5 Superstars that John Cena should put over in 2018

It's no secret that the future still goes through John Cena in WWE and while some superstars have been lucky enough to get a torch-passing moment for "The Cenation Leader", other superstars haven't been so lucky and ended up getting completely buried at the hands of the former champion.

While not every Superstar deserves a match with Cena, especially since he is only trotted out for special occasions at this point in his two-decade career, there are other superstars that are not only deserving of a match with the franchise player but also deserve to defeat him clean inside the squared circle.

With that being said and a new year upon us, here are five superstars that should face and defeat John Cena in 2018. Keep in mind that some of these matches will have already happened, but it will be explained why another face-off is needed and why the superstar would benefit from it.

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#5 Bray Wyatt

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Bray Wyatt walking to the ring illuminated by his fireflies.

Yes, these two have already done battle on The Road to WrestleMania in years past and while Cena did put Wyatt over last year at The Elimination Chamber pay per view, it would be great to see these two go at it again. Not only would doing so allow Wyatt to get his career back on track, it could also give him a huge WrestleMania moment of his own.

Wyatt and Cena go way back in the WWE, when it all began when Wyatt went by the ring name Husky Harris, and interfered in Cena's match against Wade Barrett back in 2010.

Of course, all that is contingent on Wyatt versus Cena being the plan for WrestleMania 34, but if WWE wanted to do this at any other pay per view, it would probably work in much the same way. The point is that Wyatt needs to get his heat back and find some solid ground after a lacklustre 2017 and Cena could be the one to help do that.

In the end, WWE could probably draw on the history between the two superstars and how Wyatt actually beat Cena for The WWE title during their last encounter. Its also no exaggeration that Wyatt needs a win in this matchup, but the question is whether WWE will actually let him go over one of the company's biggest stars one more time.

#4 Jinder Mahal

The Modern day Maharaja, Jinder Mahal.

Some might not see the point in this matchup after Jinder Mahal lost his WWE Championship to AJ Styles in Manchester, but it could still work if WWE were to insert The United States title into the feud. In fact, the inclusion of The United States title makes the match WrestleMania worthy in a way.

Of course, WWE could probably do this at any one of their pay per views and have it be a huge success, especially since The WWE Universe would be forced to pick sides between Cena and Mahal, but holding this one off for one of the big four pay per views might be the best idea here.

With that being said, the matchup would also be a great way to utilize Mahal as an anti-American heel and make the moment when someone unhands the belt from him even sweeter than usual. Sure, having Cena be the one to do that isn't ideal for everyone, but fans can't deny that it would create a huge pop if it does happen.

In the end, Mahal beating Cena would be a great way to get some of Mahal's heat back after falling out of the title picture and would also give him another run with one of the company's top titles. Finally, it would make Jinder Mahal's time with the title must-see TV, especially since Mahal would be spewing anti-American sentiment to get massive heat from fans.

#3 Braun Strowman

Is Bruan Strowman the only monster that can defeat John Cena?

John Cena has a history of humanizing monsters in The WWE and what better way to prove that Bruan Strowman is the company's next big thing then by putting him in a feud with The Cenation leader himself. Of course this time would have to be different and Strowman would have to pick up the win, but it would still be a great bout to witness!

Not only is this a way for WWE to show fans that they are serious about Strowman as a top guy in the company, it also gives him a win over one of the greatest superstars in the history of the business. Furthermore, it is something fans will pay to see, especially with the high stakes involved between the two, and be a great match for later in the year.

Sure, WWE might have to allow Cena to win one of the fights to keep things interesting, but they could easily do that in a way that makes Strowman look strong in the process and then give Strowman two surprise victories over The Cenation leader later on.

#2 Finn Balor

Only The Demon King can slay The Cenation leader.

Believe it or not, Finn Balor was actually the one that delivered the death blow to John Cena before he was eliminated from The five on five Survivor Series elimination match and while WWE didn't allow Balor to pick up the pin himself, the moment could have been a way to lay the groundwork for later on.

With that being said, John Cena versus The demon king would absolutely set The WWE landscape on fire and also pit two of the company's biggest fan bases against each other. Not only that, it would even be a thrilling matchup that pits Cena's do or die offence against Balor's high flying arsenal of breathtaking moves.

Balor really needs a win here, especially since he has been floundering on the mid-card for quite some time now, and what better way to do that than to give him a win over old big match John.

#1 'Woken' Matt Hardy

The Woken Warriors versus The Cenation. Who wins?

This is probably one of the bouts that The WWE Universe has been waiting for and while they might have to wait awhile before something like this is finally able to come to fruition, the company should at least keep this match up on their list for the 2018 calendar year. If not, they are missing out on the opportunity to create something very special.

Not only would this match create the same kind of buzz that Cena vs AJ Styles created throughout 2016, especially after Styles beat Cena multiple times, it would also allow for some of the best promo work that The WWE Universe has seen in a quite a long time and could be even more interesting if the rest of Hardy's Woken Universe participates in it.

In the end, it would be awesome to see two of WWE's biggest fan bases pitted against each other and would be a wonderful way to prove that WWE is serious about Woken Matt Hardy being a long-term threat in The WWE. In fact, a win over John Cena would probably go a long way in making Woken Matt Hardy an unstoppable force for the company.