WWE Hell in a Cell: 10 Things We Learned From The Cena/Barrett Match

In a move that brought tears to the eyes of all wrestling fans (tears of joy to fans older than 10 years of age), and a move predicted by yours truly in my Hell in a Cell Primer, John Cena did the job to Wade Barrett and is now a member of the Nexus.

The CeNexus era has officially begun, yet there were plenty of things we learned as the result of a bold move by the WWE to move Cena over to the Nexus stable.

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1. The WWE Values TV Ratings Over Merchandise Sales

With sales of the always popular Cenation t-shirts sure to take a hit, with Cena now expected to don the black and gold Nexus t-shirts, the WWE showed that sparking their historically low ratings has taken precedent over merchandise sales.

Cena's move to the Nexus will definitely spark interest amongst wrestling fans as they should tune in in droves to see just how such an intriguing new angle will play out. 

If the WWE would have stayed the course by having Cena go over, merchandise sales would have been kept strong with yet another Cena victory, however there would be very little reason to tune into RAW the next night with everything basically staying the same. 

A Cena loss, with John Cena now being forced to join the Nexus, means RAW now has new life.  This should be good news for the ratings. 

2. WWE's RAW Rating Tomorrow Night Will Be at Least a 3.0

With WWE creating interest in what will be a new-look Nexus stable, expect RAW's rating to see a healthy spike. 

Many have been wanting to see Cena turn heel for years, and while Cena is not expected to turn full-on heel tomorrow, he will definitely be forced to carry out some heel tactics in order to honor his deal of joining the Nexus after losing to Wade Barrett.

It doesn't hurt that RAW will be going up against a Monday Night Football game featuring an eroding Patriots team, that is no longer a perennial threat to win the Super Bowl, and the Miami Dolphins, who win ugly (trust me, they're going to win that game tomorrow night) and haven't been a big draw on national television since the Dan Marino days.

3. John Cena Has Been Adding Wrinkles to His Offense

John Cena has surprised me lately with his in ring work as he continues to improve what I already feel is an underrated wrestling arsenal.  In recent weeks, Cena has added a dropkick to his offense. 

In his match with Wade Barrett, Cena opened with some relatively strong mat wrestling, and we even saw him pull off a gut-wrench suplex.

It's quite encouraging to see Cena's in-ring work evolving at this stage in his career where he really has little incentive to be a better wrestler.

Unfortunately, Cena will always be linked to unfair claims of him not being able to wrestle.

Some purists think that a Jack Brisco style of chain wrestling for an hour in your underwear, is on par with what true wrestling is, and we will never see such a style from John Cena.

4. That Fan Run in Was a Plant

Fan run-ins can be among the most unexpected, unwanted occurrences at any live wrestling show. 

However, in recent years, the WWE has capitalized on such unpredictability by planning fan run-in spots of their own. 

At SummerSlam in 2009, Brett DiBiase was used as a plant in a fan run-in spot that was part of the finish to a match between John Cena and Randy Orton. 

At the conclusion of the contest between Cena and Barrett, a fan was apprehended by a referee while another mystery individual knocked out John Cena (apparently with a boot). 

The tell tale sign of a legit fan run-in is that the WWE immediately takes the camera off of the fan and the producers say little to nothing about the impromptu appearance. 

However during this particular spot, similar to the Brett DiBiase spot, not only was the fan being shown on camera while he attempted to interfere in the match, but this spot was replayed multiple times.

As long as these spots are few and far between they are a very effective way to book a finish without the finish being too overbooked.    

5. The First Mysterious Plant Appeared to Be Michael McGillicutty

With the failed Genesis angle now kaput, the season 2 Nexus guys have been rendered irrelevant.

However, taking a close look at the replays may have revealed the identities of the two mystery fans who cost John Cena his match against Wade Barrett. 

The individual who initially ran in and was apprehended by the referee appeared to be Michael McGillicutty.  His face was covered up for the most part, but from what I saw, he was a bearded individual. 

The individual's body type was very similar to that of Michael McGillicutty, and if any two members were to be added to the Nexus (other than John Cena) it would make the most sense for McGillicutty and Husky Harris to be those guys as they were the least green of the Season 2 class.

6. The Second Mysterious Plant Appeared to Be Husky Harris

Cena lost his match to Wade Barrett after a mystery individual apparently struck him with his boot. 

The individual sprinted off to the back before he was able to be identified, but his unmistakably large frame was enough for me to make the educated guess that Husky Harris was the mystery man. 

We all know that Harris wears cowboy boots as part of his ring gear, and it seemed to be one of these very boots that lead to Cena's imminent doom.

7. John Cena Will Not Be The Only New Member Of The Nexus

The finish to the John Cena math was an indicator that the Nexus may be rolling eight deep come Monday. 

With Cena forced to join the stable as a result of his loss at WWE: Hell in A Cell, it appears that the two mystery men who interfered on Wade Barrett's behalf will be joining him as well.

As mentioned in a previous slide, I believe these new members are Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty, however this will give me more reason to tune into RAW tomorrow night. 

Mission accomplished, WWE. 

8. David Otunga's Plan Was a Red Herring

Prior to the Cena/Barrett match, David Otunga teased a plan he had for Wade Barrett to win. 

It is highly unlikely that the aforementioned interferences by the two individuals was this plan Otunga was talking about as the Nexus was attacked by the WWE superstars before they could make their presence felt. 

One of my followers on twitter suggested that the plan may have been for the Nexus to attack Wade Barrett, thus getting him disqualified making him victorious.

As good of a plan as that would have been, I'm glad that Barrett pinned Cena, as this was a very meaningful win for the young superstar, despite the victory being tainted. 

9. WWE Bragging Rights Just Got A Whole Lot More Interesting

With WWE Bragging Rights somewhat of a throwaway concept in what has been an overall failed concept of the gimmick pay-per-view, the WWE Bragging Rights match just received a shot in the arm with Cena now a part of Team Nexus.

The Bragging Rights poster implicated the Nexus as part of the Bragging Rights match, and with Cena now a part of the stable, this should be all but a lock. 

It is likely that the WWE will go with a RAW & Smackdown vs. the Nexus theme to prevent an over-crowded 24-man main event (8 RAW, 8 Smackdown 8 Nexus). 

Either way, this is another example of how Cena's loss is an example of shrewd, business-savvy, long-term planning by WWE. 

10. The Countdown To a John Cena Heel Turn May Have Begun

I have not been an active member of the 'John Cena needs to turn heel' bandwagon.  However, the elephant in the room is only getting bigger, and it seems that WWE is at least willing to indirectly address it.

I consider this current CeNexus angle a test run at just how people would take to John Cena as a heel. 

It is likely that Cena will be competing against babyfaces throughout his Nexus run, and many backstage producers will be watching with keen interest to how the fans take to it.

There seems to be a very audible portion of fans who have wanted to rightfully boo John Cena for a while. 

These fans will now get their chance, and should Cena show potential as a heel, a full on John Cena heel turn may be inevitable after all. 

Big Nasty has moved!  Follow him, at his new Twitter address twitter.com/ThisIsNasty, until he presses charges!  Big Nasty is the editor of The Big Nasty Athletic Dept.  Friends of Big Nasty's still hang out at facebook.com/Bignasty247.