cena was perplexed, like he somehow lost his powers, like he's facing a competitor that finally surpassed him, and his facial expressions were absolute top-tier, GOAT stuff, every single detail of that finale was perfect, and after the frustration, he tried to do another AA, Styles reverted and won the match. Cena kept selling the 'I'm not the same anymore' stuff until the very end, where he left his armband in the ring, and saluted the crowd with his hands shaking, a genius ending, to a match that has an overrated content, but is still excellent - {***3/4}"

[10.0] "The second Styles vs. Cena bout was a great match. The in-ring psychology and chemistry were good. Both guys hit their best offense on each other. Both guys were getting good reversals. The crowd was great. Everything in this match went smoothly."

[10.0] "Their match at Money In The Bank was already great, but this one was just so much better. The counters/reversals throughout the match were incredible, especially the sequence of submissions during the middle of the match. The crowd was great as well. No idea how Cena got "you can't wrestle" chants for so long after seeing this and some of his other matches. 10/10 and my favourite match out of the trilogy"

[9.0] "AJ Styles breaking the pattern of Cena feuds was amazing. He beat John Cena in a 1 on 1 match on PPV twice. This match was amazing"

[9.0] "Very good match between two of the best wrestlers we have seen. Back and forth, using each other's advantages and the ending was really clever. Must watch"

[9.0] "What a match. From the hot Brooklyn crowd from John Cena doing things that we have never seen him do before. One of the best matches in John Cena and Aj Styles career and easily the best match of this Summerslam."

[10.0] "Incredibly fun from start to finish. AJ and Cena have unreal chemistry, both guys put in masterful performances here. Styles's greatness is rarely questioned, but matches like this are why Cena's reputation has done nothing but skyrocket since the Super Cena era came to a close."

[9.0] "Legendary match. Nice first part, then right after the first Styles Clash it accelerated and invested everyone in the crowd. The story was about discover who the better man was, so no interferences like at Money In The Bank. They showed their best, and it's crazy to still see people complaining against Cena's in ring skills. There are some exchanges that could embarrass 70% of nowadays roster. I refer to the beautiful transitions from started with Cena's STF after countering the Phenomenal Forearm. The ending was absurd, the Avalanche AA did not end the job for Cena, causing a crazy two counts. After that, Clash and Forearm for the win of AJ. Classic match, for SummerSlam, for AJ and fo Cena."

[10.0] "Great match! The chemistry between these two is incredible, from Cena being more dominant (and doing it very well), to AJ fighting back with his agility and turning into an exchange of blows and a pinfall for a moment. The ending is spectacular, an incredible AA avalanche for an incredible kickout from AJ and an incredible reaction from Cena, finally AJ counters with the sequences of his finishers for a beautiful ending."

[9.0] "This was an amazing match. AJ underestimates Cena and Cena gets chances to show that he doesnt only know 5 moves. AJ still out smarts Cena and is able to beat him clean this time."

[10.0] "Definitelly the best match in 2016 in the main roster of WWE, which represents the clash between two of the most iconic figures in the sport entarteinment. Cena and Styles made both a Masterpiece performance in a match that AJ won clean, destroying the Cenation as he had promised some weeks before at SmackDown. The moment when Cena, after his defeat, decided to leave his shoulder pad in the middle of the ring, was so much iconic, and showed Cena's abilities as a story-teller. Over the Masterpiece. (10/10)"

[4.0] "I actually ended up watching this after watching their 2017 royal rumble match and going into this the WWE story going into this was at least intriguing. Styles going in to defeat Cena to prove that he's able to hang at the top with him. This match did manage to fool me somewhat as the start of this match actually wasn't that bad and had some pretty cool character psychology between these two. But after that pretty cool bump that Cena took at the edge of the ring, the match just got worse and worse and reminded me of why I did not like their 2017 bout. Just too much finisher spam and too much kickouts. The ending is okay I guess but by the time I was done with this match I was feeling like it could have been way better."

[7.0] "This is one of those matches where they trade moves, lay around for a little while, trade moves, rinse/repeat. Both guys pull out all their shit but neither one can get a pin. In the middle they are trading holds which is a fun exchange, but this is a little long. They at least try a lot of different stuff that you normally don't see from either. Clean win for AJ and hot crowd make this one worth a watch."

[10.0] "These two have amazing chemistry. Anyone who says Cena cant wrestle is deluding themselves. Another amazing match between these two."

[9.0] "Scene vs. Styles is one of the best feuds of the decade in WWE. This match is proof of why in 2016 AJ Styles was voted the best wrestler in the world. The chemistry between these two is sensational, a dream match that no one expected to happen and exceeded any expectations. Seeing the new guy beat the company's poster boy cleanly with a super AA kickout in the second biggest show of the year is proof that the company knew what they had in their hands, the coolest thing is that in 2017 they overcame this match (****1/2)"

[6.0] "The match had its moments but there was just way too much finisher spamming for my tastes and it started very early in the match. When a match simply becomes "which signature move will finally end it? " and nothing else, it's hard for me to get invested. Matches like this make me feel like I'm watching WWE videogame footage rather than a true in-ring battle, I don't know how else to explain it."

[9.0] "The Styles/Cena feud of 2016 and early 2017 was probably the best of both mens' career, and given AJ's illustrious TNA career and Cena's reign as the Face That Runs The Place, that's saying something. Whilst I personally would rate the Royal Rumble match higher, Styles in full #BeatUpJohnCena mode was a joy to behold. Cena himself is no slouch either, and with the pressures of being the Ace taken off him, like the US Open Challenge before and his SmackDown run after this match, you can tell he trulyy is enjoying himself."