Every member of WWE’s Nexus: Where are they now?

It has been nearly 14 years since The Nexus was disbanded and its members followed a singles career in WWE. The faction took WWE by storm upon their creation in June 2010, but disbanded 14 months later, in August 2011.

Since then, the Nexus stars followed different paths and in this article, we take a look at where its members are now:

---

#13. Daniel Bryan (aka Bryan Danielson) has retired as a full-time wrestler

Former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan (Photo credit: WWE.com)

Daniel Bryan spent only four days with the Nexus before leaving the faction and moving to singles competition. He had a successful career in WWE, becoming the World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 30, where he defeated Batista, Triple H, and Randy Orton on the same night.

Fast forward to today, he spent three years with AEW and left a few months ago, teasing retirement. Even though it is not likely he will return as a full-time wrestler, we could see him make occasional appearances.

#12. Darren Young is working for other wrestling companies

Darren Young in WWE (Photo credit: WWE.com)

Darren Young stayed with WWE for a few years after leaving The Nexus, mainly in mid-card storylines and the tag team division.

He left WWE in 2017 and he is currently working with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and National Wrestling Alliance.

#11. Ryback has left the wrestling business

Former WWE star Ryback (Photo credit: WWE.com)

Ryback spent only a couple of months with Nexus, as an injury ruled him out for more than a year, and the star had to leave the faction.

After six years with WWE, he left in 2016 and worked in the independent circuits for a couple of years before retiring in 2018. Since then, he has spent time away from the business and has moved to the business of nutritional supplements.

#10. Michael Tarver moved over to the music industry

Michael Tarver in WWE (Photo credit: WWE.com)

Michael Tarver didn't stay in WWE for a long time and left the company in June 2011. He wrestled in independent circuits for around a decade since then and has moved to the music industry lately, working as a singer under the Monster Tarver name.

#9. John Cena is preparing for his retirement tour

He had a brief stint with The Nexus as part of the storyline at the time. He has won every major title in WWE, except the Intercontinental Title, and is considered a legend in the business.

He will kick off his retirement tour on January 6, 2025, and will retire by the end of the year, in December 2025.

#8. Wade Barrett is still with WWE

Wade Barrett is a commentator in WWE (Photo credit: WWE.com)

Wade Barrett was the faction's inaugural leader and had a decent career as a singles competitor after The Nexus disbanded. He left WWE in 2016 and worked with independent promotions for four years before returning to WWE in 2020.

He is now part of the commentary team on RAW and is expected to move to SmackDown in early 2025 onwards.

#7. Justin Gabriel stayed in the business after WWE departure

Former WWE star Justin Gabriel (Photo credit: WWE.com)

Justin Gabriel was let go in 2015 and pursued a career elsewhere, working in TNA and other wrestling companies. He signed with Impact Wrestling a couple of years ago and is currently wrestling there.

#6. Heath Slater has been working for various wrestling companies

Former WWE star Heath Slater (Photo credit: WWE.com)

Heath Slater worked various roles for WWE before his eventual departure in 2020. He didn't have much success either in singles competition or tag team action other than a tag title run with Rhyno.

Following his departure, he has been working for individual promotions and Impact Wrestling.

#5. Husky Harris (aka Bray Wyatt) unexpectedly passed away in August 2023

He was better known as Bray Wyatt. He spent three months with The Nexus before moving to other storylines. He had a great run in WWE after his time with The Nexus, even becoming a one-time WWE Champion and two-time Universal Champion.

Unfortunately, he passed away in August 2023 due to cardiac issues that were exacerbated following an infection from COVID-19, passing away after a heart attack. He was 36 years old.

#4. Mason Ryan has followed a completely different path

Former WWE star Mason Ryan (Photo credit: WWE.com)

He left WWE in 2014 and spent a year in independent circuits before moving to a different segment. He became an entertainer and is currently working for the contemporary circus, Cirque du Soleil.

#3. Michael McGillicutty is not part of the wrestling business anymore

Former WWE star Michael McGillicutty (Photo credit: WWE.com)

He was released from WWE in 2020 after spending 13 years with the company in various roles and storylines. He was also known as Curtis Axel and worked with The Miz.

He came back to WWE in 2022 and worked as a producer for a brief three-month period. He has been away from the company since then.

#2. David Otunga left WWE in 2019

Former WWE star David Otunga (Photo credit: WWE.com)

David Otunga worked for WWE between 2008 and 2019. He was an active wrestler for the first part of his career but spent the next few years as a legal advisor on the main roster.

Between 2015 and 2019, he held various backstage roles and was the host of pre-shows on RAW, SmackDown, and premium live events. He left the company in 2019 and hasn't made a return.

#1. CM Punk was the leader of The Nexus' second iteration

The Best in the World was the leader of the second iteration of Nexus. He had a great singles run before leaving the company in 2014. He returned to WWE at Survivor Series in November 2023 and has re-emerged as a megastar in the business.

He is now building a mega-feud with Seth Rollins, which is reportedly set to lead to a blockbuster match at WrestleMania 41.