10 Times WWE Booked The Wrong Guy To Win

5. John Cena Beats The Nexus - SummerSlam 2010

Cena Bloody Mouth
WWE.com

It would be churlish to suggest that Cena in one night derailed a faction of main event talent.

Only Barrett and Skip 'Ryback' Sheffield, in retrospect, had main event-level credentials. Michael Tarver et al. were comparatively limited, made unmissable solely as a result as their standing as a pack of vultures primed to pick at the bones of John Cena in what was such a promising company-spanning angle.

Tarver, as he demonstrated on NXT, possessed neither the in-ring prowess nor the mic game to advance beyond his role as henchman - but it was a role he was adept at before it was made redundant in under two minutes.

The manner of Cena's win was as egregious as the decision it itself, but by putting the Nexus over at SummerSlam, WWE wouldn't have made eight main event guys at once - they would however have prolonged the faction's appeal and imbued the Wade Barrett vs. Cena singles programme with tension and a raison d'être.

When Cena and Barrett eventually clashed in the autumn and winner, the outcome was painfully obvious. Cena had already beaten Barrett (and Justin Gabriel) with the greatest of ease - why would he struggle without the numbers disadvantage?

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!