The Original WWE Nexus 8: Where Are They Now?
6. Justin Gabriel
Usually, it's WWE pitching the bird-brained gimmick to the talent, and not the other way 'round - but in the case of Justin Gabriel, the man virtually drafted his own release papers with the 'Darewolf' pitch: a daredevil/werewolf hybrid conceived, you have to think, on a pun-first, gimmick-later basis. Gabriel alleges that Vince McMahon was a fan - it was both naff, and a pun, so of course he was - but Triple H hated the idea.
In a sort of spiteful, be-careful-what-you-wish-for scenario, Gabriel did find himself behind fur, only in the guise of Adam Rose's bunny associate.
It's a shame; with the obvious exception of Daniel Bryan, Gabriel was the most naturally talented of the lot, a slick and at times spectacular talent who wrestled a style that WWE later embraced. The problem is that, post-NXT, the Indy starlets who excelled at that style relegated Gabriel in the hearts of those who once got behind him, at least on some message boards.
Happily, as PJ Black, Gabriel has reinvented himself and found a not inconsiderable level of cult fame in Lucha Underground. Though he initially took the bitter, pandering post-WWE route many travel, by singling Triple H out as the harbinger of doom, he has quietly re-entered relevance with a more humble approach.