Ranking all 8 original Nexus members based on their success

This was a major moment.
This was a major moment.

Around exactly nine years ago, WWE was entering into kind of a stale product. Following a great road to WrestleMania, a lot of their biggest names left.

Some called it a day while others became part-time. The likes of Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Batista were not there anymore. It was up to the current crop to keep things interesting, and they got a boost from eight relative unknowns.

NXT started as a replacement to WWE's version of ECW in 2010, originally being a reality-based game-show featuring eight wrestling prospects. There would be an elimination round every few weeks and the winner would join the main roster and get a title shot of his choosing. As you would imagine, it did not reach the soaring heights of the NXT we know and adore today.

However, it turned a corner when all eight contestants from the first season invaded the Viewer's Choice edition of RAW. They destroyed the arena and beat up everybody in sight. The eight men literally tore the ring apart and fed on John Cena like a pack of wolves.

The Nexus was born, giving the WWE product new life at the time. Obviously, we all know what happened to the promising group.

The success of every member of the group is varied, with a fair few still with the company today. Here is every original member of the Nexus ranked, based on their success.


#8 Michael Tarver

He isn't known much of beyond his WWE days.
He isn't known much of beyond his WWE days.

Out of everybody from the Nexus, Michael Tarver was kind of the least memorable one. He did not do much of note, despite his bruiser look. He, alongside Daniel Bryan, was the first person eliminated from the first season of NXT.

His tenure in the Nexus was not much more memorable. Tarver got kicked out of the group after suffering a groin injury in October, with John Cena attacking him to write him off.

He would return two months later in FCW and while his return to the main roster was teased in 2011, Tarver got released that June.

Again, Tarver's career after WWE has not exactly been noteworthy. He joined Florida Underground Wrestling, winning their Bruiserweight Championship, and also briefly wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling.

In 2018, Tarver reunited with the former Darren Young and Justin Gabriel in the Chikara King of Trios tournament, as the Nexus Alliance. He also wrestled for the Great Khali's Continental Wrestling Entertainment promotion, winning the CEW National Title for two days as well.

#7 David Otunga

He has become a Kickoff show mainstay.
He has become a Kickoff show mainstay.

David Otunga was the only member of the Nexus to remain in the group throughout its existence in WWE.

From their destructive debut to the group's gradual death under CM Punk's leadership, Otunga went through it all. He was even a WWE Tag Team Champion when the Nexus ended, alongside Michael McGillicutty.

After that, Otunga had a legal advisor gimmick, due to his degree from Harvard Law School. He was paired with then-general manager, John Laurinaitis and even captained Team Johnny to victory at WrestleMania 28.

Otunga's in-ring career did not go on for long beyond that, with his last televised singles match coming against Ryback in 2013. Since then, he has been doing backstage work for WWE.

He did wrestle on a few WWE Live Events as well as the first Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but he is now retired from wrestling.

Otunga is now a regular pre-show panelist for WWE pay-per-views and even had a stint on commentary on SmackDown from 2016 to 2017.

#6 Darren Young

He has done well for himself.
He has done well for himself.

Not counting the initially fired Daniel Bryan, Darren Young was the first member of the Nexus to be exiled by the group, following a loss to John Cena on the post-SummerSlam 2010 episode of RAW.

His WWE career seemed to stagnate for a bit before he returned to the yellow brand to take part in NXT Redemption. In 2012, Young teamed up with Titus O'Neil as the Prime Time Players, a heel tag team. The following August, he would become the first active WWE superstar to publicly come out as gay.

Young then wrestled as a face for the rest of his WWE career, even winning the WWE Tag Team Championships with O'Neil in 2015. He was paired with Bob Backlund in mid-2016, but that gimmick failed to take off following the return of the brand split.

Young was released in October 2017, following a lengthy arm injury. After getting released, he began using his real-life name, Fred Rosser on the independent circuit. Young would wrestle for Big Time Wrestling and WrestlePro, as well as reunite with former Nexus members, Michael Tarver and Justin Gabriel, to form the Nexus Alliance in Chikara's 2018 King of Trios tournament.

#5 Heath Slater

How has he survived all this time?
How has he survived all this time?

Fun fact. Out of every original member of the Nexus, Heath Slater is the only one to be an active WWE superstar throughout the last nine years, since the group's debut. He won the WWE Tag Team Championships alongside Justin Gabriel as part of both, the Nexus and its Smackdown spinoff, the Corre.

Following his involvement in those stables, Slater started feuding with WWE legends, losing to a different legend every week as a build-up to Raw 1000. He lost to the likes of Vader, Rikishi and Road Warrior Animal. Slater would lose to Lita, to conclude the story at Raw 1000.

Shortly after, Slater formed 3MB with Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre. The trio quickly became one of the more entertaining acts on the roster, before the latter two got released in 2014. The One-Man Band was left languishing for a while before his Free Agent gimmick caught on at the start of the second brand split.

For a short period, Heath Slater became the most over man on Smackdown as his journey culminated in a Smackdown lIVE Tag Team Championship victory alongside Rhyno.

Slater is still with the company and is a good hand at whatever he is tasked in doing. He even won the WWE 24/7 Championship recently, before losing it immediately.

#4 Justin Gabriel

He has become a daredevil
He has become a daredevil

Justin Gabriel had a lot of promise and was expected to do well in WWE, appearing as far as the season finale of the first season of NXT. He was one of the most strongly booked members of the Nexus and won multiple tag team titles with Heath Slater. Following his times in the Nexus and the Corre, Gabriel would be a babyface for almost the rest of his WWE career, forming a tag team with Tyson Kidd.

He would return to NXT in 2014, wrestling the likes of Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami and Tyler Breeze. Gabriel quit WWE the day before the 2015 Royal Rumble, in which he was set to compete. He then revealed, on Talk is Jericho, that he was the Bunny character from Adam Rose's Exotic Express. He would adopt the name PJ Black and a "darewolf" gimmick, a wolf-themed daredevil persona that he pitched for himself in WWE.

Gabriel has been wrestling throughout the independent circuit since 2015, most notably appearing for Lucha Underground. He reunited with Michael Tarver and Darren Young to form the Nexus Alliance in the 2018 Chikara King of Trios tournament. Over 2018 and 2019, the Darewolf has wrestled for NWA and most recently, Ring of Honour. He now has an exclusive contract with ROH, signed a few months ago.

#3 Skip Sheffield

FEED HIM MORE!
FEED HIM MORE!

Now known as Ryback, Skip Sheffield was the powerhouse of the Nexus. He left the group, following a broken ankle that saw him sidelined for over a year. He returned as Ryback, the character we all remember. Ryback would enter a WWE Championship program less than a year following his return to the WWE main roster, wrestling CM Punk for the title.

He would become the first man to ever be Triple Powerbombed by the Shield, at Survivor Series 2012. He turned heel following WrestleMania 29 to battle John Cena for the title, losing another main event feud.

Ryback also became a Paul Heyman guy somewhere along the way and teamed with former Nexus member, Curtis Axel. The Big Guy would win the Intercontinental Championship in 2015, before acrimoniously leaving WWE in mid-2016 due to a lack of equal pay for talent and creative frustration.

Since then, Ryback has been wrestling on the independent scene and owns Feed Me More Nutrition. He also has a podast, called "Conversation With the Big Guy".

#2 Wade Barrett

He could come back and do very well at the moment
He could come back and do very well at the moment

Wade Barrett was the winner of NXT Season 1 and the leader of the black-and-yellow stable. It seemed like he would be a guaranteed main eventer in WWE, but his momentum suffered a major setback following a couple of damaging defeats to John Cena.

Throughout his WWE career, Barrett has always been fingertips away from greatness but bad luck would intervene at the last moment. His push in early 2012 was set to culminate in a Money in the Bank victory at WrestleMania 28 but he suffered a dislocated elbow and WWE scrapped the match entirely.

Barrett found success in the upper midcard division of WWE, winning the Intercontinental Championship five times. His Bad News Barrett gimmick in 2014 caught on in a major way, as the former bare-knuckle brawler became one of the most popular stars in the company. He even won the 2015 King of the Ring tournament before things went south. He remained a lower-tier heel since then, until his release directly after WrestleMania 32.

Barrett did some acting work in movies like Eliminators and I Am Vengeance while returning to wrestling in on-screen roles. He became the general manager of Defiant Wrestling and later, joined World of Sport Wrestling as a commentator and a (kayfabe) executive. He made his Lucha Underground debut in the season 4 finale, but there is no word on whether a fifth season would happen.

Barrett, while remaining in the wrestling business, has yet to lace up a pair of boots since leaving WWE. And if he were to go back, he would instantly be one of the biggest stars there.

#1 Daniel Bryan

Funnily, he was the first one eliminated from the game show.
Funnily, he was the first one eliminated from the game show.

There was only ever going to be one choice for number one. Funnily, Daniel Bryan was the first man eliminated from NXT season one and was fired from WWE after he choked ring announcer, Justin Roberts with his tie during the first Nexus attack.

WWE would realise their mistake and re-hire Bryan in time for SummerSlam, where he took on his former allies as part of Team WWE. He won the United States Championship from his NXT pro, The Miz, soon after. Bryan started gaining popularity and eventually won the Money in the Bank briefcase in 2011.

He won the World Heavyweight Championship and turned heel soon after, before losing the title in the infamous 18-second match to Sheamus at WrestleMania 28. However, Bryan's rise in popularity propelled him to unimaginable heights. He would end up in the main event of WrestleMania 30 and win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Unfortunately, Bryan's reign was cut short as injuries caught up to him. Following a brief run in 2015, he was forced to retire after WWE doctors would not clear him.

Bryan's brilliance was still on hand, as he became SmackDown Live's General Manager later in 2016. In 2018, the former leader of the Yes Movement was finally cleared by WWE doctors and returned to the ring.

Bryan had a good comeback year, which turned excellent following his shocking heel turn and WWE Championship victory. He is currently one half of the Smackdown Tag Team Champions, alongside Rowan, and is possibly the most valuable WWE superstar at the moment.

He certainly is the best all-rounder they have and is a guaranteed Hall of Famer upon (second) retirement.

Nine years on from the beginning of the Nexus angle, who would have thought that Daniel Bryan would be the most successful member by a country mile? Funny how things work out.