10 Times WWE Let Everyone Down At SummerSlam

3. Super Cena Bulldozes The Nexus (2010)

CM Punk, Kevin Nash SummerSlam 2011
WWE.com

SummerSlam has been a traditional burial ground for great wrestling angles throughout the 21st century, with one of the most spectacular examples coming at 2010.

The Nexus were white hot ahead of the event. Wade Barrett's were coming off one of the most viscerally thrilling debuts in WWE history, having literally destroyed an episode of Monday Night Raw. The ensuing weeks saw them obliterate everything before them, leading to a big seven-on-seven match at SummerSlam that they'd surely win, continuing their incredible momentum.

Unfortunately, The Nexus ran into Super Cena that night.

John led a team containing the likes of Chris Jericho, Edge, and former Nexus man Daniel Bryan against the invaders, and the elimination rules whittled it down to him vs. Justin Gabriel and Barrett. What followed was one of the most staggering burials of Cena's career, with him fending off both Nexus members single-handedly, submitting Wade just seconds after Gabriel's elimination.

The Nexus lost everything that night. Their momentum had been destroyed by Cena, who reportedly refused to put the group over despite Jericho and Edge's protestations, and they were never the same again. Predictably, the feud ended in a literal burial, with Cena trapping Barrett beneath a pile of chairs at TLC that December.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.