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The original Nexus made their debut on WWE TV back in June 2010 and consisted of eight rookies who were part of the first season of NXT. This was back when NXT was pushed under a game show format and would see one winner crowned and given the chance to perform on WWE main roster. The initial goal of the team was to earn main roster contracts, but that goal seemed to change throughout their time together.
It's been a decade since these stars made their debut on that memorable episode of Monday Night RAW when all eight stars attacked the ring area and the commentary team who were at ringside. The team also went on to attack John Cena and CM Punk who had wrestled in the main event of that week's episode of the show.
Whilst there are still a few of these stars working for WWE, there are many others who have moved on to very different paths in the industry.
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#7 Wade Barrett
Interestingly, Wade Barrett actually won the season of NXT which meant that he already earned a main roster contract and didn't have any need to invade with the other members of the team.
Barrett was seen as the leader of the group for much of their time together, until he was kicked out in January 2011 when he lost a triple threat steel cage match in favor of former WWE Champion CM Punk who went on to become the leader of The New Nexus.
Since leaving The Nexus, Barrett went on to be part of The Corre before winning the Intercontinental Championship and being renamed Bad News Barrett.
Barrett later became King of the Ring and was part of The League of Nations before leaving WWE back in 2016 when it was revealed that he opted not to sign a new contract.
Life After WWE
Barrett has since worked for a number of promotions including Lucha Underground, World of Sport in the United Kingdom, and What Culture Pro Wrestling.
Back in December 2019, it was announced that Barrett had joined the broadcast team at National Wrestling Alliance.
Barrett has also stepped into a career in acting where he's starred in a number of movies including the role of John Gold in I Am Vengeance, the second installment of which was released earlier this year.
#6 Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan made his WWE debut as part of The Nexus back in 2010 but was fired just after their debut when he was seen on camera attacking Justin Roberts with a tie, which the company felt was too violent and that they had sponsors to deal with.
Bryan made his shock return to WWE merely weeks later when he was part of Team WWE as they took on Team Nexus at SummerSlam. In storyline, Nexus had kicked Bryan out of the group so it made sense that he would return and go against his former team.
Bryan has since gone on to become one of the most popular stars in WWE, is a former World Champion, and almost had his career cut short through injury back in 2016.
Bryan has since been able to make his return after rehabbing his injury for a number of years and currently performs on the SmackDown brand. During Bryan's time on the sidelines, he was also the General Manager of SmackDown, a position that he left when he was cleared to return.
Daniel Bryan and his wife Brie Bella recently welcomed the couple's second child, a son.
#5 Darren Young
Darren Young was part of the Original Nexus that laid waste to every star who was in the ringside area on WWE RAW back in 2010. Young remained with the group until September 2010 when he turned face and left the group.
Young then went on to become a Tag Team Champion with Titus O'Neil with The Prime Time Players before it was revealed that he was WWE's first openly gay male wrestler.
This helped The Prime Time Players turn face, but sadly didn't give Young's career the boost it deserved and after WWE tried to "make Darren Young great again" the star was released at the beginning of 2017.
Young has since competed in Chikara and recently revealed that The Nexus was originally supposed to reunite at this year's WrestleMania if it wasn't for COVID-19.
"Earlier this year, I was called back by WWE to be part of WrestleMania and the Axxess. Who knows, The Nexus could've reunited in WWE. But with the pandemic, everything was canceled. I was devastated, but I'm very proud of my moments with WWE and Nexus. I was part of a group. I was part of a tag team, The Prime Time Players. I did the 'Make Darren Young Great Again' [gimmick] with Bob Backlund. So, all [of] my memories in WWE, I'll always cherish."
#4 Michael Tarver
Michael Tarver's time in The Nexus was brief, obviously not as brief as Daniel Bryan's but not as memorable. The former NXT star was part of the group's first match at SummerSlam against Team WWE where he was the second star eliminated.
A few months later, Tarver sustained a groin injury and was attacked by John Cena, taking him out of the group in storyline, before Barrett announced that Cena had done him a favor because he would have kicked him out anyway.
Less than a year later and without returning to WWE TV, Tarver was released from his WWE contract and went on to make his debut at New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 2014.
Tarver was then part of The Nexus reunion in Chikara when Justin Gabriel, Darren Young, and Tarver were all part of The King of The Trio's tournament in 2018. Tarver went on to make numerous appearances on Ring Warriors on American TV before wrestling for The Great Khali's Continental Wrestling Entertainment promotion, where he won the CWE national title.
Tarver has also gone on to release two hip-hop albums since his focus has seemingly switched from wrestling in recent years.
#3 Justin Gabriel
Justin Gabriel became WWE's first-ever South African superstar when he signed for the company back in 2008 and went on to be part of NXT's first season with Matt Hardy as his mentor. Gabriel later debuted on WWE's main roster with The Nexus and remained with the group until January 2011.
During his time in The Nexus, Gabriel became a Tag Team Champion alongside Heath Slater when fellow Nexus member David Otunga allowed Slater to pin him. Gabriel walked away from the group when it was under CM Punk's leadership and later went on to join The Corre alongside former leader Wade Barrett.
Gabriel remained contracted with WWE until 2015 and won the Tag Team Championships on another two occasions with Heath Slater. Following his release, the former Champion went on to compete in IMPACT Wrestling and became known as PJ Black where he's a former King of the Mountain Champion.
Black has since gone on to compete in Lucha Underground, NWA, and Ring of Honor under his new ring name. Black is also a huge fan of BASE Jumping but has suffered injuries as a result the most recent saw him lose part of his finger, which was later re-attached.
#2 Heath Slater
Heath Slater signed for WWE back in 2006 but didn't get his big break in developmental until he was named as one of the stars in the debut season of NXT. This then led to Heath being promoted to the main roster alongside the other seven members of The Nexus.
Slater won the Tag Team Championships with Justin Gabriel whilst part of The Nexus before walking away from the group in 2011. Slater later formed The Corre alongside Wade Barrett, Gabriel, and Ezekiel Jackson.
Slater went on to have a lengthy career with WWE where he was part of many more groups including 3MB and The League of Nations. Slater was then part of a storyline in 2016 where he needed his job in WWE because of his kids since he went undrafted in the 2016 draft.
Slater was one of the surprise releases from WWE when the company cut a number of talents back in April and has since begun working as a free agent for IMPACT Wrestling where he's known under the ring name Heath.
#1 David Otunga
David Otunga started his career in WWE back in 2008 when he was signed to FCW, before becoming part of NXT two years later. The Nexus was Otunga's first major storyline in WWE and allowed him to become Tag Team Champion alongside John Cena.
Otunga was the only star to make his debut with The Nexus and remain part of the group until the end. Otunga was Tag Team Champion when CM Punk left the company in July 2011 and continued to appear without Nexus gear, which led to the belief that The New Nexus had come to an end.
After losing the Tag Team Championships, Otunga went on to become a legal advisor given his background in Law. This was a role that lasted a number of years until Otunga was pushed into new roles on WWE TV.
In 2015, became part of Raw's pre-show panel before enjoying some time on commentary. In recent years, Otunga has been drafted over to RAW and appeared behind the announce desk a number of times.
