Arn Anderson reveals long-term John Cena issue in WWE
Arn Anderson believes WWE made a mistake by allowing John Cena to overcome too many of his rivals at the same time.
The WWE Hall of Famer discussed the TLC 2010 pay-per-view on the latest episode of his ARN podcast. That event ended with John Cena picking up a victory over the leader of The Nexus, Wade Barrett.
Many fans and people involved in WWE around that time have questioned the booking of the John Cena vs. The Nexus storyline. Anderson, who worked as a producer for many of Cena’s matches, is among those who felt the story should have been told differently.
“Bad guys are supposed to pile the heat up on television. It was hit and miss and a lot of the times Cena would become Godzilla and he would beat up three or four guys.”
Anderson clarified that John Cena was only performing the role that he had been asked to play. He added that the 16-time World Champion was overexposed on television, which is why he received mixed reactions as a babyface.
“To John’s defense, that’s what turns the audience off on a babyface. If you get shoved too hard down the audience’s throat, they’re gonna spit you out. They know what is plausible and believable, and they will accept that if it’s done well. But you can’t just hit and miss and half-a** it.”
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John Cena vs. The Nexus
The most controversial moment of the John Cena vs. The Nexus storyline came at SummerSlam 2010. John Cena led a team of WWE all-stars, featuring Bret Hart, Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, Edge, John Morrison, and R-Truth. The seven Superstars faced The Nexus in an elimination match in the PPV’s main event.
A victory for The Nexus would have cemented the group’s status as the top heels in WWE at the time. However, the win surprisingly went to Team WWE, with John Cena emerging as the sole survivor.
Over the last decade, various stories have been told about what happened on the day of the show. Former Nexus member Heath Slater has even said it is a “95 percent fact” that John Cena helped alter the finish before the PPV.