For most of his career, John Cena has used the Attitude Adjustment as his finisher. Often called the AA, the move is a fireman's carry powerslam, which is a variation of another move called the Death Valley Driver. With the AA, Cena picks his opponent up onto his shoulders and slams them down on their backs. As he's risen to become one of the industry's most recognizable stars, Cena's finishing move has become almost equally iconic among fans.
When it first debuted, the Attitude Adjustment had a different name: the FU. Not only was it meant to evoke the curse word, but the name had a double meaning, as it also referenced Brock Lesnar's F-5. Similar to the AA, Lesnar's F-5 sees him raise his opponent into a fireman's carry. However, rather than slamming them off his side, the F-5 has Lesnar twisting his opponent and throwing them down in a facebuster. Cena debuted not long after Lesnar, and the name was seemingly chosen to poke some fun at Lesnar's intense character.
In the late 2000s, as WWE was making the transition to a TV-PG rating, it was decided that Cena's finisher should be renamed, leading to the Attitude Adjustment. To this day, it's still utilized as his go-to way to end a match, and though he had a rough run there for awhile, Cena been using the move to great effect over the course of his retirement tour.
Before making the switch to the Attitude Adjustment, Cena had previously relied on another finishing move, known as the Protobomb. Inspired by his original wrestling character, known as The Prototype, Cena's Protobomb was a spin-out powerbomb. Though Cena continued to use the move, by the time he reached WWE TV, it was clear the company wanted to go in a different direction with his finisher. His early major victories often came via roll-up or counter before he eventually adopted the FU.
While not quite as iconic as the AA, Cena does have other signature moves. The STFU (or simply STF) has often served as a submission that Cena can pull out in times of need, such as when he used it to beat CM Punk at this year's WWE Elimination Chamber.
Another recognizable Cena gesture is the Five-Knuckle Shuffle. More of a taunt than a wrestling move, it's marked by Cena delivering his trademark "You Can't See Me" gesture to a grounded opponent before hitting the ropes and then punching the mat in front of them. Usually done just prior to the AA, the Five-Knuckle Shuffle is known as one of Cena's "five moves of doom," a running joke among fans about the repetitive nature shared between many of Cena's matches.
