Tale of the tape: A look back at John Cena’s most inventive Last Man Standing Match tactic

When John Cena announced on Raw SuperShow that he would battle Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship in a Last Man Standing Match, his choice didn’t exactly come as a surprise for those who witnessed The Cenation Commander-in-Chief’s cleverly won WWE Title clash with Batista at Extreme Rules just more than a year ago. Under the exact same stipulation, the then-WWE Champion used his quick thinking and unparalleled ingenuity to keep his rampaging challenger from responding to the referee’s 10-count. As evidenced by that victory, Cena not only thrives under the brutal conditions characteristic of a Last Man Standing Match, but his ability to improvise makes such clashes ideally suited to his fighting style.

Rather than incapacitating The Animal with his patented Attitude Adjustment that night in Baltimore, Cena went the resourceful route in order to stick it, literally, to his near unstoppable opponent. After both Superstars pummeled one another with all manner of weaponry – including chairs, tables and tools found under the ring – Cena finally kept Batista horizontal with the aid of a roll of duct tape. Yes, duct tape. (PHOTOS)

Forcing a grounded Batista to straddle one of the ring posts, Cena then wrapped the adhesive around his opponent’s ankles, thus preventing him from being able to stand as the referee counted to 10. Purists might have balked at this unorthodox path to victory, but Cenation nevertheless reveled in their leader’s inventiveness.

Although Cena has proven that he doesn’t need to resort to such tactics to defeat Del Rio one-on-one, it’s likely that he has a backup plan in mind to ensure that he’ll become an 11-time WWE Champion at Vengeance –especially given the unpredictability of a Last Man Standing Match. But really, how do you top duct tape? To find out what Cena has in store, tune in to Vengeance, this Sunday, only on pay-per-view. (VENGEANCE COVERAGE)