How John Cena's Fading Untouchable Aura Impacts the Rest of WWE's Roster

WWE SummerSlam 2017 will see SmackDown Live's John Cena clash with Baron Corbin, and although it appears it will be an easy win for Cena, the outcome of the contest may not be so predictable if Cena's track record at the event has told us anything.

This is a direct result of Cena's once-untouchable aura fading, but that shouldn't be viewed as a negative. Rather, Cena putting over others more frequently as of late has benefited not only his stagnant character, but the rest of the roster as well.

One would have to go all the way back to SummerSlam 2010 to find the last time Cena emerged victorious at the August extravaganza. It was on that night that he, along with Team WWE, defeated The Nexus in an enormous 14-man tag team match, though he hasn't been on the winning end of a match at SummerSlam since.

CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins and AJ Styles have all pinned Cena at SummerSlam in recent years, sometimes in clean fashion. That is an incredible endorsement not only of that competitor, but also a sign that WWE is willing to show that Cena isn't as invincible as he used to be.

This was especially evident in Cena's encounter with Shinsuke Nakamura on the Aug. 1 edition of SmackDown Live, where he did the honors for the blue brand's newest acquisition. Whether Corbin will be the next up-and-coming star to beat the former 16-time world champion, however, remains to be seen.

Credit: WWE.com

WWE fans are constantly conditioned to think that wins and losses do not matter, when in reality, that is the farthest thing from the case; it's those lack of losses that help define characters and allow them to stand out from the rest of the pack.

Thankfully, WWE's protection of Cena over the years has ensured that a win against him actually means something. It isn't often he loses throwaway television matches, so on the rare occasion he is defeated, you can expect that Superstar to be on the fast track to superstardom.

In an interview with Complex, Cena admitted to knowing his days in WWE are numbered, therefore explaining his free-agent status. Raw has made no mention of this tidbit as of yet and has yet to make a play for the household name, but it shouldn't be long before he resurfaces on the flagship show.

Regardless of what brand Cena is a part of it, he should continue working with the younger talent in an attempt to push the future forward. That should ultimately be the goal of his storyline with Corbin: to establish him as a credible contender to the WWE Championship.

That certainly worked for Nakamura, who could be on the verge of becoming the next WWE champion at SummerSlam. He was already immensely over with the audience, but beating Cena cemented his status as a main event player in the eyes of casual fans.

For too long WWE put all of its eggs into one basket by focusing on one star and no one else. That was why few others, except for Cena, came across as special, but that formula has changed with the Brand Split being brought back and wrestlers not being as overexposed.

Braun Strowman is a perfect example of someone that WWE has handled perfectly on his own and has felt like an attraction. Cena was the only individual who had that type of treatment for a great while, but as he inches closer to in-ring retirement, it is imperative he continue to elevate talent.

Going forward, there's a slew of notable names fans would enjoy seeing Cena clash with. Samoa Joe would have to lead the list given the roll he has been on in 2017, but Strowman would be a close second seeing as he hasn't crossed paths with Cena so far in his career.

Most importantly, Reigns is clearly the heir apparent to Cena, and thus having Cena pass the torch to the former WWE champion and WrestleMania headliner would be ideal in the next year or two. With Reigns being booked similarly to Cena throughout his run, having those two go one-on-one would be a megamatch worthy of occurring at WrestleMania.

Cena should be commended for his contributions to the current roster and for ushering in WWE's "New Era" as he slowly rides off into the sunset, enabling the talent of tomorrow to take center stage.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.