Nexus: Natural Selection Could Be at Work

Hey guys,

I'm back again, with what I can only hope is an interesting read.

As I look through the RAW spoilers, I see a picture of the Nexus. The five members of Nexus. Where there was once eight men running roughshod over WWE RAW (They have yet to appear on SmackDown, which is why I was annoyed that at SummerSlam they called it Team WWE),we are now down three members. Now, to the casual observer, or anyone who believes in strength in numbers, it appears the group is heading the right way for a trip to oblivion in mere months. But let's look at the brief member history of this group of renegade rookies.

Wade Barrett: The winner of NXT Season 1, a naturally-gifted athlete, and in my opinion a very good speaker. He certainly knows how to hold my attention during a promo, because he has that way of tweaking his tone just the right way every time he cuts one, depending on what has happened or is happening within the group he now leads. He has blossomed quickly, in the ring and on the mike and I see big, big things for him in the next two years. He may even beat Cena to his first WWE title.

Crowning achievement: Pinning Randy Orton.

Other great moments: Hitting Wasteland on Mark Henry and the Undertaker; the first attack on Viewer's Choice night

Lowlights: Tapping to Cena several times during and after NXT, in very quick matches; the lowest likely being his 4 and a half minute beat the clock match against "The Champ."

Justin Gabriel: The high flyer of the group, Gabriel stuck around for quite a while before losing NXT. The South African has a few moves in his arsenal, including his picture perfect 450 splash. His role is to finish off the superstar Nexus has targeted, and that makes him a very valuable part of the group at this time.

Crowning Achievement: Pinning John Cena.

Other great moments: 450's on Vince McMahon to the Undertaker; a count out win over Randy Orton.

Lowlights: Being RKO'd by Orton twice in three weeks.

David Otunga: The muscle, now that Skip Sheffield is gone with an ankle injury...it'll be about 6 months till we see him again, but never fear, Otunga, the runner up on Season 1, is still here to casually tell you how great he, and the Nexus, are. His wrestling skill is limited from what I've seen, but he has a great swagger for a heel already there, and if he can match that to his in-ring ability soon, he'll be a star in WWE.

Crowning Achievement: Taking out Vince and excommunicated member Darren Young with the first hits.

Other great moments: Not many, unless you count outsmarting John Cena on his night as Guest Host.

Lowlights: His quick loss to Cena the next week.

Heath Slater, aka Wendy: Ok, so his look now makes me want to order a burger rather than rock out, but there is nobody who can say he didn't show a lot of guts-and potential-on NXT 1. Slater pinned Chris Jericho, becoming the first rookie of the series to pin a pro, and has since repeated the feat with others in the WWE fraternity. He has skill, he just resembles a woman...do the fans notice that more?? They won't for long if Slater is pushed right.

Crowning Achievement: Pinning the WWE Champion Sheamus.

Other great moments: Pinning Chris Jericho on NXT, Pinning Edge at SummerSlam.

Lowlights: None really in the ring, unless you count Cena ripping into him for his Wendy resemblance.

Michael Tarver: This guy is said to have the quickest knockout punch in sports, and has done a lot of boxing in his career, just not a lot of wrestling. Would love to see him test that knockout on Big Show, but I digress. I enjoy his ability in promos to be confident, angry, determined...he does a good job getting the Nexus message across. After refusing to do any challenges on NXT, he was shipped out quickly. So far, the decision to bring him back has paid off, at least on the mic. The do rag over his mouth when he attacks is a nice touch.

Crowning Achievement: The first attack by Nexus, and any attack where he gets a shot in.

Other great moments: Aside from mic work, none I can think of.

Lowlights: The early elim at SummerSlam. But hey, he got to take a ride on Starship Pain, the most beautiful finishing move in WWE today.

Then there are the others. Oh, you expected me to build them up as well?? Well there is a reason I'm not. They aren't Nexus...and shouldn't be anyhow. Let me explain what I mean.

Daniel Bryan: Should have been a key player on NXT, they gave him a losing streak, but the fans didn't care; they still loved him. Too good to be kept down, and the fans love him...so, he doesn't fit with the Nexus.

Darren Young: The black John Cena...the only problem is, on top of being limited, he doesn't have half the charisma...which is the main reason people watch Cena. Young lost in under a minute at SummerSlam and was the token attackee whenever Cena and Co. got the offensive leading up to the event. Very expendable.

Skip Sheffield: Scary Clothesline. That's about it. I don't enjoy his promos, and don't think he is good enough to be with the others...which is saying something when they are all rookies. It's sink or swim in WWE...and he sunk with me.

The purpose of the Nexus was to control RAW...with too many young guys in there, eventually, there is more chance they will mess up...they're all learning, but I think 5 is a tighter number from which to go forward and continue to dominate. These five have all the skills and promise to keep RAW watchable, and the Nexus competitive, which is what WWE sorely needs. So I say, give these guys the ball as The Nexus and hope none of them get hurt, because they are the ones who deserve it most. So, in that respect, perhaps all three eliminations helped Nexus to be better. Maybe it was a living case of natural selection.

Only time will tell...but remember wrestling buffs, the Four Horsemen were a group of four very accomplished wrestlers...but in many of their incarnations, they had a fifth person helping to pull the strings.

It's only right that that gang mentality continue, and it has, with The Nexus.

Till next time,

this is your Crowd Coach signing off.