Fantasy Booking: The Nexus (Part 1)

In 2010, WWE caught lightning in a bottle. A group of hungry NXT Season 1 rookies led by an egotistical leader turned the wrestling world upside down. But just as quickly as The Nexus arrived, it was all over in their very first major match. They were misused and the whole angle was wasted because John Cena just had to win at the worst possible time. But what if WWE actually let the story breathe all the way to WrestleMania?

READ NEXT: WWE SummerSlam: The Full History

This fantasy rebooking explores exactly that, a world where The Nexus wasn’t just a summer storyline, but rather the main antagonists all the way until the main event of WrestleMania (spoiler alert!). It’s a slow burn packed with mind games, shifting alliances, uneasy power dynamics, and a final confrontation that actually pays off the chaos. Some parts stay true to reality, others take sharp turns, but the goal remains the same: make The Nexus matter. Let’s dive in. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1: Getting SummerSlam Right!

Note: I won’t touch anything from the Nexus’ debut up until the day of SummerSlam with the exception of a couple of things. First of all, Daniel Bryan does not get fired in this fantasy booking, and he remains part of Nexus. That means Nexus has 8 members, so the SummerSlam match will be a 16-man elimination match. Real-life injuries will be respected here, so I’ll let you know when that happens.

We kick things off at SummerSlam 2010, where The Nexus make their official in-ring PPV debut against Team WWE. But this time, the match is 8-on-8, with Daniel Bryan staying aligned with The Nexus where he belongs, while The Miz officially joins the WWE side (after his usual teasing), and The Great Khali rounds out the team. It’s a strange mix, but that’s WWE, and it plays right into Nexus’ hands.

From the opening bell, it’s clear something is different. Nexus doesn’t just win this match… they dominate it. The group picks apart Team WWE member by member, controlling the pacing, cutting off tags, and showing off fluid teamwork. This isn’t just a gang, it’s a united group with a clear plan. And while guys like R-Truth and John Morrison get hope spots in, they’re quickly crushed by the overwhelming numbers and strategy of Barrett’s crew.

One by one, Team WWE is eliminated, and every pinfall is scored by Wade Barrett himself. That’s the message: this story is about the group as a whole, but the members themselves see Barrett as the leader and are loyal to him. Eventually, it’s down to Cena all alone against all eight members. He gives it the classic Cena rally, fighting hard and firing up… but the numbers are too much. Skip Sheffield nearly takes his head off with a clothesline. Justin Gabriel follows with the 450° Splash. Finally, Barrett tags in, smirks, hoists Cena up, and hits a thunderous Wasteland.

But they’re not done…

Post-match, Nexus reenacts the chaos of their debut: they tear apart the ring again, exposing the wooden boards underneath. Several undercard faces like Yoshi Tatsu, Goldust, Santino Marella and others come out to stop this, but it obviously goes nowhere. Sheffield brings in the steps. Cena tries to crawl away, but he’s planted with another Wasteland – this time onto the exposed wood. The commentary team goes silent. The ring is a mess. The crowd is stunned. And Barrett looks directly into the hard cam, holding up one finger.

One show. One victim.

Cena is stretchered out. He’s written off TV for the rest of the year. WWE just got hijacked.

The Fallout From SummerSlam

For the next few weeks on RAW, The Nexus is nowhere to be seen. The group that tore the company apart at SummerSlam is suddenly absent… no explanations, no promos, nothing. Wanting to move on with the show, the Anonymous RAW General Manager (remember that?!) announces that Sheamus will defend the WWE Championship in a Six-Pack Challenge at Night of Champions against Randy Orton, Edge, Chris Jericho, John Morrison (replacing Cena) and The Miz (replacing Barrett). Miz claims he’s “not worried” about this six-pack challenge because he’ll still have the Money in the Bank contract at the end of the day. However, the GM adds a special stipulation for Mr. Miz: if he’s the first man eliminated, he’ll no longer have the briefcase!

The Nexus might not be around, but the wrestlers are visibly distracted. They know it’s only a matter of time until Nexus strikes again. Chris Jericho starts taking credit for everything. “Let’s be honest”, he says in a promo, “The Nexus only exists because of me. I mentored their leader in NXT. I gave him the platform. I planted the seeds.” Jericho, having been Barrett’s NXT “Pro”, positions himself as the architect behind Barrett’s rise and guarantees victory at Night of Champions, saying his true reward is coming. The other participants are confused. Is Jericho part of The Nexus? That earns him a number of beatings on episodes of Raw heading into Night of Champions, but Jericho keeps smiling. He knows what he’s doing! Or does he…

Meanwhile, WWE Champion Sheamus is fuming in weekly promos. He calls Nexus a cowardly gang and boasts that if they ever show up again, he’ll “kick all eight of them fellas in the skull”. Sheamus adds that he is the most violent wrestler on the roster, and he has the WWE Championship around his shoulder to prove it. On commentary, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler note that Nexus have become the dominant conversation backstage even in their absence.

By the go-home RAW, speculation is running wild. The Nexus haven’t been seen since SummerSlam, but a cryptic backstage video airs showing the wreckage of a destroyed locker room during an episode of Jericho’s “Highlight Reel” talk show. No voice, no explanation. Just chaos. Jericho doesn’t know anything about it, but he just smiles. That’s how Raw goes off the air.

Note: Skip Sheffield (Ryback) suffered a real-life injury in late August 2010. He’s out of this fantasy booking as well, leaving Nexus with 7 members.

Night Of Champions 2010

We’re finally at Night of Champions. The Six-Pack Challenge main events the pay-per-view, much like in real life. Eventually it’s down to Sheamus, Orton and Jericho. And yes, Miz barely kept his briefcase after escaping a Brogue Kick at the last possible second, with someone else (Morrison, why not) taking the move and getting eliminated instead. Anyway, back to the Sheamus/Orton/Jericho finale… That’s when The Nexus storms the ring.

Wade Barrett leads the charge. The group ambushes Sheamus first after everything the WWE Champion has said on Raw. Otunga hits a spinebuster on the floor. Tarver and Young hoist him up for a brutal slam on the outside steps. Officials try to intervene, but Nexus take them out too. After taking a few more finishers on the floor, Sheamus is unable to continue. Even without being pinned or forced to submit, Sheamus is eliminated and no longer the WWE Champion.

While that’s happening, Orton accidentally bumps into Daniel Bryan while he was running the ropes. Bryan yells at him from the apron. Jericho shoves Orton into a clothesline from Bryan, who quickly turns his attention back to Sheamus. Jericho then cracks Orton with the Codebreaker. Cover. 1-2-3. Chris Jericho is the new WWE Champion!

As Orton bails through the crowd, The Nexus climb back into the ring. Sheamus is still laid out cold on the floor. Jericho clutches the belt and heads up the ramp, with a smile on his face while The Nexus look at him. Was this premeditated? Did Jericho broker a deal? He won’t say. Nexus doesn’t celebrate with him either. They stay behind.

Barrett stands tall over the wreckage. Another body count. He stares into the hard cam and slowly raises two fingers.

Two shows. Two big names gone.

Chapter 2: You’re Either Nexus… Or You’re Gone!

Raw – September 20, 2010

New WWE Champion Chris Jericho opens the show, proudly sporting the spinner belt and a smug grin. He gloats about how his master plan came together, and looks forward to exposing his next challenger at Hell in a Cell.

The Anonymous RAW GM has news: Jericho was supposed to face Sheamus inside the Cell, but with Sheamus injured, the title rematch is cancelled. Jericho flashes a self-satisfied smirk.

Instead, the GM announces a battle royal tonight to determine the new #1 contender, and since The Nexus want to be involved so badly, then every active member of The Nexus is officially in it.

Backstage, Nexus huddle. Barrett keeps it simple: “Same strategy as SummerSlam, lads. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.”

During the battle royal, Nexus get jumped by everyone. Doesn’t matter. Tarver sends undercarders flying. The Usos, Yoshi Tatsu, Mark Henry and company are all tossed. The group stays unified, never turning on each other. Near the end, Edge and Orton form a brief partnership to go after all seven members of The Nexus, but it goes nowhere. They’re eliminated as well. Wade Barrett doesn’t score a single elimination throughout this whole battle royal, by the way. The other members do his dirty work.

The end result? The final seven participants are Nexus’ members! Once the last outsider is gone, they all stare at Jericho up on the stage… and then the other six Nexus members (Bryan, Gabriel, Tarver, Slater, Young and Otunga) calmly eliminate themselves. Wade Barrett is the new #1 contender.

Raw – September 27, 2010

With Hell in a Cell less than a week away, the Cell hangs above the ring all night as a looming threat. Knowing an attack from The Nexus could potentially ruin the big PPV match, the General Manager issues a warning to protect his main event: if Nexus try anything funny tonight, Wade Barrett’s title shot is off.

Nexus opens the show bragging about their dominance. No one can stop them because they operate as a unit.

Cue Jericho. He walks into the ring solo (protected by the GM’s warning) and tells Barrett that he’s right:

There’s not a tag team, group, faction, stable – whatever you wanna call it – in wrestling history that can beat Nexus. But in my opinion, you’ve already made your first rookie mistake: you’ve underestimated a seven-time WWE world champion. Wade, I taught you everything you know, but don’t think for a second that I taught you everything I know, junior!

Jericho closes the promo with a warning: “This will make sense by the end of the night, kid”.

Throughout the show, other wrestlers caution Jericho, even the babyfaces. They remind him what Nexus did to Cena and Sheamus. Jericho nods politely, but there’s unease behind the arrogance.

Before the main segment, Jericho pays a quiet visit to the production truck.

Main Event Segment: “Highlight Reel” With Wade Barrett

Jericho welcomes us to the Highlight Reel with a smug history lesson about his accolades, all while hyping up Nexus as unstoppable.

Barrett and Nexus enter as a group, but Jericho invites Barrett into the ring alone. After all, Barrett is the guest, and The Nexus have some orders they must follow. Barrett tells Nexus he’s got this handled and sends them to the back.

Before Barrett enters the ring, Jericho says, “Actually, there’s something I wanna show you first… Roll the footage, monkeys.” The TitanTron airs a video package of Jericho’s career highlights: some of his most violent matches and his victories over legendary names such as The Rock, Stone Cold, Shawn Michaels and others.

Meanwhile, with the video still playing on the TitanTron and Barrett still watching with his back turned, Jericho quietly leaves the ring and gives him a quick slap before running back to the ring, drawing Barrett in. Nexus charges… but the Cell lowers just before The Nexus can get in, trapping Barrett inside!

CODEBREAKER!

The crowd erupts as Nexus pound on the cage walls. Jericho grabs a mic:

You’re right, Wade. Nexus is unstoppable. But lucky me – I don’t have to beat Nexus at Hell in a Cell, do I? I just have to beat you. And when you’re on your own… you can’t beat experience, punk.

WHAM! Another Codebreaker!

Raw ends with Jericho standing tall and Barrett staring at the lights for the first time in this storyline.

Hell In A Cell – October 3, 2010

WWE Championship HIAC Match: Chris Jericho(c) vs. Wade Barrett

Barrett enters first – no Nexus. He has something to prove after what happened on Raw. Jericho struts out last, full of confidence. The crowd leans toward Jericho as the “WWE guy” even if they don’t totally love him.

It’s a smartly worked match: Jericho plays the savvy veteran and controls most of the action thanks to his experience; Barrett the brawler, using his size to his advantage. A big turning point comes when Barrett misses a running knee into the cage, crashing hard. Jericho punishes the leg from there and preps for the Walls of Jericho, but Barrett (to his credit) manages to avoid it.

Barrett powers out, hoists Jericho for Wasteland… but his knee gives way. Jericho immediately strikes with a Codebreaker, sending Barrett tumbling outside.

Cue The Nexus.

Heath Slater is last in line, sliding a lead pipe into the Cell while Jericho’s distracted with the other members. Jericho mocks the group since they can’t do a damn thing but watch, drags Barrett back inside, and sets up the Walls again…

WHAM! Pipe shot to the ribs.

Jericho goes down. Barrett, limping and furious, bludgeons Jericho with shot after shot to the midsection. He tries another Wasteland, but the leg gives out again. Furious, he just keeps beating Jericho until Y2J’s coughing blood.

EMTs try to enter. Nexus lays them out. Justin Gabriel to the camera:

He wanted to be alone with Wade, didn’t he?

The ref begs for mercy. Barrett shoves him, screams “DO YOUR BLOODY JOB!” and after countless shots pipe shots, does Jericho’s own ARROGANT COVER!

One. Two. Three. Wade Barrett is WWE Champion.

The Cell lifts… but help doesn’t come. The ref, doctors, and even Jerry Lawler and Matt Striker get destroyed.

Nexus tears up the ring again. Tarver slides the stairs in. Jericho is hauled onto Barrett’s shoulder (with help from all the members due to Barrett’s injured leg)…

WASTELAND onto the exposed wood.

Jericho is stretchered out and he’s written off TV for over a year, much like in real life. Barrett limps, beaten but victorious. He places the WWE Title on his shoulder… and holds up three fingers to the hard cam.

Three shows. Three casualties.

Hell in a Cell 2010 fades to black.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thank you for reading. I hope you’re enjoying the storyline!

And now, it’s your turn to speak. What do you think happens next? Where does this storyline go with Wade Barrett holding the WWE Championship? Who will be the first person to challenge him for the title? Will there be a fourth victim at the next PPV? I want to see those comments!