Cenation Vs. Nexus: Why Cena's Summerslam Team Is Just Fine

One of the most common themes I’ve seen on BR as well as other websites has been the widespread consternation over John Cena’s new “team” that will take on Nexus at Summerslam.

For those not in the know, it is as follows: Cena, Edge, John Morrison, R-Truth, Great Khali, Chris Jericho, and Bret “The Hitman” Hart.

Many people are decrying the inclusion of certain members of this team–most notably Khali and Hart–and saying how this team is potentially awful. Putting an immobile mess like Khali and a nearly 60-year old stroke victim like Hart on a team that will take on the dastardly Nexus is a joke, some say.

I disagree.

I think Cena’s team is well-chosen. In fact, from a booking standpoint, this is an excellent team to put out there against Nexus.

Now before you go and think that I’ve lost my mind, let me explain: I don’t think that Cena’s team is a great one. I think, for the purposes of the storyline, it is the right one.

When I was watching Raw last Monday, once Edge was announced as Cena’s first partner for Summerslam I immediately assumed that the rest of his team was going to turn out pretty much as it did.

We would see another main event-caliber guy in Jericho— as a quick aside, are we to believe that Edge and Jericho are now babyfaces or is this more a team of necessity? As well as a couple of “who knows where they fit” guys like JoMo and Truth and a couple of guys to…well, round it out in Khali and Hart.

Why did I figure Cena’s team would take shape as it did? It goes back to what R.D. Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez wrote in The Death of WCW: In order to draw money, you have to give the fans something they’d pay to see. And to get fans to pay to see a match, you have to make it seem like either side could win. No one is going to pay their hard-earned money to see a match where one side will clearly win.

In other words, if Cena’s team didn’t include a couple of jokes on it, would anyone in their right mind want to order Summerslam to see the Cenation/Nexus match?

If on Cena’s team you were to replace Khali and Hart with, say, Evan Bourne and Triple H (whom I’ve heard as popular substitutions), would Nexus have even a snowball’s chance in hell of winning?

Face it; even though pro wrestling is predetermined, there is no way that anyone would believe that a team of rookies would beat a team of Cena-Edge-Jericho-HHH-Bourne-JoMo-Truth. And if people don’t believe it, people won’t buy the PPV.

If Nexus is going to be taken as a serious threat, they need to win the match at Summerslam; therefore, you need to give Nexus someone to pin. You know it won’t be Cena, Edge, or Jericho (all main event guys, former champs). If they had been in the match it wouldn’t be Triple H (for obvious reasons) or Evan Bourne (what with The Miz winning MITB, you know Bourne’s almost definitely getting the US Title sometime soon) either.

But with Hart–who has a legitimate beef with Nexus— and Khali in the match— as well as perennial “this is their year to finally step up” guys like JoMo and Truth around, Nexus has someone to beat. That way, Cena-Edge-Jericho keep their heat and Nexus can look strong.

Besides, at this point Khali is just a guy who they trot out to look impressive when someone beats him, and Hart is long past the time when he should be winning matches.

So, while the talent on Cena’s team is not first rate across the board, it provides the fans with a mix of top tier guys that can help elevate Nexus as well as adding very beatable people into the match, thereby making it feasible for Nexus to get the win and look like a strong faction.

Besides, isn’t Triple H supposed to be the one that’s “behind” the Nexus in the long run?