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The Nexus were a group of spirited youngsters who changed the complexion of WWE's main roster upon their debut and maintained their dominance for over a year. With the winner of NXT's first season Wade Barrett as their leader, Nexus initially featured Darren Young, David Otunga, Heath Slater, Daniel Bryan, Michael Tarver, Husky Harris, Justin Gabriel, and Skip Sheffield. The main motive behind the formation of the stable was to provide all the seven up and coming stars with guaranteed contracts, other than Barrett as he was already assured a shot at a Championship of his choice.
Within a few days of their debut, Nexus made sure that every member of the main roster knew one thing, "You're either Nexus or you are against us," which resulted in the stable gaining more associates as days passed. However, disputes amongst the teammates, clash for leadership, removal of original members and other issues ultimately led to the downfall of the once-great Nexus.
Yet, none can question their relevance. Their predominance prevailed even after Nexus disbanded with many former members winning the WWE Championship, main-eventing WrestleMania or holding other significant titles of the promotion.
Years have passed since the group folded and while we head into the last few days of this decade, let's recap how impactful The Nexus was.
Also don't forget to check out our latest podcast featuring the former Nexus member, Darren Young AKA Fred Rosser, where he talks about Survivor Series, Titus O'Neil, and Prime Time Players, being part of NXT and loads of other topics.
#5 The Pipebomb
Well, CM Punk's Pipebomb against WWE has to be one of the greatest RAW moments of this decade. Never before 2011, a single promo had helped in changing the entire complexion of WWE. The Pipebomb on RAW and his subsequent storylines involving the WWE Championship, John Cena, Triple H, Vince McMahon, and others resulted in CM Punk being the top-notch Superstar of the year.
However, one thing that most of us forget is that Punk dropped the Pipebomb when he was the leader of The Nexus. When he defeated John Cena to win the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank, it was also counted as an achievement for The Nexus. Unfortunately, Punk leaving the company for some time ultimately led to the stable getting dispersed.
The only reason the Pipebomb is #5 on this list is because The Nexus has enjoyed more noteworthy moments as a group compared to this promo, which can be counted as one of the greatest achievements for Punk as a singles competitor.
#4 WWE Bragging Rights 2010 dominance
Bragging Rights was a pay-per-view that showcased a proper dominance of the main roster by The Nexus. First, John Cena and David Otunga defeated Cody and Drew McIntyre to win the WWE Tag Team Championship, which was the first time the stable grabbed a title on the main roster. Then in the main event, their leader, Wade Barrett, added to that momentum by picking up a win over the WWE Champion Randy Orton.
Also, The Nexus made their presence felt during the Buried Alive match between Kane and The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship and assaulted the Deadman which turned the bout in favor of The Big Red Machine.
The reason behind attacking The Undertaker was never revealed by The Nexus and it once again portrayed that the group can get away by doing whatever they want.
#3 Royal Rumble performance
When CM Punk emerged as the leader of the stable by kicking out Wade Barrett, they were given the name of The New Nexus. With Michael McGillicutty, Husky Harris, David Otunga, and Mason Ryan on board, Punk attempted to run through the entire WWE roster with his team at the Royal Rumble 2011 pay-per-view.
He entered the Rumble match at #1 spot and remained in the contest for over half an hour. Within that duration, The New Nexus eliminated 18 Superstars where Punk had seven eliminations of his own. Booker T, The Great Khali, Chris Masters, Mark Henry, R-Truth, John Morrison, and other top-tier Superstars were among the victims of The New Nexus in that match.
Although John Cena single-handedly cleared the house upon his entry in the Royal Rumble battle, the pay-per-view will be remembered as the show where The New Nexus under the leadership of CM Punk showcased proper annihilation.
#2 John Cena joins The Nexus
When The Nexus made their main roster debut, their primary target was John Cena. As months passed, Wade Barrett and his team realized that it would make more sense to have the Leader of Cenation with The Nexus rather than being against them.
The proposition was made and it led to a match at WWE Hell in a Cell 2010 where Barrett collided with Cena in singles action. The stipulation was simple: if Cena wins, The Nexus disbands, if Barrett wins, Cena has to join the stable. The two battled back-and-forth in a match that was riddled with interferences from the members of Nexus and other WWE Superstars. Eventually, Husky Harris would hit Cena with a lead pipe, allowing their leader to pick up the win and add a new member to his stable.
John Cena went on to win the Tag Team Titles for the group and play a pivotal role in the WWE Championship storyline featuring Barrett and Randy Orton. He would temporarily get fired from the promotion for not helping Barrett to win the premier Championship but return within a few days to give it back to The Nexus.
#1 The debut
The main event match between John Cena and CM Punk on the 7th June 2010 edition of WWE RAW got disrupted when Wade Barrett led The Nexus to the ring. In their debut on RAW, the young and disgruntled Superstars from the first season of NXT attempted to take over the main roster show.
Not only Cena and Punk, Luke Gallows, commentators Matt Striker and Jerry Lawler, announcer Justin Roberts, timekeeper Mark Yeaton, and several other staff fell victim to The Nexus. The group went on to decimate the ringside and the ring itself, exhibiting absolute dominance over the show.
It has been almost 10 years since the incident and yet no other team could surpass the impact The Nexus had on their debut night. We can say that it was none other than The Nexus who set the pace for The Shield, The Corre, League of Nations, and all the factions that would debut over the course of this decade.
