The Nexus (professional wrestling) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Nexus |
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|---|---|
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| Stable | |
| Members | See below |
| Name(s) | The Nexus The New Nexus The Nexus Alliance |
| Debut | June 7, 2010 (As The Nexus) January 3, 2011 (As The New Nexus) |
| Disbanded | August 22, 2011 |
The Nexus, later known as the New Nexus, was a group of 'bad guys' in professional wrestling called a stable. They competed in WWE on the Raw show from June 7, 2010, to August 22, 2011. The group first started with eight new wrestlers from the first season of NXT. Over their 14 months together, their members changed many times. David Otunga was the only wrestler who stayed with the group for its entire run.
After their time on NXT, The Nexus started causing trouble for the wrestlers on Raw. Their main target was the then-WWE Champion John Cena. Cena was forced to join The Nexus after losing a match at Hell in a Cell. This happened because other members of The Nexus interfered in his match. However, Cena was later removed from the group at Survivor Series. This happened after Wade Barrett lost his WWE Championship match to Randy Orton.
After Barrett's loss, CM Punk took over as the leader. The group then changed its name to The New Nexus. They wanted to show they were different from the old group and became a very close team, united by "faith." This group won the WWE Tag Team Championship three times. CM Punk also won the WWE Championship in his last match with the stable at Money in the Bank.
Contents
How The Nexus Started
On February 2, 2010, Vince McMahon, the boss of WWE, announced that NXT would replace ECW. NXT was described as "the next big step in WWE television history." The idea for The Nexus came from the first season of NXT. This show featured new wrestlers from WWE's training area, Florida Championship Wrestling.
The NXT show was a competition to find WWE's next big star. The new wrestlers got help from mentors who were already famous WWE stars. On June 1, 2010, Wade Barrett won the first season of NXT. He beat David Otunga and was given a WWE contract. He also earned a championship match at a big WWE event of his choice. Barrett chose Night of Champions. The other wrestlers who didn't win were left without a job.
The Nexus Story
WWE Debut and Feud with John Cena
The Nexus first appeared on Raw on June 7, 2010. This was during the main match of the night. They suddenly attacked John Cena, CM Punk, Luke Gallows, Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker, Justin Roberts, and other WWE staff. They destroyed everything around the ring, including the ring itself and the barriers. This made the match end without a winner.
During this attack, Daniel Bryan choked Justin Roberts with his tie and spit in John Cena's face. Because of this, Daniel Bryan was let go from his WWE contract on June 11. WWE felt these actions were too violent for their TV-PG shows and could cause problems with sponsors. Wade Barrett explained on June 14 that Daniel Bryan felt bad for his actions and was kicked out of the group.
The Nexus quickly became the main 'bad guy' group on Raw. They attacked many wrestlers and legends in the following weeks. This included Raw's General Manager, Bret Hart, and even Vince McMahon. They also attacked Hall of Famers like Ricky Steamboat and Dusty Rhodes. After attacking Bret Hart, McMahon removed him as General Manager. A new General Manager was appointed who chose to remain anonymous. This new GM communicated only through emails read by Michael Cole.
During the summer of 2010, The Nexus had a big rivalry with John Cena. On July 12, Cena lost a 6-on-1 match against The Nexus on Raw. At Money in the Bank on July 18, The Nexus tried to get involved in the WWE Championship match between Sheamus and Cena. But Sheamus and Cena managed to fight them off and escape. Sheamus won the match and kept his title.
Their next big match was at SummerSlam on August 15. The Nexus faced a team led by Cena, which included Bret Hart, Edge, Chris Jericho, John Morrison, R-Truth, and the returning Daniel Bryan. The Nexus lost after Cena made Barrett give up using his STF move. Some wrestlers, like Edge and Jericho, later said that the original plan was for Barrett and The Nexus to win. This would have made them seem like a bigger threat. However, Cena reportedly refused to lose, and the ending was changed.
The night after SummerSlam, The Nexus members had one-on-one matches against Team WWE. If a Nexus member lost, they would be kicked out of the group. Darren Young was the only one who lost, failing to beat Cena. So, he left the group. On August 18, Skip Sheffield broke his ankle during a match. This kept him out of action for two years, leaving The Nexus with only five active members. At Night of Champions on September 19, Barrett used his guaranteed championship match. He was in a six-pack elimination challenge for Sheamus' WWE Championship. But he was eliminated by Randy Orton, who then won the match and the title.
At Hell in a Cell on October 3, Barrett and Cena had a match with a special rule. If Barrett won, Cena had to join The Nexus. If Cena won, or if any other Nexus member interfered, the group would be broken up forever. Thanks to help from Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty, two new wrestlers from the second season of NXT, Barrett won. This forced Cena to join The Nexus. Harris and McGillicutty officially joined The Nexus on October 25, 2010.
The next night on Raw, Cena attacked Michael Tarver after a tag team match. Barrett then said Cena did him a favor, as he was planning to get rid of Tarver anyway. This meant Tarver was no longer a member. (In reality, Tarver had an injury and was later released from WWE). The anonymous Raw General Manager said Cena had to follow the rules of the Hell in a Cell match and obey Barrett, or he would be fired. Later that night, Barrett ordered Cena to help him win a battle royal. The winner would get a WWE Championship match against Randy Orton at Bragging Rights on October 24. The match came down to Cena and Barrett. Barrett won after Cena eliminated himself.
At Bragging Rights, The Nexus won their first championships in WWE. Cena and David Otunga defeated The Dashing Ones (Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre) to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. In the main event, Barrett defeated Orton by disqualification. This was caused by Cena. As a result, Barrett chose Cena to be the special referee for his WWE Championship rematch against Orton at Survivor Series on November 21. Barrett said that if he didn't win the title, Cena would be fired. But if Barrett won, Cena would be free from The Nexus. The next night on Raw, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel won the WWE Tag Team Championship. This happened after Barrett ordered Otunga to let Slater pin him.
On November 5, David Otunga, who had been questioning Barrett's leadership, led Harris, McGillicutty, Gabriel, and Slater to invade SmackDown. They interrupted a match between Edge and Alberto Del Rio. However, The Nexus was defeated in a 5-on-5 tag team match by Edge, Del Rio, Big Show, Kane, and Kofi Kingston. Barrett was not happy with Otunga's decision to lead The Nexus to SmackDown. As a result, he made Otunga defend his spot in the group the next week. On November 12, Otunga defeated Edge in a lumberjack match to keep his spot, thanks to help from Kane.
At Survivor Series, Orton kept the WWE Championship against Barrett. Cena was then 'fired' from WWE and kicked out of The Nexus. The next night on Raw, Cena gave a 'farewell speech'. He told Barrett to stop "taking shortcuts." However, before Barrett's rematch with Orton later that night, The Nexus attacked Orton, 'injuring' his right knee. When Barrett was about to pin Orton in the match, Cena (who was supposed to have left) pulled the referee out of the ring. He then attacked Barrett. This allowed Orton to win the title.
Even though he was fired, Cena kept showing up on Raw as a fan. He interfered in Nexus matches, even costing Slater and Gabriel the WWE Tag Team Championship on December 6. On December 13, Barrett rehired Cena because he feared being kicked out of The Nexus himself. But Cena had to face Otunga in the main event. Also, Barrett and Cena would have a 'chairs match' at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 19. At TLC, Cena defeated Barrett. After the match, Cena dropped 23 steel chairs on Barrett from the stage.
The New Nexus Takes Over
On January 3, 2011, The Nexus announced they were under "new management." CM Punk was revealed as the new leader. He took over after Barrett lost a steel cage match. Punk had agreed to follow Barrett if he won the title shot. But Punk tricked Barrett, knocking him off the cage. Barrett was then kicked out of The Nexus. The group was renamed "The New Nexus" to show it was different.
Punk told the remaining members to hit each other with kendo sticks as an initiation. Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater refused and left the group. They joined Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson on SmackDown to form The Corre. Husky Harris, Michael McGillicutty, and David Otunga completed Punk's initiation. On January 17, Mason Ryan joined The New Nexus. He interfered in Punk's match against Cena, attacking both. Punk then gave Ryan a Nexus armband.
At the Royal Rumble on January 30, The New Nexus and The Corre were part of the 40-man Royal Rumble match. The New Nexus cost Orton his chance for a rematch for The Miz's WWE Championship. This started a rivalry with Orton. Over the next few weeks, Orton defeated all members of The New Nexus. He caused several 'storyline injuries' by punting them. At WrestleMania XXVII, Orton defeated Punk. At Extreme Rules, Orton defeated Punk again in a Last Man Standing match.
On May 23, 2011, Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga defeated Big Show and Kane for the WWE Tag Team Championship. This happened thanks to a distraction from The New Nexus. On June 20, CM Punk won a match to become the number one contender for Cena's WWE Championship. After the match, Punk said his WWE contract would end at Money in the Bank. He would face Cena for the WWE Championship there.
The following week, it was announced that Mason Ryan was injured and left the group. That same night, Punk gave a famous speech, saying that after his contract ended, WWE would never see him or the WWE Championship again. He hinted he might go to other wrestling companies. With his victory over Cena at Money in the Bank, The New Nexus held the WWE Championship on their last night as a group.
David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty continued as a tag team under The New Nexus name until August 1, 2011. They continued without the name until August 22, 2011. The group officially ended when they lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne.
Other Appearances
In April 2018, The Nexus reunited for a tournament called Chikara King of Trios. They were called The Nexus Alliance. The team included Tyrone Evans (Michael Tarver), Fred Rosser (Darren Young), and Black (Justin Gabriel).
Darren Young later said that The Nexus was supposed to return at WrestleMania 36. A year later, a documentary about The Nexus was canceled. Young thought it was because Daniel Bryan left WWE.
Members
| I–II | Leader(s) |
|---|---|
| * | Founding member(s) |
| Member | Joined | Left |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel Bryan | June 7, 2010 * | June 11, 2010 |
| Darren Young | June 7, 2010 * | August 16, 2010 |
| Skip Sheffield | June 7, 2010 * | August 18, 2010 |
| Michael Tarver | June 7, 2010 * | October 4, 2010 |
| John Cena | October 3, 2010 | November 21, 2010 |
| Wade Barrett (I) | June 7, 2010 * | January 3, 2011 |
| Justin Gabriel | June 7, 2010 * | January 10, 2011 |
| Heath Slater | June 7, 2010 * | January 10, 2011 |
| Husky Harris | October 25, 2010 | January 31, 2011 |
| Mason Ryan | January 17, 2011 | June 26, 2011 |
| CM Punk (II) | December 27, 2010 | July 17, 2011 |
| David Otunga | June 7, 2010 * | August 22, 2011 |
| Michael McGillicutty | October 25, 2010 | August 22, 2011 |
Timeline of Members
Championships and Awards
The Nexus and its members won several awards and championships during their time:
- The Baltimore Sun
- Feud of the Year (2010) - for their rivalry with John Cena
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Feud of the Year (2010) - for their rivalry with WWE
- Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2010)
- Rookie of the Year (2010) – awarded to David Otunga
- World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
- WWE Championship (1 time) – won by CM Punk
- WWE Tag Team Championship (3 times) – won by John Cena and David Otunga (1 time), Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel (1 time), and David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty (1 time)
- Slammy Award (1 time)
- Shocker of the Year (2010) – for the debut of The Nexus
Media
- WWE: Wrestling's Greatest Factions (May 27, 2014, DVD)
See also
In Spanish: The Nexus (lucha libre) para niños
