5 WWE Stars John Cena Refused to Put Over

John Cena is one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. At his peak, Cena was nearly unbeatable. There would be times that a star or two would break through and get a win over "Super" Cena.

The 17-time WWE World Champion has had no qualms about putting over talent over the years. However, there were also plenty of people who could have used a win against Cena to elevate their character, but it never happened.

Let's look at five WWE stars John Cena refused to put over during his legendary career.

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#5. Alex Riley had heat with John Cena

After his alliance with The Miz ended, Alex Riley received a singles push and even teamed up with John Cena at one point. However, Riley and Cena never got along backstage, which ultimately ended the former's push.

But even before an alleged incident involving a rib, Cena always won against Riley during their story with The Miz, as per Cagematch. The former NXT competitor had the look, but for some reason The GOAT didn't like him, and he was never given a proper push until his release in 2016.

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#4. Jack Swagger's confession

Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight back in August, Jack Swagger revealed that John Cena refused to put him over. Swagger was supposed to cash in his Money in the Bank contract on Cena, but it only ended up as a tease.

"Oh yeah, he absolutely refused to do it. I was told that was what happened. Because the original plan was I was gonna beat him Monday night on Raw and not do the tease. But I'm a young guy. I've been there for a cup of coffee, so what are you gonna do?" Swagger said. [H/T chrisvanvliet.com]

Swagger did cash in his MITB on Chris Jericho days later on SmackDown and become the World Heavyweight Champion.

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#3. Damien Sandow's failed cash-in

After a successful team-up with Cody Rhodes as the Rhodes Scholars, Damien Sandow received a huge push in mid-2013. Sandow ended up winning the Money in the Bank briefcase and was primed to become a world champion.

At Hell in a Cell that same year, Sandow attacked John Cena after his match against Alberto Del Rio. He cashed in his briefcase, but he still lost to "Super" Cena. He never had a main event push after that, though he became ultra popular as Damien Mizdow, a stunt double for The Miz.

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#2. Baron Corbin never recovered

Despite having a solid WWE career, Baron Corbin had the potential to become a main eventer. However, Corbin's career never recovered after his feud against John Cena. He was even the Money in the Bank holder when Cena cost him against Jinder Mahal, leading to a failed cash-in.

Corbin would proceed to lose his feud against Cena, including a match at SummerSlam 2017. He'd win the United States Championship and King of the Ring, but he could have been an even bigger star if he had at least one win over Cena.

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#1. Wade Barrett should have won at SummerSlam

The Nexus was the biggest thing to happen in WWE in mid-2010, when a bunch of NXT prospects took over RAW, led by Wade Barrett. They were on fire heading into SummerSlam that year, and many expected The Nexus to win the main event against John Cena's team.

However, Cena overcame the odds as usual and beat Barrett last to send the fans home happy. Barrett was a mid-carder for the rest of his career, while The Nexus failed to reach their full potential.

Edge even revealed on Inside The Ropes a couple of years ago that Cena admitted it was a mistake on his part to not put over Barrett and the group.