In 2003, John Cena and The Big Show were involved in a feud against each other, which actually led to WrestleMania XX. At the close of that year, the two superstars were featured in a rap battle on the December 11 episode of WWE SmackDown.
On a previous episode, Chris Benoit defeated Cena in a No. 1 contender's match for the WWE Championship, but Benoit was unable to defeat Brock Lesnar for the title. Cena, however, continued to build momentum as a top babyface on SmackDown.
At the time, there were a few John Cena rap battles, as he portrayed a Marky Mark-style character who would often do freestyle diss raps to fellow wrestlers. Just a few months after his 2002 debut against Kurt Angle - which marked the now-popular "ruthless aggression" promo - Cena turned heel on his partner Billy Kidman.
This transformed Cena's gimmick into the "Doctor of Thuganomics," rapping degrading punchlines to WWE superstars before his matches.
John Cena's "Doctor of Thuganomics"
John Cena's gimmick would gain popularity, and he turned babyface in the weeks leading into the Survivor Series pay-per-view. Since then, despite a polarizing reaction from the fans a few years into his babyface run, Cena has never been a heel again.
Big Show started the freestyle rap battle, mentioning Kobe Bryant, and making an innuendo about his finger compared to Cena's genitalia. Cena bounced back strongly, talking about Cena's weight and bad breath.
Interestingly, a dozen years later, Cena would be the person who inspired Big Show to undergo a drastic weight loss and get in the best shape that he has ever been during his 20-year tenure as a pro wrestler.
The rap battle ended with Cena kicking Big Show in the nether regions, before leaving the ring and continuing to taught him.
John Cena vs. The Big Show Rivalry
This feud culminated at WrestleMania XX, which Cena defeated Big Show to win the United States Championship. Over the years, the two have faced each other numerous times, with the last singles television match occurring at the Slammy Awards episode of Monday Night Raw on December 8, 2014.
The two also competed against each other in a steel cage match at the 2012 No Way Out pay-per-view, in a submission match at the 2009 Extreme Rules PPV, as well as numerous episodes of Raw and SmackDown.
Although neither of them are full-time WWE superstars anymore, both have created a Hall of Fame resume with their long list of achievements. Throughout the years of building up their impressive portfolios, John Cena and Big Show were able to cross paths and become one of the top rivalries during both of their WWE careers.
