10 Wrestlers John Cena Would Not Put Over

3. Damien Sandow

John Cena Bray Wyatt Extreme Rules 2014 STFU
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The moronic fatalism of the endeavour was peak Vince McMahon; he selected Damien Sandow to win the Money In The Bank briefcase in 2013, which in his mind doubled as a coat of armour. He could withstand losing, so long as he held the briefcase. Those losses dented Sandow's aura and his perception to Vince, who expressed buyer's remorse. Why he did he pick this loser as a potential World Champion, he pondered, oblivious to the fact that he positioned him as a loser.

But Cena failed to compel fans to care about Sandow after the fact following a preposterous performance, psychologically. He openly admitted in the opening segment of the October 28, 2013 RAW that he was far from 100% following the elbow injury that had shelved him. Then, Sandow, smelling literal blood, cashed in, having re-injured that elbow with a sickening steel chair shot. Usually, this sort of angle segued into a sub two-minute match. Not so here; Cena fought through the pain barrier to dispatch Sandow in just over 13 minutes. This wasn't bad luck; it was abysmal selling in the last third of the bout.

Sandow could not beat a one-armed man in a punching contest. It was difficult to take him seriously as a genius, when he failed to follow through on the most basic of wrestling strategies.

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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!