June 7 marks the 10 year anniversary of one of the most exciting but ultimately disappointing angles in WWE history. The Nexus' unannounced arrival during the main event of Monday Night Raw was a shocking takeover the likes of which had not been seen since the nWo. Eight rookies suddenly became the most terrifying faction in the WWE and ran roughshod on the main roster.
Sadly, Nexus fell apart not long after that summer due to a series of poor booking decisions. This faction was loaded with young talent who looked like the future of the company, but only one original member eventually became a World Champion in the WWE.
In the ten years since the Nexus's arrival, the WWE has learned from its mistakes when it comes to developing young talent. Two years later it tried a smaller version of the same concept with a stable called The Shield, and all three members of that trio went onto success beyond their imagination. The Nexus however? They have to sit back and wonder what could have been. A full decade later, here's where the eight original members of Nexus are now.
Wade Barrett
The natural leader and face of Nexus looked like the next big thing in the WWE, but it just didn't work out. After the original Nexus faded away, Barrett led a new faction called The Corre, but that went nowhere. Throughout the 2010s he had some success as an upper-midcarder, winning five Intercontinental titles and the 2015 King of the Ring under personas like Bad News Barrett and King Barrett, and was a member of The League of Nations.
In May 2016 Barrett and the WWE mutually agreed to part ways. Barrett, real name Stu Bennent, hasn't wrestled a match since, but has taken commentary and onscreen roles at various independent promotions.
Heath Slater
Out of all the talent in the original Nexus, the man who wrestled for the WWE the longest turned out to be none other than Heath Slater. Although he was finally released this year as part a series of cuts due to the pandemic, his longevity was still impressive. From Nexus to 3MB, Slater-Gator, Social Outcasts, "I Got Kids" and hosting WWE Game Night, Slater did it all as a low-card comedy act.
Skip Sheffield
No Nexus member got a repackaging as good as Skip Sheffield when he became Ryback in 2012. Ryback was a monster babyface who put together an impressive undefeated streak throughout 2012 and even got WWE title matches with CM Punk and John Cena. Unfortunately, Ryback suffered a string Pay-Per-View losses that stalled his momentum. Over the next few years the WWE tried to get him over as both a monster heel and face, but it never materialized into another main event spot.
In 2016 Sheffield left the WWE due to a contract dispute and frustrations with creative. Since then he's wrestled in the independent circuit and hosts a podcast called Conversation with the Big Guy Ryback.
Darren Young
Darren Young will always be a part of WWE history by becoming the first openly gay active wrestler while with the company in 2013. Young's other claim to fame in the WWE is being one-half of The Prime Time Players with Titus O'Neil throughout the 2010s. Bizarrely, his last big storyline was becoming Bob Backlund's life coach in 2016 with their campaign slogan being "Make Darren Young Great Again."
Young was released in October 2017 and has since made occasional appearances on the independent circuit, including teaming up with Nexus members Michael Tarver and Justin Gabriel in the 2018 Chikara: King of Trios tournament.
David Otunga
David Otunga was the only member Nexus who stayed with the faction throughout its entire existence. While his wrestling resume isn't eye-popping, his real life resume is very impressive as both a lawyer and an actor. He used his law background to become John Laurinatis's kayfabe legal advisor before becoming a member of the Raw Pre-Show on the WWE Network.
He's still employed by the WWE, making occasional appearances on commentary while acting on the side.
Justin Gabriel
One of the most athletically gifted members of the faction, Justin Gabriel found some success in the tag team division with Heath Slater and Tyson Kidd. As a singles wrestler, he had virtually no success and was used primarily as a jobber. After being released by the WWE in 2015, Gabriel, real name Phillip Lloyd, revealed on Chris Jericho's podcast Talk is Jericho that he was the bunny in Adam Rose's Exotic Express.
Under the name of PJ Black, he's since wrestled for TNA, Lucha Underground, NWA and Ring of Honor.
Michael Tarver
Michael Tarver had the shortest WWE career out of all eight Nexus members. He sustained a groin injury and was written out of the group in October, 2010. He wound up getting released in June, 2011.
Tarver would go on to wrestle for independent promotions, including the National Wrestling Alliance and New Japan. He's also gotten into music and competitive power lifting and has released two hip-hop albums.
Daniel Bryan
It could be argued that Daniel Bryan shouldn't be on this list. He was only a member of The Nexus for one week and was immediately kicked out for showing remorse over their actions. In reality, the WWE was forced to fire Bryan after he infamously choked ring announcer Justin Roberts with his own tie during the Nexus' debut appearance. Nevertheless, Bryan was still a member of the original Nexus, having been with them in their iconic debut.
He was brought back by the WWE as the seventh member of Team WWE at SummerSlam and began an improbable run of success very few saw coming. Every wrestling fan needs to learn what happened to the former American Dragon because his ascent to the top of the card and multiple WWE championships has become a part of pro wrestling lore. Today Bryan continues to wrestle -- and his legendary career with the WWE all began that first night with The Nexus.