Breaking Down The Nexus

[noumenon]

Alright, so WWE programming has been flooded with these guys lately... pretty much all of RAW revolves around these guys. They've gone from supposed rookies to the most dominant force in the company practically over night. So the question is, what do you see for these guys individually in the future? We all know this isn't going to last forever.

Wade Barrett- I really like this guy, I even liked him on NXT. I really think he could be everything that Regal never was. The diabolical Brit heel, well spoken and just a heat magnet anywhere he goes. I don't think Wade is going to have a problem once the NXT thing dissolves... don't forget about the title shot thing still looming in the background.

Justin Gabriel- There's something about this guy that has really grown on me recently. I honestly didn't think he'd be able to pull off the heel thing but damn if it hasn't worked with him. He looks as though he could be an extremely versatile competitor and honestly looks pretty bad ass as a heel. With guys also coming up such as Bourne, Morrison, Kofi...ect ect I can really see some pretty awesome feud options for him in the future. He's flashy enough to oo and ah the crowd and be an easy face, but he also seems to carry himself pretty damn well as a heel.

David Otunga- There was already huge buzz around this guy while on NXT, we all know he's got the big Hollywood style persona but we haven't seen much of him in the ring. TBH, he looks a lot bigger than he is, which can help or hurt him. We all thought the guy was huge, until we saw him next to guys like Cena. As long as Otunga can keep himself standing out as a big personality in a pretty gimmickless era of WWE he should be safe.

Skip Sheffield- He works as the big meat head enforcer, perhaps a bodyguard role. However there are so many people who do the same thing, and do it that much better.

Heath Slater/Darren Young- Yeah.... gonna have to pass on both of these guys...

 

[THE Brian Kendrick's Biceps]

I'll give you how I rank them from top to bottom.

Michael Tarver - Mic work? Check. Talent in the ring that WWE have thus far failed to capitalise on? Check. Charisma and the look? Double check. This guy is just a flat out badass. I probably rank him about equally with Barrett on everything else, but I just love a good badass who you KNOW you wouldn't mess with. He reminds me of why I miss Zeke so much, and with his awesome mic skills to go on top of that, he's one guy who I think gets way less credit than he deserves.

Wade Barrett - He's pretty good. Nowhere near as good as he's hyped up to be, especially in the ring where I'd say he's just average at this point at best, but on the mic his delivery is pretty great. He fits the WWE mould in that he's big, and he can certainly look menacing. I only wish he didn't have that tattoo on his arm, because it really ruins that suave sort of feel he would otherwise have. If it looked to have some sort of meaning I wouldn't mind, but it's just one of those tattoos for the sake of "Hey, let's get a tattoo".

Justin Gabriel - Ranks just below my two favourites. Of the guys left from NXT, he's probably the second in terms of in ring talent, even if a little spotty. Like noum, I really doubted he could make the transition to being a heel, but I think his role works fine. He doesn't have to speak much, which is obviously a positive, but he looks a whole lot darker. The smile is gone, which is a major positive, because the expression of seriousness he now carries really works. His hair too, even of just a small thing, with the highlights and trim around the side looks much more badass. Not sure if it's an intentional thing, but it instantly makes him much more heelish. Hopefully with this role of not having to speak on the mic too often he'll be able to slowly get over his stagefright, because I actually think he has a huge upside.

Darren Young - The best of the batch in terms of in ring skills (aside from AmDrag, obviously, who's gone). Despite the fact he didn't have that much of a chance to show it on NXT, he may be the one to watch in the future. His lack of character and any distinguishing features that draws me to him has him this low, and it's only his vastly superior in ring skills that have him higher than Otunga, but if he gets the time to find some character, I think he'll be a bolter. He's certainly got the talent.

David Otunga - He really doesn't fit in with this whole invasion type of thing. His gimmick on NXT was that he was too good for everyone else because of who he was, and I didn't mind that. In fact, I would have liked to have seen him get embarrassed, walk away, have some time in FCW to improve his obviously flawed ring work, then come back an angry man out for revenge for those who embarrassed him. Obviously with the invasion that's gone, and since then his character has become, well, nothing. He doesn't fit in with the badass vibe that these guys have going. Maybe it's his lisp, maybe it's his almost squeaky voice, or maybe it's his look, but he simply doesn't fit in. Still, I rank him above a few others, because he has the potential in the charisma department outside of this group.

Heath Slater - From the moment I saw Heath Slater on NXT, I wanted to punch him in the face. He simply had to turn heel. And now he has, and yet WWE have failed to capitalise on the fact that he's an annoying fucker I want to knock out. I know NXT is meant to be serious, but hey, let's do something different and give this guy back his natural ability to annoy someone and let him use it. Nexus beats someone down? Have Slater rub it in. Have him dance around over them like a dick. Have him really rub it in. The other can stay serious, but make Slater that over the top guy who I want to smash in the jaw again. Surely if he can do it as a face, he can do it as a heel. At the moment, he hasn't got a whole lot going for him, but he doesn't have that much going against him either.

Skip Sheffield - Oh Skip. How oh how can I take you seriously? With your goofy little sayings, your ever so dopey face, and your all-round comical appearance? I understand Nexus want an enforcer or bigger guy, but Skip doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's because NXT is still fresh in my mind, and I can remember how goofy Sheffield looks smiling, or how stupid he was with his whole "HEY WILLIAM REGAL I'M SHIT TEACH ME YIP YIP YIP WHATEVER" shtick, and maybe it'll go in time, but for now, Skip is the bottom of the barrel. Ask me again in three months when hopefully these guys are still together, and he may be higher. In fact, the whole list may have changed. But for now he's at the bottom, even if he does rock a mean lariato.

 

[MizMasta3000]

Skip Sheffield has seriously grown on me. I will not lie; I absolutely hated him in NXT because he was trying too hard to get over. Now he does less talking and he's really intimidating and he's one of my favorites of the group. I think that in the future he's going to be a huge star. His mic skills are improving and he's added a certain aggression and intensitiy to him that I really like. He's simply a beast now which shows me that his NXT run was a front.

David Otunga: I'm not really feeling him right now. I think that soon, the Nexus is going to trim down to four or so people. I just don't think he has flowed with the whole Nexus style. I think Otunga would be much better off doing something seperate from Nexus on SD or something.

Darren Young: I always secretly like him. I just think he needs a haircut and to lose the John Morrison mic skills

As far as the rest goes, BKB said it best

 

[-TJ-]

Besides the fact Sheffield has a comical red neck appearance, the guy is still built like a beast. Maybe with a more serious attitude, he'll change.

Now the thing with Tarver, I feel that his look since the Nexus has made him badass. He seriously is a badass guy, but is so pushed down, I believe his role in Nexus is lower than even Slater's... Hopefully they'll fix that.

Gabriel looks darker which is the best thing he can do to be heel. Young was squashed by Cena, but I believe he can be waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy better.

Barrett is the leader for a reason. Great mic skills are one of the main keys to building feuds and factions and I believe Barrett can.

I believe you're right about Slater, have him be over the top and likes to rub it in when you're down. It'll make his place better.

Otunga now... Like you said, he doesn't fit the mould of the Nexus group. It contradicts his original gimmick in NXT. One would expect him to be against Barrett, because Barrett won. But he's with him... Doesn't make much sense.

 

[noumenon]

I still get the feeling that they're almost saving Gabriel a bit. Quite a few times he's looked hesitant to hit that 450 splash. He's a guy who can easily go either way with heel or face so I'm interested to see where it goes. He's also the perfect example that a few tweaks in image can make all the difference for a character. Dying the hair a bit darker, cutting it shorter, darker tan and black trunks really put his looks over edge for a heel and it works perfectly.

Skip isn't honestly all that bad on the mic, not of these guys really are with the exception of maybe Darren Young.

 

[21403]

Sheffield: Good in the ring. Will be a star in the near future. I have liked him since NXT and I still like him in the Nexus. And as far as him being a ripoff of Stone Cold, somebody has to get over with the fans somehow.

Barrett: A definite star in the near future. He was very impressive in NXT, it sometimes felt that he already belonged on the main roster. Good in ring skills to boot.

Tarver: Sucks. Whining about how you don't care you got eliminated and how you were the star of NXT is only going to get you so far. Has done nothing impressive in the ring.

Otunga: Will be a star. He needs to refine his wrestling skills and tweak his mic skills a little bit. Has a great size. Look for him in the near future.

Slater: Gingers don't have souls

Young: Why waste energy typing about him. Sucks.


Gabriel: Will also be a star. People said he wouldn't work as a heel, he and I knew that he could be a heel. He's a pretty boy which already makes him over with the ladies. Hes a awesome wrestler as you can see. Its only a matter of time that we will see him in the midcard, or even higher.

 

[He who knows more than Nation]

I really like Sheffield, even though his roids induced moles are uglier than all fuck. He's getting really intense with his brief promos, and from what I saw on Monday, when he punked Morrison, he has better mic skills than Morrison.

Barrett is a stud and really could be a big ticket overseas if promoted in a match with Sheamus in a few years.

I don't know what to make of Otunga. His mic skills are o.k and could probably improved. But when I see him in the ring, he is really awkward, like he is afraid to get hurt and to hurt other people. And it comes off as really sloppy work.

Justin Gabriel, in my opinion, is a one trick pony. Ohhhh, he has a nice, shinny flippy move. And that's where it begins and ends with him.

Tarver has a good look and is decent on the mic. I don't know what to make of his rings skills, they aren't bad, but not great by any means, I think he has a brighter future than that other black dude with the Goku-Don King hair.

Heath Slater has grown on me. His mic skills are better than Gabriel, that Saiyan black dude, Otunga and even Tarver. And he is better in the ring than all of them too. I think he has a brighter future than Gabriel and Don King Jr. for sure.

 

[THE Brian Kendrick's Biceps]

I still get the feeling that they're almost saving Gabriel a bit. Quite a few times he's looked hesitant to hit that 450 splash. He's a guy who can easily go either way with heel or face so I'm interested to see where it goes. He's also the perfect example that a few tweaks in image can make all the difference for a character. Dying the hair a bit darker, cutting it shorter, darker tan and black trunks really put his looks over edge for a heel and it works perfectly.

Skip isn't honestly all that bad on the mic, not of these guys really are with the exception of maybe Darren Young.

I don't know if they're saving him so much as they're trying to give him that dark edge. When he's on the top rope, to me, it almost looks like he's looking down at the guy he's about to land on with contempt.

 

[MizMasta3000]

I said this before: Gabriel is going to be one that's to break free from the Nexus. You can tell that each 450 he hits he does with hesitation and soon he's going to refuse to do it and leave Nexus. Thus, opening up a sweet face turn. The crowd was in love with him in NXT. It won't take much of anything to gain that back.

 

[CMS]

I actually agree with BKB. I don't think it's hesitation, I see it more as him looking down on his opponent, enjoying every moment of what he's doing. In other words, is an attempt at being methodical

 

[Pat Patterson]

I love the Nexus. They have the look, they have fantastic hairless bodies. Wade Barrett is everything he claims to be. He is a world champion in his own mind, but he will realize that goal sooner than later I am certain.

I was quite jealous of Vince when he took that beating at the strong hands of those 7 men. Oh to be gang-beaten by the Nexus... I wish I could be so lucky. But I digress.

David Otunga is dangerous in the ring. He is a hot mullato man with the hair of a diva, but he cannot wrestle to save his life. He will injure someone with his finishing move one day.

 

[Luke Flywalker]

Doesn't Gabriel have stage-fright? I see him as terrified when he looks around at the crowd from the top rope >_>... but it sells as heelish - somehow.

Wade Barrett is the man. The look, the style, the mic skills... he's going to be a legend one of these days. I think he's still got to refine his own in-ring work a bit... he's not gotten much offensive momentum on his own.

Otunga, his in-ring work is sloppy, but still pretty solid overall considering. Once he learns to trust himself and his opponents, he'll be alright. I'll give him some time.

Tarver is a beast. His in-ring work was solid. And as weak and stereotypical as it seems, the mask is actually a great look for the guy. If the E would let him use his striking style a bit more, he'd definitely shine.

Skip Sheffield has adopted his enforcer role, and done great with it. While he's a one-move man in the ring right now, that one move is pretty damn lethal. His lariat has taken out Cena... that's good enough for me.

Slater tends to get on my nerves, he comes off as someone who is still trying to make an impact... but I think it's a trait that could play in his favor. He's got a pretty solid moveset... could be better on the stick.

Darren Young, I see him gone, tbh. I feel like he's failed to capitalize on his opportunities. If Nexus lasts, I see some of the season 2 guys making their way on board with Nexus over him.

 

[CMS]

See, this is another thing? Why would the current Nexus let some guys from the second season in? They aren't exactly a pro rookie movement, they were supposed to get together because they formed a bond during their season and promised they would all get contracts. Nobody else from Season 2 fits in there

 

[21403]

See, this is another thing? Why would the current Nexus let some guys from the second season in? They aren't exactly a pro rookie movement, they were supposed to get together because they formed a bond during their season and promised they would all get contracts. Nobody else from Season 2 fits in there

Maybe because the Nexus were in the rookies shoes. That should be the overall goal for all the rookies, to get contracts no matter what.

 

[-TJ-]

As far as I know the Nexus doesn't pity anyone. So why show pity for NXT Season 2 rookies, hell didn't the nexus beat the shit out of some of the NXT Season 2 rookies on NXT last week?

Plus the overall goal for the rookies to get contracts, but Nexus already has them, plus it was already stated that they formed a bond before NXT Season 1 started. See the connection here? Why would th Nexus waste more time and energy on NXT Season 2 rookies after what I have just said. They don't pity, they formed a bond with eachother, and they beat the shit out of the season 2 rookies.