10 Wrestlers John Cena Would Not Put Over
1. Wade Barrett
John Cena here explicitly refused to put Wade Barrett over.
Irrespective of the fact that Vince made the call - he wanted to "send the fans home happy" from his summer staple, even though SummerSlams 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 all ended with either heel victories or disputed finishes - Cena was encouraged by Edge and Chris Jericho to use his power to change the plan. He did not, and he defeated the white-hot Nexus faction with the utmost of ease. It's not as if Michael Tarver was was ever going to carve up the main event scene - but we never did find out.
In the closing stretch of the match, Barrett and Justin Gabriel, possessing the numbers advantage, laid waste to Cena. Barrett peeled back the protective matting and delivered a brutal skull-first DDT to the concrete. The commentary team used words like "splattered" in - yes - Owen Hart voices. Barrett rolled Cena back into the ring before tagging in Gabriel. Gabriel ascended the ropes before missing his 450 Splash. Cena had recovered from severe brain trauma in just over a minute. Barrett then looked a t*t as he marched into the ring, only to be caught by Cena's STF. Between the impact of the DDT and Barrett's tap, Cena had recovered to beat two men in just 01:38.
This was a psychological farce.