10 Wrestling Matches Much Better Than Their Reputations

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

Sting With Triple H
WWE.com

Another example of a questionable outcome completely overshadowing an otherwise excellent match, The Nexus vs. Team WWE was an outstanding, exciting take on the elimination tag format that legitimately enhanced most of its younger participants, despite their group's eventual burial.

Daniel Bryan drew a great pop as Team WWE's mystery man. From there, Darren Young and Michael Tarver played cannon fodder, but Skip Sheffield and Heath Slater both looked great, notching two eliminations apiece. Wade Barrett, the Nexus' conductor, enacted revenge on Bryan by putting him away after The Miz's interference, having held court throughout. Justin Gabriel? He lasted all the way to the final three, and David Otunga didn't look out of place either.

A red-hot atmosphere helped take this well-paced scramble to the next level, with a surprisingly giving John Cena selling well prior to the closing stretch. Then, his bad side emerged. On a night when The Nexus absolutely should've gone over, Super Cena single-handedly defeated Gabriel and Barrett, kickstarting the exciting stable's slide towards irrelevance. WWE got the booking all wrong, even if the action preceding it is stellar in hindsight.

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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.