I loved it when The Nexus ruined everything
 

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Discuss. :shifty:

Would you like me to casually discuss this?

And it was all downhill from there...

The Nexus was great. I wonder how different it would have been if Daniel Bryan had turned on Cena at SummerSlam and rejoined Nexus...

Or if Darren Young had been the one to have cost Cena his match with Wade Barrett at Hell in a Cell, building on the rivarly Young and Cena could have developed, and restoring Barrett's faith in him as a valued member to Nexus...

Or if Barrett had lost his WWE Title match to Orton, only after Cena's honour completely overtook him, he got a smirk on his face and completely DESTROYED Barrett instead of hitting him with a clothesline he looked like he didn't even really mean to do, and relished in the fact that he went out with a bang and never let Wade Barrett control him...

Or if an enraged Barrett demanded that Cena face him at Tables, Ladders & Chairs, but Cena not being obligated to because of his contract release, and Barrett offered Cena his freedom and a full return if he agreed to Barrett's "No DQ" terms. And what if Barrett won?

The Nexus was great for a few weeks. Then WWE did it's typical clusterfuck booking and they all ended up looking like shit and it did little to help anyone's career.

It should be noted that almost everyone in the group is still featured on RAW quite regularly.

Very little of that has to do with the fact that they were in Nexus. Ryback is basically not even the same person... Slater became a jobber for a while, barely on TV and then was repackaged... Tarver's gone... Gabriel is a high flying jobber and part-time tag team jobber... Otunga is Jennifer Hudon's husband and gets airtime because of a real-life based lawyer gimmick that is in no way what he was as a member of the Nexus... Young is where he is mainly because he was in NXT:Redemption and formed a tag team there which coincided with WWE's need to call up a tag team to be part of the main roster...

Remember when they literally murdered The Undertaker, arguably the most over guy on the roster, via burying him alive?

That probably could have been a big deal for some of them if WWE didn't decide "Meh, moving on."

David Otunga still knows the real reason they attacked The Undertaker. One day when you least suspect it, he will reveal the reason.

(It will be Hornswoggle)

(Would have also accepted "He did it for The Rock")

Nah, neither of those.

He will, however, will have "secret" video footage from GTV that will explain why.

Would have been interesting if they kept playing up the physical similarities of he and Cena instead of a one-off joke. Have him slowly "replace" Cena. Darren starts to use his moveset, dress like him, wear Nexus inspired "Cena-esque" shirts, come out to "my time is now"... basically, have him and John in the Sin Cara vs Sin Cara angle even before they arrived.

Cena blanco vs Cena negro :shifty:

I mean, sure, they called him Sin Cara Negro, but I feel like it probably wouldn't have been okay to call Darren Young "John Cena Negro"

Or when it looked like Vince McMahon was behind them, taking him out as well.

It was all part of the bigger picture... Which we frustratingly never got to see.

fortunately for me I still live in a fantasy world where Michael Tarver is WWE champion and the Nexus is still together under his dominance

Do you know that for sure? Let's look at how well the guys from NXT Season 2 are doing...

OK, well that settles that!

The big picture was clearly Wade Barrett taking on The Undertaker at WrestleMania and breaking the most sacred thing in WWE. But there was just no convincing anyone that Triple H vs. Undertaker would not have been the better match (unfortunately). It's why Wade Barrett and The Corre were reduced to a 2:00 "We're here!" moment.

Lol at Nexus and Kane burying Undertaker alive just for Undertaker to come back and challenge Triple H for some reason and completely forgot about his attempted murder.

Still featured on RAW quite regularly........ in what fashion.

To some the fact they are featured is simply enough. But I think what WWF fan was getting at is that they were THE attraction for quite a while, and now, outside of Ryback they are all pretty much jobbers who don't matter.

WWF Fan is spot on, yet again :y:

The irony in DAMN iNATOR posting about someone else ruining things.

Could have been on par with the '96 nWo, ended up being like the 02' nWo.

:lol: QFT

This.

Nexus was actually pretty good. I think it also caught a lot of people off guard when Barret came back from injury and people chanted, "We want Nexus."

Most great stables have a second/ third run.

Given what happened to Ryback last night, I don't think it would be a completely bad idea to see CM Punk/Heyman bring back Nexus.

Even if it allows more guys to get TV time by being "henchmen", you atleast give those guys TV time and allow them to develop personalities.

It was a hot angle at firwst with ALOT of talent. That first Season of NXT they pushed in too many talented developmental guys. Like season 2 was very weak as they burned through their talent.

lol. Please explain to me the link between being in the Nexus and it's member's current "pushes" that would signify Nexus as a vital part of it. Do I "know for sure" that Ryback was completely repackaged as a character that specifically requires you to forget he was ever even IN the fucking stable!?! YES! Do I "know for sure" that Michael Tarver is no longer with the company? YES! Do I "know for sure" that Heath Slater spent a shitload of time doing nothing and going back to square one before being jobbed out to old guys and having THAT TV time somewhat directly lead to him forming a new stable. YES! Do I "know for sure" that Darren Young's current role on Raw is DIRECTLY because he was brought in as part of a tag team that he formed on NXT:REDEMPTION during the time WWE was re-vitalizing the tag division? YES!

CLEARLY!? Do you know that for sure? Let's look at WWE's recent track record of doing things just to get people talking but really having to endgame in mind.

OK, well that settles that!

lol. Forgot about that.

THEY PUT VINCE MCMAHON IN A FUCKING COMA!!!

You almost have to TRY not to retain the heat from burying the Undertaker alive and nearly beating Vince McMahon to death. lol

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

*1 --- 2 ---*

to be continued when Noid comes out of his hole for the kickout OR the 3!!

I like this drave82 guy...

No brohugs.

an tarver was screwed, i liked him as a heel, but not to be.

i kind of want to go back to the hidden leader angle and have the real orchestrator eventually be revealed as sara del rey.

it's awesome because i thought of it.

Darren Young? Not a jobber.

Daniel Bryan? Not a jobber.

Wade Barrett? Not a jobber.

David Otunga? Being used to put over babyfaces that matter, but still not a jobber.

Heath Slater? Seems to win far more than he loses these days.

Ryback? Not a jobber.

Justin Gabriel? Not a jobber, although inconsistently booked.

Michael Tarver? Only one unemployed.

I'm not saying that this is because the Nexus was so successful. Just pointing out that the talent that were involved have generally done quite well for themselves. As opposed to, say, any other season of NXT.

The link between the Nexus and their current pushes? The fact that the guys were in the group and are now enjoying success is a pretty good point.

I wasn't saying "Nexus is responsible for these guys' success," I was saying that it's kind of interesting that 7/8 of the original group are guys that you would consider pretty solidified onto the main roster at this point. A lot goes into that:

* The talent themselves, how hard they have worked, and what they bring to the table.

* That over the past three years (and longer, when you consider that these were some of the stand-outs that their peers were striving to meet in FCW), these respective talents have been paying their dues, working on their craft and working with some of the top names of the business -- much of that happening when they were a part of Nexus.

* And yes, that they were part of one of the hottest angles of all-time helps, too.

None of that is any guarantee of success -- but if you think that those six months spent in one of the most interesting factions in WWE history has not helped these guys one bit -- and actually hindered their careers in some cases -- you're nuts.

Some of the best moments of Heath Slater's life would have come when he was getting his ass kicked by the legends. You call it "jobbing out to old guys," but I don't think you really understand how much Slater's stock went up through that.

ONE OF THE HOTTEST ANGLES OF ALL TIME!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

And it definitely did sound like you were crediting Nexus for them being on the roster now. Every single one of them (outside Barrett maybe) required a change after the Nexus just to get noticed. Almost like being part of Nexus was a hindrance. None of them "got over" because of the Nexus (again, with Barrett probably being the exception). When you look at any of them now, tell me you actually think "Good thing this guy was in the Nexus! He's got a push now!" as opposed to "Holy fuck, how ridiculous is it to think that this guy main evented SummerSlam one year!?"

If you think the former, you're nuts. If you think the latter, that's probably a pretty big sign that Nexus didn't really do jack shit to help these guys in the long term.

The Nexus had people buzzing like crazy. It was easily the hottest angle of 2010, and probably the hottest for years before that.

I agree that it was very likely the hottest angle of 2010.

Let's slow down a little of that "Of all time" thing though.

Hell there were at least 2 angles the following year alone that blew it out of the water.

And I can also think of few angles that went from that hot to that cold that fast.

Read what I fucking said. "It should be noted that almost everyone in the group is still featured on RAW quite regularly." That is a true statement. Deal with it, fan.

I definitely think that all the members of the Nexus did benefit from the group. As I said -- the members of Nexus got to work with some very talented and important people during their stint (even The Undertaker and Vince McMahon). It showcased what a lot of them could do. Prior to being in Nexus, Skip Sheffield was a comedy act. It was that group that highlighted just how intense he could be, and how stiff his fucking Lariat is. Justin Gabriel proved that he could fly around and be trusted to do so safely, and Heath Slater emerged as a non-flashy but reliable hand to keep things greased in the ring (a role he kept going post-Nexus and is now seemingly received something resembling a push for).

So while no member of the group rose up wearing the black and gold and became WWE Champion and headlined WrestleMania, I think you are missing the point -- it's not just about the superficial success of the group. It's about how it gave a lot of the guys six months on the main WWE roster in meaningful roles, working with top talent and its spin-off even giving Barrett, Slater & Gabriel things to do until July of the next year (although they arguably should have been given more).

As I said -- look at NXT Season 2. I like so much of the talent on that show, but what exactly are they doing? Kaval quit; Michael McGillicutty is talented in the ring but seems to have trouble finding an available role on RAW or SmackDown (and yes, he was a member of the Nexus, but I was talking about the original group); Husky Harris is finding his feet as Bray Wyatt; Percy Watson is fantastic but doing nothing; Alex Riley looked to be going good until an apparent backstage incident derailed his push; Eli Cottonwood is no longer with the company; Lucky Cannon is no longer with the company (and to be honest I forgot he existed). Titus O'Neil is the only guy from that show that can claim to having the success that 7/8 of the original Nexus can. Yet.

Now there are a lot of reasons for that, too; but the Nexus was more than just eight random guys beating the crap out of people. It was eight of the best in developmental being given a chance on the main roster in an interesting way, and it just so happens that seven of those original eight cast members can claim to be WWE mainstays now. Funny that, isn't it?

Which ones? Summer of Punk, yes. That's it.

Rock vs Cena...

Whoopty fucking doo! lol

What the fuck are you arguing then!?!?!?!?

I said Nexus didn't get anyone over as they all fell off the map with the exception of Barrett and eventually got re-pushed based on other stuff that in no way required and in some cases required you to forget they were in Nexus.

And your response is "Yeah, but they're all on Raw quite regularly".

Point... Do you have one?

The Nexus angle did go from hot to cold very fast, because the WWE was in a tough position. They had been booked into a corner -- how can these eight newbies beat eight "true" Superstars? A lot of people point to SummerSlam as a turning point for the group, and I can kind of see it now, although I do understand why the WWE put "Team WWE" over. But there were ways to book the Nexus to go over without hurting Team WWE.

Given how great he is at playing a heel, Daniel Bryan turning on the WWE after being brought back by John Cena would have been an interesting plot-line. It would give Cena tension with Bryan in the Nexus, specifically, but it also would have given The Miz "I told you so" ammo, and you could have still had Bryan beat The Miz for the US Title (his disagreements with The Miz would have been interesting enough to carry a mini-feud between the two).

Also, after they kicked out Darren Young, I feel that the WWE missed an opportunity by not having Young being the guy to help Wade Barrett beat John Cena at Hell in a Cell to earn Cena's services for the Nexus. The rules were that no Nexus member could interfere, and this is where Michael McGillicutty & Husky Harris made their affiliation with the group known. If it had been Darren Young, it would have brought another original member of the group back, and it would have made sense given it was Young's issues with Cena that led to him being kicked out of the group. Cena could have also been his redemption in Wade's eyes.

And then the last piece of booking that I felt hurt the Nexus was at Survivor Series. I don't think Barrett should have become WWE Champion that night, but I think he should have been absolutely blind-sided by Cena and DESTROYED in that match with Randy Orton. Keep in mind, Nexus were banned from this match, too. Cena could have attacked Barrett as it looked like he might have become champion, beaten him all around the ringside area, and Nexus would have just had to watch on monitors. Cena could have revealed that he could never dirty the WWE Championship like that, and his honour means more than his job. He's a big enough star to make money elsewhere.

A Nexus beat-down of Randy Orton could have led to The Miz cashing in (I can't remember if it did or not), and Miz vs. Orton vs. Barrett at TLC would have been a big enough match to carry that event. Cena could have shown up in the crowd with a ticket or something. The storyline of security not doing anything to stop Cena from jumping the barricade and beating up Barrett could have again been used here, and Miz could have beaten Orton to retain.

Now, I'm not sure where they would have gone from here. Perhaps a Nexus dominated Royal Rumble, with John Cena again coming out of the crowd to try and eliminate whatever members of the group he could? If Barrett had still helped Kane beat The Undertaker at Survivor Series, The Undertaker returning here and helping Cena take on The Nexus could have been a pretty big Rumble moment.

If you need other faces to keep The Miz busy, CM Punk would have been pretty great during this time. This was when he was hurt and absolutely tearing it up on commentary. You just keep him there for a bit longer, continue to win people over by merely being natural and entertaining, and you don't have him go after Cena when he is cleared. He helps out Cena, remembering that the Nexus attacked him during their debut, too.

I don't know -- there were plenty of ways to take the Nexus as a dominant force heading into WrestleMania. Blowing off Barrett vs. Cena with Cena beating Barrett really took the wind out of the sails, though.

That the group produced a lot of successful members. Which it did.

Yes. All but one of the guys in the group has a job on the main roster. So... that's that.

If that's all your trying to say, then clearly that's true. You obviously started the whole subject as a way of combatting my point that the LINK between them being in the Nexus and them being on the active roster is non-existent. It's right there. On the first page. Where the whole thing started. I listed how each guy almost had to separate themselves from the Nexus to get "over". Ryback becoming Ryback, D-Young getting his spot on the main roster SOLELY through NXT:Redemption, which came from being on the original NXT and would have happened anyway...

I didn't start the subject to combat anything. I just brought it up as an observation. Yeah, you can see it as "that's that." But I do believe that the group had far more of a positive influence on these men's careers than you are giving it credit for.

As a separate matter here, this is the second time this week I've heard something like this about WWE "being booked into a corner" and being in a "tough position". It's a terrible excuse. The first was Monday when James Steele mentioned how the writers were fucked with the Jericho return because there wasn't really a way to make the cryptic videos and stuff be part of his character.

It's like you're excusing WWE because they couldn't figure out how to finish off an angle. They didn't get forced into making the angle in the first place. If they start and angle and then can't finish it well, it's not "Poor WWE. They had their hands tied and they were booked into a corner and there was nothing they could do really." It should be "Why the fuck would they start an angle in the first place that they can't figure out where they wanna go with it!?"

And I'm sure there are ways they could have worked both situations out. It may have taken a lot of creativity and a shitload of attention to detail. Ultimately though, starting an angle because you think it sounds good but not having any idea where to go once you start it seems to be a common thing within WWE lately and it's a shit way to go about writing. Not just pro wrestling but anything. There's no form of storytelling where that wouldn't be mind-blowingly idiotic.

Don't be such a mark, fan -- you're better than that.

I agree that corners shouldn't be painted into. I do understand why the logical conclusion of the Nexus getting steam-rolled by veterans wouldn't have been too appealing to people, either.

lol. Where's the markishness? I'm speaking purely from a booking standpoint. Both those examples clearly require the guy to be separated from any link to the Nexus in order for them to get the TV time they have now.

It's like giving credit to the Spirit Squad for Dolph Ziggler being where he is now.

I actually agree with you in this statement, but the logic that Noid used for Nexus, he could apply the same thing to this and make a point. Not sure if I'd agree with that point legitimately but it would make sense.

Yes but if we're applying it directly to the Nexus thing, the equivalent would be like me saying "The Spirit Squad didn't really do anything to help Dolph Ziggler's career" and the reply being "Well, he is featured regularly on Raw..."

While that one statement alone is obviously true, it doesn't show any correlation between the two.

Yeah but he said before that being in that spot, they learned a lot, etc, and thats how he related it. It applies, its just kind of a stretch. I'm not saying I'd agree with it, but it definitely is a point thats possible to make, regardless of how much of a stretch it seems to be.

The debut was great and I think might have started the push where every summer now has its big moment (Nexus in 10, Punk's pipebomb in 11, the AJ triangle in 12).

Barrett as the boss fit in nicely considering he was the winner of NXT and the useless challenges being referenced as a form of disrespect to everyone involved in the group.

Looking back, the biggest mistake was making it solely about Cena and removing members too quickly to the point it really weakened the group. Same for repeating the whole process when it was Orton's turn at destroying the group.

Cena joining Nexus and then being fired should have been mega moments but instead were wasted and just treated as a joke.