One could argue that the 15-time champion's spot on this list is more of an indictment on WWE than it is the man himself, and there would definitely be some merit to that. Cena has been the top guy in the company for more than a decade, and during that time he's done his share of laying down for opponents - notable exceptions being Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam 2013, CM Punk at Money In The Bank 2011 and Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2014. But it isn't so much the results of the matches that is the issue with Cena. It's his inability to sell the loss properly as a big moment. Critics point to his win over Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules 2012 as a key example of this. The word was that the returning Lesnar was supposed to injure Cena badly so that he would still look strong after the loss leading to an onscreen absence for Cena. However, Cena no-sold the beating and cut a bizarre promo that undermined the intensity of the angle. There's also the recent example of John getting the better of Bray Wyatt in their feud last year, something that many fans feel neutered the up-and-coming future superstar. And let's not forget Edge and Chris Jericho's account of their Survivor Series match vs. The Nexus where Cena argued - and won - with his teammates that he should come back and win single-handedly, even after taking a DDT on the concrete floor. No one will claim that John Cena hasn't given a ton to this business, but he could easily be doing a lot more than he is.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
