5 potential feuds for John Cena on NXT

Triple H recently stated that he would be interested if WWE Superstar John Cena wishes to come down to Full Sail University for a run in developmental. This statement by HHH came soon after Cena said that he looks at Velveteen Dream as one of the next big things in wrestling.

Cena may think The Dream is a future main eventer, but what about one of the biggest wrestlers in history stepping down to developmental and adding that little bit of stardust on everyone?

NXT is away from the overly produced mediocrity that is the main roster. Giving Cena's character more free will, compared to what we get on the main roster will rejuvenate the 16 time world champion.

A fresh Cena mixing with the fresh faces of NXT is bound to create gold. Here we look at 5 wrestlers from NXT with whom Cena should mix it up if he does choose to go to NXT.

---

#5 Johnny Gargano

Can Johnny Wrestling be the one to introduce a heel Cena?

This is one of the few feuds where we may just want to see a heel Cena. Not a dastardly heel, but the kind of a heel that thinks he knows more than everyone else. Imagine a cocky Cena coming down to developmental and taking everything foregranted because of his impressive main roster resume.

He sees the hard-working face that Johnny Gargano is and chooses to give him advice which Johnny Wrestling shrugs off. Cena tells him that he will open himself up to a lot of hurt if he continues the good guy route.

He can show that he is affected by how easily The Undertaker beat him at WrestleMania. Gargano chooses to brush off Cena, which infuriates the veteran, causing Cena to attack him brutally.

The match structure is what a typical Gargano match would follow. Gargano plays the resilient babyface to the heel Cena. Cena is using his ungodly amounts of strength to teach Gargano a lesson. He is left stunned by the resilience of Gargano.

He cannot find a way to put away Gargano and that frustrates him. He starts beating the NXT star mercilessly, but Gargano fights his way out and manages to eke out a win from Cena. This feud could go any number of directions, and this should probably be a tremendous program, if WWE chooses to execute it.

#4 Tommaso Ciampa

The slimiest character in wrestling today

From one member of DIY to the other, Ciampa is one of the most detestable heels in pro wrestling at the moment. John Cena on the other hand, is the poster boy of what a babyface is. If Cena was to tango with Ciampa, a golden program could be created.

A heel Ciampa attacking the integrity of a character like John Cena could be the start. Cena wants to show his ways are correct, while Ciampa wants to prove the exact same. Ciampa has no respect for Cena, and could go to extremes like spitting on the legend.

Cena will need to ditch the smiling act for this feud, and be a more driven character to beat Ciampa clean, while Ciampa tries to get under Cena's skin by using the dirtiest tactics in the game.

Ciampa and Cena's match will need to have a proper structure, with layers upon layers of story telling. Cena will need to maintain the core values of a babyface, while showing aggression that we've never seen from him.

He would be defending every man, woman and child who believes in what he says. Ciampa is trying to destroy that exact belief of Cena's, by showing how his ways are superior to getting things done. This is the classic good guy vs bad guy story line, and there are no two better men to execute that.

#3 Velveteen Dream

Believe the Dream.

A story that mixes elements from Ciampa and Gargano to make an even stronger impact, Dream vs Cena is the classic 'youngster vs veteran' feud. Dream appreciates the praise that Cena has bestowed upon him, but doesn't care one bit for the word of someone like Cena.

For him, Cena represents a bygone era in wrestling, and people like himself are far superior to these vets. Cena is disrespected but unfazed by the Dream's bold claims. He reminds Dream of everything he has accomplished.

His hall of fame resume, which includes casualties from the past, present and the future. Velveteen Dream doesn't care about that and believes that he is a threat Cena has never come across before. They face off eventually, old school vs new school.

Their match can be structured in whatever way, but the core tenet is how Cena grounds Dream using his superior experience, whereas the Dream is inflicting more damage by using unorthodox moves.

The victor could be either of them, it could show how experience triumphed over flash because of uncalculated risks.

It could also show how Cena's age caused him to falter against the younger and faster Dream. Either direction works, as the Dream is bound to come out of this as a massive star regardless.

#2 EC3

The Future meets the present?

EC3 looks like the second coming of John Cena. He has the same build and the electric charisma that Cena possesses. The path of the story is already there. Another amazing 'future meets present' story is born, but with an extra caveat.

This feud can answer the quintessential 'who follows John Cena's footsteps?' question. Though it would be a bold claim to give EC3 that rub, it would be perfect for an uber tantalizing feud between the two.

Cena holding on to the spot he has spent over 15 years to earn vs EC3 who is a hungry youngster that wants to make his name by taking out the biggest wrestler of the modern era.

This match is two powerhouses going at each other. Both men are trying their best to take out each other. One is fighting for his legacy, and the other is fighting to establish his. Close calls after close calls build the tension even more as both men cannot figure out how to beat the other.

Cena sees a reflection of the ruthless aggression with which he started his career as EC3 starts to understand why John Cena is considered superman in the ring. The outcome can go either way, but an explicit passing of the torch is crucial to making this epic.

Cena could lose and endorse EC3, or win and raise the hand of EC3 to show he supports him. If EC3 is to become face, he can accept the endorsement and hug the 16 time champ, or stay heel by disrespecting his endorsement (Chris Jericho WM19 against Shawn Michaels).

#1 Aleister Black

Black for darkness, Cena for light?

The darkest character in NXT vs the brightest character in WWE. This is a match made in heaven (or hell) that WWE must capitalize on. Black and Cena are characters that are polar opposites, and that is what makes them the perfect foil for each other.

Black can go the Bray Wyatt and Kane path and try to make Cena embrace his more human instincts of anger and the need for validation. Unlike how it turned out with Kane and Wyatt, this can actually be effective within the NXT landscape where Cena's character won't be tightly scripted.

Black hates the facade that Cena portrays, whereas Cena is trying to show everyone that it isn't a facade, but actually who he is as a person.

Black is a passive figure just telling Cena everything as fact, which does cause Cena to doubt himself. This self-doubt is driving him crazy, and he wants to prove Black (and himself wrong) by facing him one on one.

The match has tremendous story-line potential for both men. Showing Cena fight not only Black, but also himself is an angle that can absolutely change the match. It can make it go from great to absolutely epic.

Black is never overly aggressive, choosing to continue his relatively calm character work as he is watching John Cena self-destruct under the pressure of his own being. However, that mood changes as Cena gets more and more aggressive.

Cena is given the chance to end the match, as he could break the rules and possibly finish it off. This self doubt cripples him, as Black takes advantage of this and defeats Cena.

Even as all feuds up till date have had open endings, Black needs to triumph here to show that Cena is not the same person we all see him to be. Where WWE and NXT go from there is up to them.