Finished, Beat Up Cherry Coffee Table
If the wood is dented rather than cut/gouged, you can steam dents out with a clothes iron (preferably a steam iron, but not required if you keep the washcloth damp), a damp washcloth, and some patience.

If it's actually cherry, and not just "whatever, with stain, called cherry since we used a reddish brown stain" it is best to remove and not replace the stain. It will start rather light, but age beautifully with time. But that is a matter of opinion. Your best bet with re-staining it is to take the whole thing back to wood, and re-stain the whole thing if you are going to do that - then it will all match. However, some slight mismatch between the top and the rest of the piece will not be as glaring as a mismatch between two halves of the same part. Try to find some similar scrap and test your finish process and colors on that.