Nexus (professional wrestling)
Encyclopedia
The Nexus was a villainous
professional wrestling
stable in the professional wrestling promotion
, WWE, that competed on its Raw
brand
. The group originally consisted of all eight rookies of NXT
season one and shifted their roster several times throughout their existence. Their initial goal was to obtain WWE contracts for all members- save for original Nexus leader Wade Barrett
, who was already guaranteed a contract for winning NXT. The group went on to antagonize the Raw roster, with John Cena
as their main focus, who forcibly became a member of Nexus via a match stipulation at Hell in a Cell
. Cena eventually exited the group by being fired at Survivor Series
but was later rehired by Barrett. The group went on to win the WWE Tag Team Championship
s three times, CM Punk
also won the WWE Championship
whilst leader of Nexus.
At the beginning of 2011, Wade Barrett was exiled from the group by CM Punk, who became the group's new leader. The focus of the group changed under Punk's leadership, becoming a tight-knit group dedicated to one another by faith
. David Otunga
was the only active member during its entire tenure. The most noticeable trait of the group was that all members wore a black armband bearing the group's trademark black and yellow "N" logo.
On the Viewer's Choice edition of Raw, the group debuted during the main event between WWE Champion
John Cena
and CM Punk
sporting matching armband
s with the letter N
. Barrett led the group in an attack on Cena, Punk, Luke Gallows
, Jerry Lawler
, Matt Striker, Justin Roberts
, and other WWE personnel around the ring, as well as destroying everything at ringside, including the announce table and the ring itself. During the attack, Daniel Bryan strangled ring announcer Justin Roberts
with Roberts' necktie
and also spit on Cena's face. This led to WWE releasing Bryan as they reportedly felt those acts were too violent for their TV-PG programming. His absence was explained by Barrett saying that Bryan had felt remorse for his actions and as a result was kicked out of the group.
A week later, the group explained their actions as retribution for the poor treatment they received from WWE management during their time on NXT. The attack was also to threaten WWE into giving the remaining six members WWE contracts. Raw General Manager Bret Hart
declined the demand and fired Barrett. When Hart then ordered the whole Raw roster to stand guard at the ringside and stage areas during the main event, Nexus attacked Hart backstage by forcing him into a limousine and crashing it into other vehicles. During the Fatal 4-Way
pay-per-view, Nexus interfered in the main event for the WWE Championship, attacking all the wrestlers involved. Sheamus used the interference to win the title from John Cena.
The group then spent the next few weeks attacking various WWE figures, such as Hall of Famer
Ricky Steamboat
and other legends when they were celebrating Steamboat's DVD release following an edict that Nexus and the rest of the Raw roster could not engage in physical confrontation that week. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon
subsequently removed Hart as general manager due to his injuries, and appointed a new general manager, who chose to remain anonymous (communicating only through e-mails quoted by "official spokesman" Michael Cole
). The general manager immediately gave Nexus WWE contracts and reinstated Barrett's championship match opportunity. Barrett revealed that this group was going to form no matter who wound up winning NXT, stating that the seven of them had formed a "Nexus" and had a common goal they all fought to have accomplished. However, even after apologizing for their actions, Nexus continued their hostile attacks, including one on McMahon who tried to take credit for Nexus' actions.
Before the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Nexus appeared on NXT, and competed in a Battle Royal featuring the second season pros and rookies. The storyline started when Percy Watson
invited his partners (the other rookies) to attack MVP (in retaliation for the pros attacking the rookies in the aftermath of Nexus forming—to "keep them in line"), but in reply to this, MVP called the other pros and became ready for a fight. Co-host Matt Striker then intervened and arranged a Battle Royal, also including Nexus (who were making a scheduled appearance on the show anyway). All seven Nexus members were declared co-winners after being the last men in the ring.
At Money in the Bank, Nexus attempted to get involved in the WWE Championship
match involving Sheamus and John Cena in a steel cage by breaking the door. However, the referee on the outside of the cage threw the key into the crowd and the tool that Tarver tried to use to break in. They then tried to climb up and get involved. However, Sheamus and Cena were able to hold them off and escape, with Sheamus winning. Afterwards, Cena began beating up Tarver and Young and then took Tarver's Nexus armband.
On the July 19 edition of Raw Nexus continued their attacks on the Raw roster by first attacking Edge and then Chris Jericho
, after the two longtime rivals attempted to manipulate the group against each other. Later on in the show, Barrett defeated Mark Henry
in a singles match. After that, Barrett and Nexus asked Cena to join them. Cena refused and said that he would take them all down at SummerSlam
, and that he had found some help to do it. Cena revealed his team one by one; the members were Edge, John Morrison, R-Truth
, The Great Khali, Chris Jericho and Bret Hart. The next week of Raw featured Nexus defeating Team Raw (Mark Henry, The Hart Dynasty
, Jerry Lawler, Evan Bourne, Goldust and Yoshi Tatsu
) in a 7-on-7 elimination tag team match with a clean sweep. Nexus later mocked Cena's team, who were arguing amongst themselves, saying that they'd have an easy victory at SummerSlam.
At SummerSlam, Nexus were defeated by Team WWE, featuring a returning Daniel Bryan(who joined Team WWE as a surprise member after Nexus had injured Khali), and eliminated both Young and Slater. Cena ended up being the sole survivor. The following night on Raw each member of Nexus competed in matches against members of Team WWE (except Bret Hart, who was replaced by Randy Orton
), with the stipulation that whichever Nexus member lost their match would be exiled from the group. While almost all the members of Nexus won their respective matches, Darren Young failed to defeat John Cena in the main event and was not only kicked out of Nexus, but attacked by the group following his loss.
In a live event in Hawaii on Aug. 18th, 2010 at the Blaisdell Arena, Skip Sheffield broke his ankle during a tag match where he teamed with Otunga against the Hart Dynasty, putting him out for months, thus leaving only five active members of Nexus remaining. On the 900th episode of Raw Nexus defeated John Cena, Edge, Chris Jericho, Sheamus and Randy Orton
in a 5 on 5 elimination match, after Gabriel hit Cena with the 450-splash for the third time, pinning him a second time, while Barrett dropped and pinned Randy Orton. Earlier on in the night the group also attacked The Undertaker with help from Kane
. The following week, Wade Barrett lost to Randy Orton, after a distraction from the returning Darren Young. Barrett used his guaranteed championship match in the Six-Pack Elimination Challenge for the WWE Championship
at Night Of Champions
but was eliminated by Orton, who later won the match and the title, following an RKO.
Nexus made an appearance on the October 1 live episode of SmackDown, to mark the show's move to Syfy
. Throughout the night, Nexus attacked Dolph Ziggler, MVP, Big Show and John Cena. They then served as lumberjacks for the main event of the evening, between John Cena and Kane. This was the first time they had appeared on SmackDown since their formation back in early June.
At Hell in a Cell
Barrett and Cena faced each other in a match with the stipulation that if Barrett won, Cena would have to join Nexus, and if Cena won or Nexus got involved, the group would be disbanded. Barrett managed to win the match, following interference from Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty.
On the October 4 edition of Raw, Tarver was paired with Cena who brutally attacked him after the match. Later Barrett would say that he was planning on getting rid of Tarver anyway implying he was no longer a member (in reality Tarver was pulled due to a nagging groin injury). After Cena openly declared that he would destroy Nexus from within by fighting them even though he was now a member, the mystery GM stated that Cena had to honor the stipulations of the PPV match, and since he is now a member of Nexus, he must take orders from Wade Barrett or he will be fired. Later that night, Barrett ordered Cena to help him win the #1 contendership in a battle royal for the WWE title. The match came down to Cena and Barrett, where Barrett ordered Cena to eliminate himself. At Bragging Rights 2010
, Nexus won their first titles in the WWE when David Otunga and John Cena defeated WWE Tag Team Champions
Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre to win the titles. Later on in the same night, the group helped Kane defeat The Undertaker in his Buried Alive match, for reasons which have yet to be explained. In the main event of the pay-per-view, Barrett beat Orton in a WWE Championship match via disqualification, caused by John Cena, thus not winning the title. On the October 25 episode of Raw, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel won the Tag Team Championship, after beating Otunga and Cena in a match in which Barrett ordered Otunga to lie down and be pinned. During the same night Barrett revealed that Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty had become official members of Nexus. In the main event of the night Cena defeated Orton via disqualification, this time caused by Barrett, who then as a result was allowed to select his own special guest referee for his WWE Championship match against Orton at Survivor Series
. Barrett chose Cena and declared that if he doesn't win the title at the pay-per-view, Cena will be fired, but if he does, Cena will be relieved of all of his responsibilities to Nexus.
On November 5 Otunga, who had been questioning Barrett's leadership in the past weeks, led Gabriel, Harris, McGillicutty and Slater to an invasion of SmackDown, interrupting a match between Edge and Alberto Del Rio. Nexus was then defeated in the main event of the show in a ten man tag team match by Edge, Del Rio, Big Show, Kane and Kofi Kingston
. Barrett didn't approve Otunga's decision to lead Nexus to SmackDown and as a result forced him to defend his spot in the group a week later. On the November 12 edition of SmackDown Otunga defeated Edge in a lumberjack match, after an interference from Kane, to keep his spot in Nexus. At Survivor Series on November 21, 2010 Randy Orton retained the WWE Championship against Wade Barrett via pinfall and John Cena was fired (kayfabe
) from WWE and subsequently departed from Nexus.
Despite being fired, Cena continued to show up on Raw in the subsequent weeks, causing interference in Nexus' matches and attacking them backstage, in the ring and in the arena parking lots. On the December 6 episode of Raw, Slater and Gabriel lost their WWE Tag Team Championships against the team of Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov in a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Elimination Match, following an interference from Cena. Later the same night, Cena informed Nexus that his attacks on them may stop, however attacks on Barrett would continue. Wanting the attacks to stop, Nexus (excluding McGillicutty, who was (kayfabe) injured after being attacked the previous week by Cena) threatened to eject leader Wade Barrett from the group if he did not get Cena rehired the following week. The following week Barrett rehired Cena in exchange for a Chairs match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs
. On December 19 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Cena defeated Barrett in the main event of the evening, after attacking all the other members of Nexus throughout the event.
was revealed to be the new leader, acquiring the position after Barrett lost a Steel Cage match against Randy Orton
and Sheamus, in which he would lose his status as leader and be exiled from Nexus should he lose the match. On January 10, 2011, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater left the group, after refusing to follow CM Punk's orders of initiation by hitting each other with kendo sticks, to join Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson on SmackDown! as The Corre
, while Husky Harris, Michael McGillicutty, and David Otunga successfully completed the initiation, and stayed in Nexus. On the January 17 edition of Raw, Mason Ryan joined Nexus, interfering in a match between Punk and Cena. The group participated in the 2011 Royal Rumble
but were eliminated by John Cena (aside from Harris who was eliminated by The Great Khali).
At the Royal Rumble, The New Nexus would cost Randy Orton
the WWE Championship
. Two weeks later on the January 31 edition of Raw, Michael McGillicutty and Husky Harris teamed up against Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov for the WWE Tag Team Championship in which they lost. After the match, Randy Orton entered the ring and punted Husky Harris in the skull, (kayfabe) injuring Harris. Randy Orton would then, over the ongoing weeks, punt all members of the New Nexus, despite interference by CM Punk, removing each, one by one, from active competition. At WrestleMania XXVII
, Randy Orton defeated CM Punk, but was unable to punt him in the skull, thus leaving CM Punk as the only active member of the New Nexus. McGillicutty, Otunga and Ryan returned on the April 11 edition of Raw and again cost Orton another shot at the WWE Championship and bringing New Nexus back to full strength. On the April 25 edition of Raw, at the WWE draft
, Orton was drafted to SmackDown and beat Punk at Extreme Rules 2011 thus ending his feud with New Nexus.
On the May 23 edition of Raw, Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga defeated Big Show and Kane
for the WWE Tag Team Championship
. At the June 20 "Power to the People" edition of Raw, CM Punk
was originally going to be named the #1 contender to the WWE Championship
, but he was forced to compete in a triple threat match with Alberto Del Rio and Rey Mysterio with a falls count anywhere stipulation voted by the WWE Universe. After the match, Punk won and revealed that his WWE contract would expire on the same date as Money in the Bank
, where he would face John Cena
for the WWE Championship, meaning that if he wins, not only will he leave the New Nexus and the WWE altogether, he will also leave the company with the Championship. Mason Ryan was voted to face Evan Bourne in a singles match and won, but was later to be revealed to be a glitch in the voting process, as Sin Cara
was the actual winner. The following week, it was announced that Ryan had suffered an injury over the weekend. After this, Punk ceased to appear with the remaining two members of the Nexus, (McGillicutty and Otunga) who never spoke about Punk leaving. CM Punk would go on to defeat John Cena at Money in the Bank, becoming the first Nexus member to win a world championship, even though at his appearance, he was not wearing his Nexus armband and debuted a new shirt.
CM Punk then left the WWE after becoming WWE Champion and with his contract having expired at midnight on July 17. However, on the July 25 episode of Raw, he legitimately re-signed with WWE and confronted the new WWE Champion, John Cena who had just defeated Rey Mysterio to win the WWE Championship. During this confrontation, Punk came out to Living Colour's
"Cult of Personality
" which became his new theme song and TitanTron, indicating he was no longer a part of the New Nexus. Their last appearance under New Nexus was on the July 29th edition of Smackdown, when they made a title defense against The Usos
. A week later, on the August 1 episode of Raw, McGillicutty and Otunga competed against Santino Marella and Zack Ryder
without any Nexus gear or music, and with all Nexus logos removed from their TitanTron, effectively signaling the end of the group. Otunga and McGillicutty would still undergo tag team competition on their own, but no longer under the Nexus banner. The duo lost the Tag Team Championship to Air Boom
(Kofi Kingston
and Evan Bourne) on the August 22 episode of Raw, and then began a feud with Jerry Lawler
, who claimed the duo was boring. The team suffered several losses in tag matches versus Lawler and various partners. The team split in September, as Otunga would debut a Legal Advisor gimmick while McGillicutty moved on to singles competition.
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
stable in the professional wrestling promotion
Professional wrestling promotion
A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling. Promotion also describes a role which entails management, advertising and logistics of running a wrestling event...
, WWE, that competed on its Raw
WWE RAW
WWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
brand
WWE Brand Extension
WWE, formerly the World Wrestling Federation and World Wrestling Entertainment , currently promotes its core business of professional wrestling through two "brands" named after their two major television shows Raw and SmackDown...
. The group originally consisted of all eight rookies of NXT
WWE NXT
WWE NXT is a sports entertainment television program produced by WWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and WWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to WWE's developmental territory Florida...
season one and shifted their roster several times throughout their existence. Their initial goal was to obtain WWE contracts for all members- save for original Nexus leader Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett is a retired American soccer player. He is currently an assistant coach at Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo-College:...
, who was already guaranteed a contract for winning NXT. The group went on to antagonize the Raw roster, with John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
as their main focus, who forcibly became a member of Nexus via a match stipulation at Hell in a Cell
Hell in a Cell (2010)
Hell in a Cell was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that took place on October 3, 2010 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It was the second annual Hell in a Cell event. Like the 2009 event, the event featured the Hell in a Cell...
. Cena eventually exited the group by being fired at Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2010)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , that took place on November 21, 2010 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida...
but was later rehired by Barrett. The group went on to win the WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
s three times, CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
also won the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
whilst leader of Nexus.
At the beginning of 2011, Wade Barrett was exiled from the group by CM Punk, who became the group's new leader. The focus of the group changed under Punk's leadership, becoming a tight-knit group dedicated to one another by faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
. David Otunga
David Otunga
David Daniel Otunga is a professional wrestler and former reality television actor. He is signed to WWE, appearing on the Raw brand under his real name. He's a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, having one reign each with Michael McGillicutty and John Cena. He was the runner-up on the first season...
was the only active member during its entire tenure. The most noticeable trait of the group was that all members wore a black armband bearing the group's trademark black and yellow "N" logo.
Formation and various attacks on WWE personnel (2010)
Prior to their formation, each original member of Nexus was a contestant (or "rookie") on the first season of the NXT program. The conclusion of the competition on June 1, 2010 saw Wade Barrett being the winner who was awarded a WWE contract and a championship match at a pay-per-view of his choosing. The seven losers of the competition were left without a job, and Barrett immediately began performing on the Raw brand.On the Viewer's Choice edition of Raw, the group debuted during the main event between WWE Champion
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
and CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
sporting matching armband
Armband
An armband is a piece of material worn around the arm over the sleeve of other clothing if present. they may be worn for pure ornamentation to mark the wearer as belonging to group, having a certain rank or role, or being in a particular state or condition...
s with the letter N
N
N is the fourteenth letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet.- History of the forms :One of the most common hieroglyphs, snake, was used in Egyptian writing to stand for a sound like English ⟨J⟩, because the Egyptian word for "snake" was djet...
. Barrett led the group in an attack on Cena, Punk, Luke Gallows
Drew Hankinson
Andrew "Drew" Hankinson is an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment , where he appeared under the ring names Festus and Luke Gallows...
, Jerry Lawler
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
, Matt Striker, Justin Roberts
Justin Roberts
Justin Jason Roberts is an American professional wrestling ring announcer, currently working for WWE appearing on its Raw brand.-Career:...
, and other WWE personnel around the ring, as well as destroying everything at ringside, including the announce table and the ring itself. During the attack, Daniel Bryan strangled ring announcer Justin Roberts
Justin Roberts
Justin Jason Roberts is an American professional wrestling ring announcer, currently working for WWE appearing on its Raw brand.-Career:...
with Roberts' necktie
Necktie
A necktie is a long piece of cloth worn for decorative purposes around the neck or shoulders, resting under the shirt collar and knotted at the throat. Variants include the ascot tie, bow tie, bolo tie, and the clip-on tie. The modern necktie, ascot, and bow tie are descended from the cravat. Neck...
and also spit on Cena's face. This led to WWE releasing Bryan as they reportedly felt those acts were too violent for their TV-PG programming. His absence was explained by Barrett saying that Bryan had felt remorse for his actions and as a result was kicked out of the group.
A week later, the group explained their actions as retribution for the poor treatment they received from WWE management during their time on NXT. The attack was also to threaten WWE into giving the remaining six members WWE contracts. Raw General Manager Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
declined the demand and fired Barrett. When Hart then ordered the whole Raw roster to stand guard at the ringside and stage areas during the main event, Nexus attacked Hart backstage by forcing him into a limousine and crashing it into other vehicles. During the Fatal 4-Way
WWE Fatal 4-Way
Fatal 4-Way was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on June 20, 2010 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York...
pay-per-view, Nexus interfered in the main event for the WWE Championship, attacking all the wrestlers involved. Sheamus used the interference to win the title from John Cena.
The group then spent the next few weeks attacking various WWE figures, such as Hall of Famer
WWE Hall of Fame
The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame for professional wrestlers maintained by WWE. It was officially created on the February 1, 1993 episode of the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw television program...
Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat
Richard Henry Blood , better known by his ring name Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, is a retired American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE working as a road agent. He was one of the few wrestlers who stayed a babyface throughout his career...
and other legends when they were celebrating Steamboat's DVD release following an edict that Nexus and the rest of the Raw roster could not engage in physical confrontation that week. WWE Chairman Vince McMahon
Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy "Vince" McMahon is an American professional wrestling promoter, announcer, commentator, film producer, actor and former occasional professional wrestler. McMahon is the current Chairman, CEO and Chairman of the Executive Committee of professional wrestling promotion WWE...
subsequently removed Hart as general manager due to his injuries, and appointed a new general manager, who chose to remain anonymous (communicating only through e-mails quoted by "official spokesman" Michael Cole
Michael Cole
Michael Sean Coulthard , better known by his ring name Michael Cole, is an American professional wrestling commentator, currently signed to WWE on both its Rawand SmackDown brands. Coulthard is a former news journalist....
). The general manager immediately gave Nexus WWE contracts and reinstated Barrett's championship match opportunity. Barrett revealed that this group was going to form no matter who wound up winning NXT, stating that the seven of them had formed a "Nexus" and had a common goal they all fought to have accomplished. However, even after apologizing for their actions, Nexus continued their hostile attacks, including one on McMahon who tried to take credit for Nexus' actions.
Feud with John Cena (2010-2011)
On the July 5 edition of Raw, the anonymous general manager demanded Cena and Barrett call a truce later in the night. Cena refused and attempted to attack Barrett, which began a brawl between Nexus and most of the Raw locker room. After Cena would not stop assaulting Darren Young, the GM announced that Cena would face Nexus in a 7-on-1 handicap match the following week, which caused Cena to further attack Young. Young was removed from the match the following week due to his injuries, making the matchup a 6-on-1 handicap match, which Nexus won after the 450° splash of Justin Gabriel, who then pinned Cena.Before the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Nexus appeared on NXT, and competed in a Battle Royal featuring the second season pros and rookies. The storyline started when Percy Watson
Percy Watson
Percy C. Thomas Watson was an English professional footballer who played in the Football League for Rotherham Town and Small Heath. Born in Barnsley, then in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Watson played in the Second Division for both Rotherham Town and Small Heath during the 1893–94...
invited his partners (the other rookies) to attack MVP (in retaliation for the pros attacking the rookies in the aftermath of Nexus forming—to "keep them in line"), but in reply to this, MVP called the other pros and became ready for a fight. Co-host Matt Striker then intervened and arranged a Battle Royal, also including Nexus (who were making a scheduled appearance on the show anyway). All seven Nexus members were declared co-winners after being the last men in the ring.
At Money in the Bank, Nexus attempted to get involved in the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
match involving Sheamus and John Cena in a steel cage by breaking the door. However, the referee on the outside of the cage threw the key into the crowd and the tool that Tarver tried to use to break in. They then tried to climb up and get involved. However, Sheamus and Cena were able to hold them off and escape, with Sheamus winning. Afterwards, Cena began beating up Tarver and Young and then took Tarver's Nexus armband.
On the July 19 edition of Raw Nexus continued their attacks on the Raw roster by first attacking Edge and then Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
, after the two longtime rivals attempted to manipulate the group against each other. Later on in the show, Barrett defeated Mark Henry
Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry is an American professional wrestler signed with WWE, where he performs on its SmackDown brand as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion. He is a 1992 Olympian, and winner of the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic...
in a singles match. After that, Barrett and Nexus asked Cena to join them. Cena refused and said that he would take them all down at SummerSlam
SummerSlam (2010)
SummerSlam was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , that took place on August 15, 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California for the second consecutive year...
, and that he had found some help to do it. Cena revealed his team one by one; the members were Edge, John Morrison, R-Truth
Ron Killings
Ronald Aaron "Ron" Killings is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE working on its Raw brand. Since working for the company, he has been a one time United States Champion under the ring name R-Truth and a two time Hardcore Champion under the ring name K-Kwik...
, The Great Khali, Chris Jericho and Bret Hart. The next week of Raw featured Nexus defeating Team Raw (Mark Henry, The Hart Dynasty
The Hart Dynasty
The Hart Dynasty was a professional wrestling stable that appeared in World Wrestling Entertainment. The unit consisted of the tag team of Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith, and WWE Diva Natalya...
, Jerry Lawler, Evan Bourne, Goldust and Yoshi Tatsu
Naofumi Yamamoto
is a Japanese professional wrestler and former boxer, who is currently signed to WWE, performing on its SmackDown brand under the ring name Yoshi Tatsu.-New Japan Pro Wrestling :...
) in a 7-on-7 elimination tag team match with a clean sweep. Nexus later mocked Cena's team, who were arguing amongst themselves, saying that they'd have an easy victory at SummerSlam.
At SummerSlam, Nexus were defeated by Team WWE, featuring a returning Daniel Bryan(who joined Team WWE as a surprise member after Nexus had injured Khali), and eliminated both Young and Slater. Cena ended up being the sole survivor. The following night on Raw each member of Nexus competed in matches against members of Team WWE (except Bret Hart, who was replaced by Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
), with the stipulation that whichever Nexus member lost their match would be exiled from the group. While almost all the members of Nexus won their respective matches, Darren Young failed to defeat John Cena in the main event and was not only kicked out of Nexus, but attacked by the group following his loss.
In a live event in Hawaii on Aug. 18th, 2010 at the Blaisdell Arena, Skip Sheffield broke his ankle during a tag match where he teamed with Otunga against the Hart Dynasty, putting him out for months, thus leaving only five active members of Nexus remaining. On the 900th episode of Raw Nexus defeated John Cena, Edge, Chris Jericho, Sheamus and Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
in a 5 on 5 elimination match, after Gabriel hit Cena with the 450-splash for the third time, pinning him a second time, while Barrett dropped and pinned Randy Orton. Earlier on in the night the group also attacked The Undertaker with help from Kane
Kane (wrestler)
Glenn Thomas Jacobs is a Spanish-born American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name, Kane. He is signed to WWE, appearing on its SmackDown brand, but is currently inactive due to injury....
. The following week, Wade Barrett lost to Randy Orton, after a distraction from the returning Darren Young. Barrett used his guaranteed championship match in the Six-Pack Elimination Challenge for the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
at Night Of Champions
Night of Champions (2010)
Night of Champions was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , that took place on September 19, 2010 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. It was the third annual event to be promoted solely under the Night of Champions name and the tenth...
but was eliminated by Orton, who later won the match and the title, following an RKO.
Nexus made an appearance on the October 1 live episode of SmackDown, to mark the show's move to Syfy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
. Throughout the night, Nexus attacked Dolph Ziggler, MVP, Big Show and John Cena. They then served as lumberjacks for the main event of the evening, between John Cena and Kane. This was the first time they had appeared on SmackDown since their formation back in early June.
At Hell in a Cell
Hell in a Cell (2010)
Hell in a Cell was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment that took place on October 3, 2010 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It was the second annual Hell in a Cell event. Like the 2009 event, the event featured the Hell in a Cell...
Barrett and Cena faced each other in a match with the stipulation that if Barrett won, Cena would have to join Nexus, and if Cena won or Nexus got involved, the group would be disbanded. Barrett managed to win the match, following interference from Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty.
On the October 4 edition of Raw, Tarver was paired with Cena who brutally attacked him after the match. Later Barrett would say that he was planning on getting rid of Tarver anyway implying he was no longer a member (in reality Tarver was pulled due to a nagging groin injury). After Cena openly declared that he would destroy Nexus from within by fighting them even though he was now a member, the mystery GM stated that Cena had to honor the stipulations of the PPV match, and since he is now a member of Nexus, he must take orders from Wade Barrett or he will be fired. Later that night, Barrett ordered Cena to help him win the #1 contendership in a battle royal for the WWE title. The match came down to Cena and Barrett, where Barrett ordered Cena to eliminate himself. At Bragging Rights 2010
Bragging Rights (2010)
Bragging Rights was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , that took place on October 24, 2010 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the second and final Bragging Rights event. Seven matches took place at the event...
, Nexus won their first titles in the WWE when David Otunga and John Cena defeated WWE Tag Team Champions
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre to win the titles. Later on in the same night, the group helped Kane defeat The Undertaker in his Buried Alive match, for reasons which have yet to be explained. In the main event of the pay-per-view, Barrett beat Orton in a WWE Championship match via disqualification, caused by John Cena, thus not winning the title. On the October 25 episode of Raw, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel won the Tag Team Championship, after beating Otunga and Cena in a match in which Barrett ordered Otunga to lie down and be pinned. During the same night Barrett revealed that Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty had become official members of Nexus. In the main event of the night Cena defeated Orton via disqualification, this time caused by Barrett, who then as a result was allowed to select his own special guest referee for his WWE Championship match against Orton at Survivor Series
Survivor Series (2010)
Survivor Series was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , that took place on November 21, 2010 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida...
. Barrett chose Cena and declared that if he doesn't win the title at the pay-per-view, Cena will be fired, but if he does, Cena will be relieved of all of his responsibilities to Nexus.
On November 5 Otunga, who had been questioning Barrett's leadership in the past weeks, led Gabriel, Harris, McGillicutty and Slater to an invasion of SmackDown, interrupting a match between Edge and Alberto Del Rio. Nexus was then defeated in the main event of the show in a ten man tag team match by Edge, Del Rio, Big Show, Kane and Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
. Barrett didn't approve Otunga's decision to lead Nexus to SmackDown and as a result forced him to defend his spot in the group a week later. On the November 12 edition of SmackDown Otunga defeated Edge in a lumberjack match, after an interference from Kane, to keep his spot in Nexus. At Survivor Series on November 21, 2010 Randy Orton retained the WWE Championship against Wade Barrett via pinfall and John Cena was fired (kayfabe
Kayfabe
In professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real" or "true". Specifically, the portrayal of professional wrestling, in particular the competition and rivalries between participants, as being genuine or not of a worked nature...
) from WWE and subsequently departed from Nexus.
Despite being fired, Cena continued to show up on Raw in the subsequent weeks, causing interference in Nexus' matches and attacking them backstage, in the ring and in the arena parking lots. On the December 6 episode of Raw, Slater and Gabriel lost their WWE Tag Team Championships against the team of Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov in a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team Elimination Match, following an interference from Cena. Later the same night, Cena informed Nexus that his attacks on them may stop, however attacks on Barrett would continue. Wanting the attacks to stop, Nexus (excluding McGillicutty, who was (kayfabe) injured after being attacked the previous week by Cena) threatened to eject leader Wade Barrett from the group if he did not get Cena rehired the following week. The following week Barrett rehired Cena in exchange for a Chairs match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2010)
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on December 19, 2010 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. It was the second annual TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs event...
. On December 19 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, Cena defeated Barrett in the main event of the evening, after attacking all the other members of Nexus throughout the event.
The New Nexus and demise (2011)
The group, sans Wade Barrett, after repeated attacks on John Cena, would ambiguously announce that it was under "new management". CM PunkCM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
was revealed to be the new leader, acquiring the position after Barrett lost a Steel Cage match against Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
and Sheamus, in which he would lose his status as leader and be exiled from Nexus should he lose the match. On January 10, 2011, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater left the group, after refusing to follow CM Punk's orders of initiation by hitting each other with kendo sticks, to join Barrett and Ezekiel Jackson on SmackDown! as The Corre
The Corre
The Corre was a professional wrestling heel stable that performed on WWE's SmackDown brand in 2011. The stable was formed after Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater left the Nexus and allied with Ezekiel Jackson.-Formation:...
, while Husky Harris, Michael McGillicutty, and David Otunga successfully completed the initiation, and stayed in Nexus. On the January 17 edition of Raw, Mason Ryan joined Nexus, interfering in a match between Punk and Cena. The group participated in the 2011 Royal Rumble
Royal Rumble (2011)
Royal Rumble was the 24th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on January 30, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts....
but were eliminated by John Cena (aside from Harris who was eliminated by The Great Khali).
At the Royal Rumble, The New Nexus would cost Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
. Two weeks later on the January 31 edition of Raw, Michael McGillicutty and Husky Harris teamed up against Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov for the WWE Tag Team Championship in which they lost. After the match, Randy Orton entered the ring and punted Husky Harris in the skull, (kayfabe) injuring Harris. Randy Orton would then, over the ongoing weeks, punt all members of the New Nexus, despite interference by CM Punk, removing each, one by one, from active competition. At WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVII was the twenty-seventh annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , held on April 3, 2011 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia...
, Randy Orton defeated CM Punk, but was unable to punt him in the skull, thus leaving CM Punk as the only active member of the New Nexus. McGillicutty, Otunga and Ryan returned on the April 11 edition of Raw and again cost Orton another shot at the WWE Championship and bringing New Nexus back to full strength. On the April 25 edition of Raw, at the WWE draft
2011 WWE Draft
The 2011 WWE Draft was the eighth annual draft held by WWE, which took place on April 25. With a core business of professional wrestling, the corporation held a draft to exchange personnel assigned to one of its two television programs that are independent brands that represent WWE...
, Orton was drafted to SmackDown and beat Punk at Extreme Rules 2011 thus ending his feud with New Nexus.
On the May 23 edition of Raw, Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga defeated Big Show and Kane
Big Show and Kane
Kane and Big Show are two professional wrestlers currently signed to WWE, who formed a tag team during three periods: 2001-2002, 2005-2006 and 2011...
for the WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE Tag Team Championship
The WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
. At the June 20 "Power to the People" edition of Raw, CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
was originally going to be named the #1 contender to the WWE Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
, but he was forced to compete in a triple threat match with Alberto Del Rio and Rey Mysterio with a falls count anywhere stipulation voted by the WWE Universe. After the match, Punk won and revealed that his WWE contract would expire on the same date as Money in the Bank
Money in the Bank (2011)
Money in the Bank was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by WWE, which took place on July 17, 2011 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. It was the second annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view...
, where he would face John Cena
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
for the WWE Championship, meaning that if he wins, not only will he leave the New Nexus and the WWE altogether, he will also leave the company with the Championship. Mason Ryan was voted to face Evan Bourne in a singles match and won, but was later to be revealed to be a glitch in the voting process, as Sin Cara
Místico
Luis Ignascio Urive Alvirde is a Mexican luchador enmascarado, or masked professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE, working on its SmackDown brand under the name Sin Cara...
was the actual winner. The following week, it was announced that Ryan had suffered an injury over the weekend. After this, Punk ceased to appear with the remaining two members of the Nexus, (McGillicutty and Otunga) who never spoke about Punk leaving. CM Punk would go on to defeat John Cena at Money in the Bank, becoming the first Nexus member to win a world championship, even though at his appearance, he was not wearing his Nexus armband and debuted a new shirt.
CM Punk then left the WWE after becoming WWE Champion and with his contract having expired at midnight on July 17. However, on the July 25 episode of Raw, he legitimately re-signed with WWE and confronted the new WWE Champion, John Cena who had just defeated Rey Mysterio to win the WWE Championship. During this confrontation, Punk came out to Living Colour's
Living Colour
Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by free jazz, funk, neo-psychedelia, hard rock, and heavy metal...
"Cult of Personality
Cult of Personality (song)
"Cult of Personality" is a song by funk metal band Living Colour. It was the first single from their debut album, Vivid, released in 1988. "Cult of Personality" reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart. It also won the Grammy award for "Best Hard Rock...
" which became his new theme song and TitanTron, indicating he was no longer a part of the New Nexus. Their last appearance under New Nexus was on the July 29th edition of Smackdown, when they made a title defense against The Usos
The Usos
The Usos are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of twin brothers Jimmy and Jey Uso. The Usos appear in WWE, competing on the SmackDown brand. The pair were previously managed by Tamina...
. A week later, on the August 1 episode of Raw, McGillicutty and Otunga competed against Santino Marella and Zack Ryder
Zack Ryder
Matthew Joseph Cardona, Jr. better known by his ring name Zack Ryder, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE and works on the Raw brand as a wrestler and the SmackDown brand as an assistant to SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long.Cardona wrestled mostly with his tag...
without any Nexus gear or music, and with all Nexus logos removed from their TitanTron, effectively signaling the end of the group. Otunga and McGillicutty would still undergo tag team competition on their own, but no longer under the Nexus banner. The duo lost the Tag Team Championship to Air Boom
Air Boom
Air Boom is a WWE professional wrestling tag team consisting of Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston, both of whom compete on WWE's Raw brand where they are the current reigning WWE Tag Team Champions. Their team name "Air Boom" was voted upon by fans on WWE's website...
(Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah , is a Ghanaian American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kofi Kingston. He is currently signed to WWE and works on its Raw brand where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Evan Bourne as Air Boom...
and Evan Bourne) on the August 22 episode of Raw, and then began a feud with Jerry Lawler
Jerry Lawler
Jerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, businessman, commercial artist and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to WWE, working on its Raw brand as the color commentator and occasional...
, who claimed the duo was boring. The team suffered several losses in tag matches versus Lawler and various partners. The team split in September, as Otunga would debut a Legal Advisor gimmick while McGillicutty moved on to singles competition.
Members
| Member | Joined | Dismissed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wade Barrett Wade Barrett Wade Barrett is a retired American soccer player. He is currently an assistant coach at Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo-College:... |
|||
| Daniel Bryan Bryan Danielson Bryan Danielson is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE where he wrestles on its SmackDown brand as Daniel Bryan, and currently holds the SmackDown Money in the Bank briefcase, which enables him to have a World Heavyweight Championship match at any time of his choosing... |
|||
| Darren Young | |||
| Skip Sheffield | |||
| Michael Tarver | |||
| Justin Gabriel | |||
| Heath Slater | |||
| David Otunga David Otunga David Daniel Otunga is a professional wrestler and former reality television actor. He is signed to WWE, appearing on the Raw brand under his real name. He's a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, having one reign each with Michael McGillicutty and John Cena. He was the runner-up on the first season... |
|||
| John Cena John Cena John Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand.... |
|||
| Husky Harris | |||
| Michael McGillicutty | |||
| CM Punk CM Punk Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion.... |
|||
| Mason Ryan |
In wrestling
- Entrance themesMusic in professional wrestlingMusic in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
- "We Are One" by 12 Stones12 Stones12 Stones is a rock band that was formed in 2000 in Mandeville, Louisiana. They have collectively sold more than 2 million records.-History:The four band members met in Mandeville, Louisiana, a small suburb north of New Orleans, and within 15 months were signed to a record deal with Wind-up Records...
(June 7, 2010 – April 18, 2011) - "This Fire Burns" by Killswitch EngageKillswitch EngageKillswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbandment of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer...
(January 17, 2011 – October 1, 2011) - "Death Blow" from VideoHelper Production Library (July 14, 2011 – October 1, 2011); Otunga and McGillicutty)
- "All About the Power" by S–Preme (July 21, 2011 – October 1, 2011) Otunga and McGillicutty)
- "We Are One" by 12 Stones
Championships and accomplishments
- Pro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling IllustratedPro Wrestling Illustrated is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Kappa Publishing Group.-History:The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979...
- PWI Feud of the Year (2010)
- PWI Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2010)
- PWI Rookie of the Year (2010)
- World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
- NXTWWE NXTWWE NXT is a sports entertainment television program produced by WWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and WWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to WWE's developmental territory Florida...
(Season one) - Wade BarrettWade BarrettWade Barrett is a retired American soccer player. He is currently an assistant coach at Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo-College:... - Slammy Award for the Shocker of the Year (2010)
- WWE ChampionshipWWE ChampionshipThe WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
(1 time) - CM PunkCM PunkPhillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion.... - WWE Tag Team ChampionshipWWE Tag Team ChampionshipThe WWE Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship in WWE. It was established as a second title for tag teams in WWE in 2002 to complement the original World Tag Team Championship...
(3 times) – John CenaJohn CenaJohn Felix Anthony Cena is an American professional wrestler, actor, rapper, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE as a member of its WWE Raw brand....
and David OtungaDavid OtungaDavid Daniel Otunga is a professional wrestler and former reality television actor. He is signed to WWE, appearing on the Raw brand under his real name. He's a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, having one reign each with Michael McGillicutty and John Cena. He was the runner-up on the first season...
(1), Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel (1), David OtungaDavid OtungaDavid Daniel Otunga is a professional wrestler and former reality television actor. He is signed to WWE, appearing on the Raw brand under his real name. He's a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, having one reign each with Michael McGillicutty and John Cena. He was the runner-up on the first season...
and Michael McGillicutty (1)
- NXT
See also
- WWE NXTWWE NXTWWE NXT is a sports entertainment television program produced by WWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and WWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to WWE's developmental territory Florida...
- WWE RawWWE RAWWWE Raw ) is a sports entertainment television program for WWE that currently airs on the USA Network in the United States...
- The CorreThe CorreThe Corre was a professional wrestling heel stable that performed on WWE's SmackDown brand in 2011. The stable was formed after Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater left the Nexus and allied with Ezekiel Jackson.-Formation:...
(professional wrestling) - Straight Edge SocietyStraight Edge SocietyThe Straight Edge Society was a villainous alliance in the professional wrestling promotion World Wrestling Entertainment that appeared on its SmackDown brand....