10 Greatest Ever Formations Of Wrestling Factions

4. The Nexus

D-Generation X
WWE.com

In terms of catching lightning in a bottle, WWE did just that when the Nexus first made their mark on the 7 June 2010 edition of Raw.

Rookies brought into the WWE system as part of a pseudo gameshow, eager to take an opportunity rather than wait for one, it was the perfect storm when Wade Barrett led that first class of NXT contestants on a warpath that took out golden goose John Cena, CM Punk, Jerry Lawler and anyone and any thing in and around the Raw ring.

This moment was sold perfectly, with a shocked silence - both from the commentary table and the watching crowd - falling over the action, as the Nexus destroyed everything.

While Barrett had emerged from that first season of NXT as the 'winner' and true standout star, the debut of the Nexus established another six names alongside the Brit as genuine stars set to make an impact. And for those first few months, the faction undoubtedly did make a massive impact.

Once the Nexus lost a six-on-six contest at that August's SummerSlam, that took the legs from under the group - and in particular Wade Barrett - as a stable that had so much potential eventually became an afterthought and a joke before all involved went their separate ways.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.