That was awesome! (clap clap clapclapclap): Nexus makes their jaw-dropping debut
by Sergio Hernandez on Nov 7, 2011 7:00 PM EST
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When the WWE announced NXT, it seemed like a poor man's, scripted version of their then-defunct reality show Tough Enough. Quasi-reality, it seemed to be and it didn't make for very compelling television.
At least not until it ended.
The week after Wade Barrett was announced the winner of the inaugeral season of NXT -- and privy to a WWE contract along with a title shot at the pay-per-view (PPV) of his choosing -- he appeared on RAW at the top of the entrance ramp during a match between John Cena and CM Punk.
What happened next was some of the most exciting booking the WWE had undertaken in quite some time. Here were eight young men who were relatively unknown -- aside from Daniel Bryan -- taking part in one of the biggest angles of the year.
It truly seemed like Vince McMahon and company were finally devoted to creating new stars rather than sticking to Superstars that were already wrestling on borrowed time.
For me, it came during a time in which watching RAW wasn't a necessity but I figured I'd tune in for a bit since three-hour editions -- like the one tonight -- usually have something worth seeing.
Boy, was there.
Unfortunately, the angle fizzled out within a matter of mere months. By the end of 2010, Barrett and company had been thoroughly buried by The John Cena Machine week after week.
The stable would reform under the mentorship of CM Punk for a while but that too collapsed when the "Summer of Punk II" angle began, another storyline which started off extremely hot but cooled off just as quickly.
So what's the WWE's problem? When they strike gold, they can't seem to keep that momentum up. We saw it with Punk this past summer and we saw it with Nexus last year.
So what say you, Cagesiders? How awesome was that?
If you have any ideas for something that made you say "that was awesome!!!" pass it along to us. We'll shout you out if we use your idea! Contact me at sergio.hernandez.tx@gmail.com.
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It really was
I remember watching live. It was really awesome.
My favourite visual was Daniel Bryan choking Justin Roberts with his own tie.
by TestOO7 on Nov 7, 2011 7:22 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
Greatest storyline in the past few years for the WWE. Greatest botched storyline as well.
Signed, Pick'em Champs 2011-2012: Michael Jordanesque in our picking skills.
Not even close.
Cena vs. Punk at MiTB was infinitely better than the Nexus storyline. The last four years of Shawn Michaels career when taken as a continuous story is also much better. Triple H’s feud with the Undertaker was also much better than the Nexus storyline, as were a lot of stories Smackdown and ECW ran behind Vince McMahon’s back.
The Nexus storyline had a fantastic beginning, but even discounting the terrible booking and the fact that no new stars were made, all the matches sucked, and there was no satisfying middle portion or conclusion. You can argue that the Cena/Punk storyline was botched just as badly, but the Cena/Punk match was actually good, and the Cena/Punk storyline leading through MiTB actually had a satisfying beginning, middle, and end. Hell, CM Punk actually moved up the card from that storyline, whereas the Nexus storyline probably killed Wade Barrett’s career for good.
Agreed with the sentiments
Started off really awesome, waned a little but the potential was still there, and then kind of puffed out
"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!" Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.
AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 458 posts (08/24/11)
3rd Place- 2011 AAOP Contest
by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Nov 8, 2011 1:01 AM EST reply actions
There was no one thing that killed the Nexus.
Well, other than Vince McMahon’s booking as a whole.
The group had two main problems. One, John Cena always got his heat back from their antics. Cena won the Summerslam match clean, never came across as concerned that he lost his title because of Nexus interference, never had to sacrifice anything important to take down the Nexus, and even no sold being fired. Hell, Cena never even wore a Nexus shirt while he was in the group, and the one week he actually did, he immediately laid out Wade Barrett to get his heat back, one week before the PPV.
I think it’s a ridiculous double standard, if Triple H, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, or the Undertaker did to an eight man top heel stable what Cena did to the Nexus, people would shit on them forever for it, but for some reason Cena gets a pass.
Though the other reason for Nexus not working out is WWE’s developmental system. The only guys in the group that could work a match were Barrett, Gabriel, and Danielson. Danielson was out by the first week, Gabriel played third fiddle to David Otunga, and Barrett, while capable, wasn’t capable enough to where I was interested just by having him in the ring. Barrett’s matches are sound but lifeless, and you need life to get over as a top heel.
It wasn’t the fault of any of the Nexus guys themselves, WWE just didn’t train them properly before they came up, and booked them terribly by the time they got on TV. I’m honestly surprised Tarver was the only one who’s been future endeavored since the angle ended, I would’ve pegged Slater, Harris, and McGillicutty to have gotten the shaft by now, and any decently run promotion should’ve never put guys as green as Otunga and Mason Ryan on TV.
But...
I always read about how McGillicutty could be a star with a name change and an actual gimmick!
More often than not I just wish the creative team was given the opportunity to try to book some guys differently. I was brought back into the mix by this event and then really brought back with the Punk stuff but I’m back tojust checking the Internet instead of watching.
by TMadeBurner on Nov 8, 2011 12:28 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
McGillicutty could be a star...
with a name change, an actual gimmick, a compelling moveset, a decent finisher, some charisma, promo work, acting classes, a decent haircut, a can of bleach, a shave, some decent ringwear, competent booking behind him, and about a half dozen or so other things that important people have.
Though I will give him this, he’s better than Slater and Otunga, whatever the fuck that’s worth.
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