Top Five WWE Wrestlers Who Could Benefit Most From a John Cena Heel Push

It seemed with the end of Summer that the on and off again angle known as the Nexus was in its last breath.  We saw the defeat of the entire team at Summerslam, and then the defeat of Wade Barrett at Night of Champions. 

Injuries plagued the stable, with the Number 2 man on the mic and the muscle, Skip Sheffield, out due to a leg injury.  Poor booking and poor delivery, as well as poor merchandise sales, seemed to mark the failure of a group which so far has achieved less than the Spirit Squad in terms of championships. 

Then, WWE Creative did something that got everybody's attention: it made John Cena a member.  Begrudgingly, but a member none the less.  Raw ratings climbed up immediately and more people began to talk about what this meant in terms of what the IWC has salivated for-- the Cena Heel Turn.

Granted, the heel turn hasn't happened yet, and it may never go fully Hollywood Hogan.  However, the Cena with Nexus angle hasn't fully played out yet either, and you can be guaranteed there will be heelish tactics coming from Cena in the next few months. 

If there is one thing Cena has become known for over the last few years, it has been becoming the face of the WWE and in turn being the push for many of the current superstars.  Both Sheamus and The Miz became the mainstays in the main event picture due to feuds with Cena. 

Edge won the first of his 9 World Championships from Cena.  The common factor among Shaemus, Edge, The Miz, and even Randy Orton is that they were all heels whose careers and place on the roster became elevated through John Cena. 

A Cena Heel turn promises the same thing, largely for many of the young faces of the WWE in need of a 'push'.  Here's the top wrestlers I could see potentially benefiting from a Cena heel turn. 

5. Daniel Bryan

This one almost seemed like a no-brainer, and while a Cena/Bryan match up would really push Danielson's WWE career, I just don't see it happening within this storyline except as maybe a one time thing.

The momentum for this kind of match would have been through keeping Bryan somehow involved in the Nexus storyline after he took half of them out after Summerslam, then with Barrett giving Cena his first "assignment" as a member of Nexus by taking out the one defector of the group. 

Instead, WWE distanced Bryan from the group due to Tiegate or Spitgate and kept him feuding with the Miz. 

While a Miz/Bryan feud was smart, Creative missed the boat keeping him out of the Nexus thing.  Still, a match between the Cena and Bryan would be nice to see.

4. R-Truth

R-Truth has had a curious run in the WWE for the last 2 years.  The former NWA World Heavyweight Champion with a unique moveset that, while botchy at times, is extremely innovative and 'spinny', has so far not tasted much success. 

His title run only includes a 3 week stint as US Champion that was ultimately put away by the Miz.  Truth can move a crowd and wow an audience, but he's never had a decently booked feud. 

Inklings of a future encounter with Cena are already there, and a future encounter would do a lot for the Artist Formerly Known As "What's Up". 

Recently, Truth confronted Cena in the locker room regarding his actions in the Nexus and what this means for the WWE roster. 

You can almost guarantee one of the first encounters heel Cena will have with the WWE roster will be against R-Truth, and while I could see an instant push for Ron Killings in this, I wouldn't expect the push to have much lasting affect.  I also would only expect a couple of matches at the most.   

3. Justin Gabriel

Eventually there will no longer be a Nexus, and I think the current Cena storyline will see a disbanding of the group somehow.  I don't see it happening suddenly, though, and I see the first defector (besides Daniel Bryan, which really wasn't a defection) to be Justin Gabriel.

The lad has proved himself in the ring with Cena recently, showcasing a mat style and strong set I personally didn't expect to see out of a wrestler his size.  Cena really put him over a few weeks ago, and regardless of Gabriel's heel status in Nexus, the crowd really can't help but enjoy watching this wrestler who is proving to be more than just a one-trick pony. 

Expect him to somehow mess things up for Barrett, and expect him to leave in the process, setting Barrett up with the order for Cena to go after him. 

Finally, expect to see him hit Evan Bourne-style superstar status relatively quickly (for what that's worth) through a Cena feud.  He may plateau after that, but I'd expect to see his star rise quickly.

2) Wade Barrett

Granted, Barrett is not a face, nor will he be in the foreseeable future, but his short-term place in the WWE roster has been cemented with a Cena towel boy in tow.

He is being given a place on the mic, where he shines, and he is also heading to face Orton this Sunday at Bragging Rights for the WWE Championship. 

Expect this match to be where Cena makes the first serious moves towards heel against Orton, expect Orton to retain, but expect Barrett to come out looking strong. 

As I stated, we will eventually see the disbanding of the Nexus, and the collateral Barrett has built up as leader will pay off when he makes a true mark on his own. 

1. John Morrison

The superstar I expect to see excel the highest through a Cena heel turn is none other than the Shaman of Sexy, John Morrison. 

The crowd loves him, the IWC is (generally) all for him, and he's currently on a pretty strong push with matches against Sheamus and Jericho that stole the show from their respective Raw main events (don't even remember what they were now). 

While many decry his mechanical mic skills, he more than makes up for it in the ring, and Creative seems to have long term plans for Morrison.  And as with Truth, inklings of this feud are already there. 

Recently, in the Battle Royal to determine the #1 contender for the WWE Championship against Orton (won by Barrett), note the only face to be attacked by Cena was John Morrison, and this happened quite often throughout the match. 

Eventually, the locker room will need a face against the Nexus and Cena's involvement.  Perhaps that face will be Morrison, who right now is the one mid-carder to gain the from a Cena feud.  He's right on the cusp of the main event. 

He just needs that extra push to get himself in the main-event picture, and a prolonged program with Cena and Nexus booked properly would do just that.  While Barrett stands to gain the most from this Nexus angle, expect the unexpected and go with Morrison to gain his main-event status with it. 

And with his old feuding buddies The Miz and CM Punk both in the Raw main event picture, I don't expect his push to end just with Nexus.  It's only going to begin.