5 WWE Superstars who failed to become the "next John Cena"
John Cena is slowly winding down his WWE career and his appearances are now getting fewer and further in-between. WWE has actually been trying to prepare for a post-John Cena era for years by trying to push Superstars who could one day actually take his place as the top guy.
WWE has finally found Superstars worthy of the role in the likes of Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns but there have been failed experiments over the years. There have been a number of young stars who WWE identified as someone who had to potential to be a top babyface but most of the time, they just didn't work out.
Let's take a look at some of these failed experiments. Some of the Superstars on this list have had spectacular careers in WWE but they just didn't fit the mould of the 'next John Cena'.
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#5. Mr. Kennedy/Anderson
By all accounts, WWE had huge plans for Mr. Kennedy as a top babyface but it all went wrong so fast. Vince McMahon himself was a big fan and according to rumours, Kennedy was supposed to be the one originally set to be revealed as Vince McMahon's illegitimate son but was suspended for a Wellness Policy violation at that critical stage and Hornswoggle was revealed to be Vince's son instead.
Kennedy was released from WWE in 2009 after Randy Orton accused Kennedy of being unsafe to work with. Kennedy later said that John Cena has also played a part in his release:
“And I think Cena had a hand in that too. Like, Cena helped out, and he said, ‘hey, we need to go to Vince.’ I didn’t get along with him too well.”
Kennedy looked set for a career as a top guy in WWE and a lot of fans called him the 'next John Cena'. Sadly, it all amounted to so little in the end.