With the news of John Cena’s divorce becoming public last week, WWE officials are said to be doing whatever they can behind the scenes to keep John Cena upbeat and positive.

As unbelievable as it may seem, not everyone will rejoice if John Laurinaitis loses to John Cena at WWE Over the Limit. In fact, it’s not a stretch to think a few Superstars – and one power-hungry Diva – could join the Raw and SmackDown General Manager on the employment line.

In his tumultuous tenure as Raw and SmackDown GM, Laurinaitis has no doubt amassed a list of detractors, but there is a fair share of people who have supported his reign, either to stay in his good graces or to be an integral part of his administration. On the flip side, there are individuals who may reap big dividends of Laurinaitis’ potential termination.

WWE.com presents a list of eight people who should definitely keep their eyes peeled on Laurinaitis’ match against Cena at WWE Over the Limit, because the GM’s fate also might determine their future in WWE.

John Cena

It’s no longer business between Laurinaitis and John Cena – it’s deeply personal. The Raw and SmackDown GM has been hell-bent on breaking The Cenation Leader’s spirit and possibly pushing him out of WWE for good. From attacking Cena to putting himself in a match against him at WWE Over the Limit, Laurinaitis has shockingly emerged as Cena’s worst enemy in WWE.

The weight of the WWE Universe is on Cena’s shoulders heading into a one-on-one clash against Laurinaitis. If Cena wins, he’ll be heralded as the man who purged a ruthless General Manager and restored order to WWE. He’ll also have a lot easier time sleeping Sunday nights, knowing Laurinaitis won’t be there to terrorize him every week on Raw.

WWE Board revealed Laurinaitis will be terminated if he loses to Cena at WWE Over the Limit

When John Laurinaitis called John Cena and his WWE Universe supporters losers, Cena emerged to give the GM an earful. As he analyzed Laurinaitis’ achievements in his backstabbing rise to GM, Cena concluded the GM is nothing but a loser himself.

After riling the WWE Universe up about the potential beating coming to the GM at Over the Limit, the GM’s Executive Administrator Eve came to the ring with a letter in her hand.

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With WWE Over the Limit 2012 closing in, WWE.com thought it only appropriate to examine standout memories of Superstars and matches that went “over the limit.”

In some instances, the matches discussed here exceeded very tangible constraints – for example, a time limit. Figurative limits of decency and good taste were overstepped in other cases. In all examples, the WWE Universe watched on as the Superstars did what they do best: shatter boundaries.

Nexus Attacks

Long before Daniel Bryan’s “Yes!” reverberated through arenas or Wade Barrett set out on his “barrage,” the Superstars previously known best as NXT Season 1 rookies established themselves as the original Nexus by viciously assaulting John Cena during his match against CM Punk on the June 7, 2010, edition of Raw.

The incident was one of those rare examples when the Raw broadcast appeared to come completely off its hinges. The fact that eight relative unknowns (including current Superstars Justin Gabriel and Darren Young, to name a few) would team up to go after WWE’s alpha dog was surprising enough. Even more startling was that their ambush didn’t end with Cena.

Then under the guidance of Barrett, The Nexus members took out their anger on everyone who was within swinging distance. They assaulted commentators Jerry “The King” Lawler and Matt Striker, as well as tore up the ring, trashed the broadcast tables and broke the protective barriers around ringside.

By the time Nexus ultimately disbanded in 2011, the group had inflicted its wrath on countless occasions. Still, no other incident quite compares to their jumping Cena on Raw.

Matt Kemp, LeBron James, Aaron Rodgers and Sidney Crosby. Aside from being exceptional athletes and among the very best in their respective leagues, all four are true cornerstones: uber-talented stars that teams can build their entire franchises around for years to come. In the world of professional sports, they’re called “franchise players.”

In professional sports, not every team has a franchise player. In fact, some don’t even have one legitimately elite star. But in sports-entertainment, there’s no shortage of Superstars who could be considered flag-bearers for the Raw and SmackDown brands, and to a larger extent, WWE as a whole.

WWE.com has tackled the undeniably tough challenge of narrowing it down to five Superstars who best fit the role of a franchise player for Raw and SmackDown. These competitors are the linchpins of their respective brands, persistently commanding the attention of the WWE Universe while capturing the distinct energy of each brand’s weekly TV show.

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