Watch: WWE Release Tribute to 17th Anniversary of John Cena's Debut

WWE icon John Cena made his television debut in on June 27, 2002 on an episode of SmackDown when [...]

By Connor Casey

WWE icon John Cena made his television debut in on June 27, 2002 on an episode of SmackDown when he answered an open challenge by Kurt Angle and smacked the Olympic Gold Medalist right in the face.

To celebrate the 17th anniversary of his debut, WWE released a highlight reel of some of Cena's best moments throughout the years.

Along with his debut, the highlight included one of his rapping promos, his United States Championship win against Big Show at WrestleMania XX, his first WWE Championship victory against JBL at WrestleMania 21, his TLC match against Edge, a pay-per-view victory over Great Khali, his return from injury at the 2008 Royal Rumble, one of his matches against Randy Orton, his Last Man Standing win over Batista, one of his promos directed at Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, his Money in the Bank ladder match victory in 2012, his WrestleMania 29 win over Johnson, his WWE World Heavyweight Championship win at Money in the Bank in 2014, his United States Championship open challenge, his surprise appearance at WrestleMania 32, his 16th world championship victory against AJ Styles, the debut of the Lightning Fist and his surprise return at WrestleMania 35.

That last highlight marked the last time Cena was on WWE television. The 16-time champ's in-ring appearances have been few and far between over the last two years, and it recent interviews he stated that he's considering retiring from the ring as his acting career grows.

"I think an individual's career is up to the individual," Cena said in a TMZ interview. "I think that's pretty much the way I can describe that. I've been having the same conversation with myself, and I'm only 42. It's something we've got to address each day, and that's individually specific. When those people are ready to stop, they'll stop."

He stated in a separate interview with The Wrap that he feels WWE can carry on just fine without him.

"I think I would have left the WWE high and dry, so to speak, [but] now they have so much talent and so many definable Superstars," Cena said. "There was a time when I could genuinely say, from a financial standpoint, they needed me — that time is up."

"...The WWE does not need me," he added. "I need it and I love it, and I love every single moment I'm associated with it. But I felt it the first time this year at WrestleMania: I took a step back and looked at everything and (realized) it is such a powerful machine."

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