Rebooking: The Nexus Storyline

By @FatherTone

How I Would’ve Booked It: Nexus

Background:
June 7th, 2010, an Episode of Monday Night Raw was getting ready to end with its main event of John Cena vs CM Punk in a viewer’s choice match up. Cena and Punk were putting on a good match when suddenly, NXT Rookie Wade Barrett appeared at the top of the entrance ramp. As he got closer to the ring, more rookies from the show NXT hopped the barricade and proceeded to destroy anything they could get their hands on. Announcers, Superstars, other officials, it didn’t matter. If they saw it, they destroyed it. They even destroyed the wrestling ring before finally dismantling John Cena in front of the entire arena. This was a historic moment for WWE. 8 rookies (Barrett, Tarver, Bryan, Gabriel, Slater, Otunga, Young and Sheffield) had put the wrestling world on notice. It was a white hot storyline that had all eyes on the wrestling world. Every week they destroyed whoever they wanted to and no one could stop them. Finally, after weeks of frustration, John Cena said enough was enough. So, at that year's Summerslam, he would form a team of superstars to help try and rid the WWE of the Nexus.

John Cena spent weeks trying to recruit 7 other WWE Superstars to help him exterminate the Nexus and restore order back into the WWE. After weeks of trying to find partners down for the cause, Cena finally builds his team of all stars. But 6 days before the biggest Party of the summer, Nexus attacked Great Khali, who was set to be a part of team Cena that year. So finally at Summerslam we have Team Nexus ( Barrett, Otunga, Sheffield, Gabriel , Slater, Young and Tarver) vs Team WWE (Cena, R-truth, Edge, Jericho, Morrison, a mystery partner and Bret Hart). After speculation of who their partner would be, its revealed to be a returning Daniel Bryan. After a hard fought battle, its Team WWE who comes out victorious, thus harshly slowing the momentum of the new stable called the Nexus. What happened in the months after left the team slowly began to lose momentum. Injuries severely hurt The Nexus as Sheffield and Tarver both went down with Injuries. Darren Young was exiled from the group and the remaining members were downgraded to mid card talent.

So how would I have booked it you asked? Well its simple I’ll start at Summerslam.

What I Would’ve Changed:
Everything leading up to the Summerslam match was great. Nexus was destroying everything in its path and Cena was struggling to put a team together and keep them on the same page. It really sold the story of Nexus being one big well-oiled unstoppable machine. I would have had Daniel Bryan return as the surprise still, but as the match was gearing up towards its final act I would have Bryan and Cena in there with Barrett and Gabriel. Bryan would turn on Cena, aligning himself back with the Nexus and allowing Barrett and company to pick up the win they desperately needed. The following month at Night of Champions, I’d have Bryan win the US Title still from Miz and Morrison in a triple threat match, but also have any other two members of Nexus win the tag belts and have Cena and Barrett in a match up where if Cena lost, he’d leave WWE and if Barrett lost, The Nexus would disband. I’d have Barrett pin Cena clean 1-2-3, thus kicking him out of the WWE. At the next PPV, Barrett (The actual member who won the NXT Competition thus granting him a title match) challenge Orton (Who won the strap from Sheamus at NOC) and beat Orton with help from his Nexus brothers. So over the next few months, you’d have Bryan defending the US belt and beating every babyface mid carder in his path, the rest of the Nexus members defending the tag belts using the freebird rule (Similar to how New Day does) and Barrett on top of the world as WWE Champion ruling the WWE with an iron fist. As the months go by, Barrett defeats every challenger thus making his ego bigger and bigger.

The Nexus begins to become a dictatorship, where Barrett would punish any member who suffers defeat in any way shape or form (you could have him whip them with a Kendo stick or beat them with a chair similar to what Punk did when he ruled the Nexus). Terrorizing the WWE, Barrett can’t be stopped until the Royal Rumble, where Barrett makes every member of Nexus compete so he doesn’t have an opponent for WM. It looks as if Barrett will get his wish until Cena comes back (Rehired by the RAW GM to help rid the WWE of Nexus) in the number 30 spot, and he wins by tossing out multiple members of Nexus and challenging Barrett for the World title at Mania.

Barrett retains his title at EC that year and is set to face Cena at mania. The weeks leading to Mania, you have half of Nexus turning baby face saying that they are tired of Barrett, while the other half remain loyal and thus you create a Nexus Civil war, where that match will take place at Mania also. So you have half of Nexus vs the other half and Cena vs Barrett booked for Mania. With The remaining Member of Nexus focused on each other, Barrett is forced to go at it alone with Cena. At Mania the babyface half of Nexus win and Cena goes to the main event and finally puts an end to Barrett's reign in a grueling match up. I believe had WWE went this route instead of the one they took, you’d have legit babyfaces out of half of Nexus, solid midcard heels from the other half, Cena as your champion again, and Barrett as a solid main event heel that he was supposed to be from day one. So that’s how I would’ve booked it. I'm interested in hearing on how everyone else would’ve so let me know what you think in the comments below or on Twitter.

-Tone