10 Times Great Wrestling Was Ruined By Bad Writing

2. Team WWE Vs. The Nexus (WWE SummerSlam 2010)

seth rollins dean ambrose
WWE.com

Of all the burials on John Cena’s resumé, what he did to The Nexus might just be the worst.

The Nexus literally tore WWE apart in their debut. Interrupting a match between Cena and CM Punk, they beat the tar out of everyone at ringside (staff included), trashed everything they could lay their hands on, and even started deconstructing the ring. It remains one of the most memorable debuts in WWE history. They soon went on an unbelievable tear through the WWE roster.

Cena was a frequent target, and the group cost him the WWE Championship on a number of occasions. Fed up, Cena recruited a team of wrestlers who’d also been wronged by The Nexus to take them on in a 7-on-7 elimination match at SummerSlam 2010. What followed was the spectacular destruction of a white-hot angle.

Super Cena single-handedly pinned Justin Gabriel then Wade Barrett in the closing stretch, and The Nexus’ heat was effectively dead. Cena systematically destroyed them, and the angle nosed-dived thereafter, with Cena putting the final nail in Barrett’s coffin by defeating him at Bragging Rights that October. In having Cena eviscerate The Nexus, WWE ruined what could have been one of the most memorable angles in wrestling history. A shockingly self-destructive piece of writing.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.