7 Reasons Nobody Has Really Missed John Cena

6. Shinsuke Nakamura Has Been Able To Carve His Own Path

Shinsuke Nakamura

One of the worst things WWE could do is strip the mystique surrounding Shinsuke Nakamura by having John Cena endorse him. Think how little this did for the super-cool Enzo Amore and Big Cass in 2016. Those guys didn't need Cena's kid-friendly character trying to muscle in on their cool, just like Shinsuke doesn't need John giving him his blessing.

Without John Cena on the roster, Nakamura has been able to carve his own path and transition from top guy on NXT programming to a marquee name on SmackDown. Would that have been possible had Cena been appearing every week? Possibly, but there wouldn't be any guarantees.

Nakamura has taken advantage of Cena's sabbatical to shine on the main roster. Although he needs more work before becoming a genuine main eventer, the Japanese star thankfully hasn't been swallowed up by Cena's all-consuming presence.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.