Speaking with TMZ Inside The Ring, David Otunga shared the story behind the iconic 2010 debut of The Nexus. He revealed that the nature of the invasion was fueled by a real threat from Vince McMahon, who told the eight rookies they would be fired if the attack didn’t look believable enough.
“With Nexus, it was so organic. And I’ll tell you what made it real is that it was real,” Otunga said, explaining that the group had just finished the first season of NXT and believed their WWE careers were over. “We thought that we were going to be fired, really. Right before the show started, they call us into Vince’s office… and Vince tells us, ‘And if it doesn’t look vicious enough, you’re fired.’”
That threat created immense pressure, especially for Otunga, who was tasked with throwing the first punch. “I was really green… when Vince said, ‘Hey, if it doesn’t look good, you’re fired,’ I was like, ‘Well, we gotta really start.’ Chad Patton, sorry buddy, but you’re gonna have to eat one,” he recalled.
The beatdown was so realistic that it fooled many backstage, who were not informed of the angle. “When we got backstage, some of the boys, some of the other wrestlers, were lined up because they were going to fight us,” Otunga revealed. “They thought, ‘Oh my god.’ Seriously, they weren’t smartened up to it. They thought we really went crazy.”
The Nexus made their shocking debut on the June 7, 2010, episode of Monday Night Raw, decimating John Cena, CM Punk, the ringside area, and WWE personnel. The segment is still regarded as one of the most effective and memorable debuts in company history.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit TMZ Inside The Ring with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
