8 Most Pathetic Examples Of Backstage Politics In Wrestling

3. John Cena Sends The Crowd Home Happy

He was never any good at selling, that John Cena. He was either unwilling or stupid. The latter theory isn’t without credibility, since John Cena used to take pride in yelling his spots so that the entire arena could enjoy an interactive experience. What? 

Nobody will ever be able to unpack Cena’s thinking there. “It’s not fair that the first few rows know that it’s all fake. I need to ruin everybody’s suspension of disbelief!” 

The infamous events of SummerSlam 2010, then, might not be an act of deliberate political sabotage. Cena might simply have been spectacularly bad at his job. The problem with that theory, though, is that Edge and Chris Jericho - who confirmed this on the latter’s podcast - tried to talk Cena out of the finish, reasonably citing the instant and brutal death of seven careers as their main argument. Cena would not listen. 

The seven-on-seven Team WWE Vs. Nexus match came down to Cena against Justin Gabriel and Wade Barrett. Barrett blasted Cena with a DDT on exposed concrete after the Nexus had peeled back the ring mats. Cena magically popped up to avoid Gabriel’s subsequent 450 splash and pinned him without executing a further move. Cena, playing possum, then locked in the STF onto an onrushing Barrett, and tapped him out. This entire sequence unfolded in less than 90 seconds. 

The individual members of the Nexus were never going to make it, realistically - but this was still a pathetic and brainless use of creative control.