The Great Khali def. Edge by Count-out
The fabric of the squad assembled to combat The Nexus continued to fray. After overhearing Edge complain about his inclusion in the group, The Great Khali challenged his potential teammate to a match. During the bout, The Nexus sauntered to the ring, prompting The Ultimate Opportunist to flee the squared circle. While Khali may have won by count-out, his situation looked precarious when The Nexus surrounded him. Rather than pummel The Punjabi Playboy, though, the group allowed him to go free.

The Nexus def. Mark Henry, Evan Bourne, David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, Yoshi Tatsu, Jerry Lawler & Goldust in a 7-on-7 Elimination Match
The Nexus looked like they were in seven Heaven. In a possible preview of their 7-on-7 Elimination Match at SummerSlam, the “N”-labeled squad thoroughly dominated a select group of Raw Superstars in the same match. The seven deadly sinners of Nexus used teamwork like a sledgehammer to crush their opponents, who included native Texan Mark Henry, Evan Bourne, David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, Yoshi Tatsu, Jerry “The King” Lawler & Goldust. After tossing out all seven opponents and having no one from The Nexus ejected, Wade Barrett and Michael Tarver taunted their SummerSlam foes, pointing out that the team assembled by Cena would never get on the same page due to their inflated egos.

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In the glow of victory over Mark Henry, Barrett was joined by his Nexus cronies, who awaited a meeting with John Cena. Earlier in the evening, a flustered Cena hinted that he may be open to joining the group that had cost him everything. And while Nexus initially hinted that they may be open to a truce, Barrett insisted on more. He told Cena that, in order to further his career at WWE, he must join The Nexus. Cena refused, though, and informed Nexus that they should enjoy the next three weeks because at SummerSlam, The Nexus isn’t going to make history, “The Nexus is history!”

Cena’s disposition changed when he announced the formation of his own group, including Edge, John Morrison, R-Truth, The Great Khali, Chris Jericho and WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart, who hadn’t been seen since The Nexus had attacked him! The newly formed group then charged the ring and chased off the outlaw group.

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The intense rivalry between The Nexus and the Raw locker room has gotten increasingly heated this summer. It only makes sense, then, that an assemblage of Raw’s most battle-hardened warriors will put aside their differences when they face off against the vicious season one NXT Rookies in a 7-on-7 Tag Team Match at SummerSlam, summer’s hottest event.

Not only will Edge, Chris Jericho, R-Truth, John Morrison and The Great Khali join John Cena to quell this growing threat to Raw, but former Raw General Manager and WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hit Man” Hart will stand alongside the seven-time WWE Champion in this momentous bout that is sure to shake the WWE Universe to its core.

When they made their explosive debut on Raw, The Nexus targeted then-WWE Champion Cena to send a clear message to the WWE Universe: NXT’s first graduating class is a force to be reckoned with. The group – led by NXT season one winner Wade Barrett – soon widened their scope of savagery to include the entire Raw roster because, as Barrett proclaimed, “If you’re not Nexus, you’re against us.”

Not content with roughing up Superstars, The Nexus turned their aggression on Raw’s former GM Bret Hart, viciously assaulting the Hall of Famer in a parking lot demanding and that he grant them WWE contracts. With The “Hit Man” out of the equation, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon – in a move that he thought would sate the group’s thirst for destruction – replaced Hart with an anonymous new GM, who immediately hired The Nexus to Raw. Big mistake.

In a blatant display of disrespect, The Nexus brutalized Mr. McMahon later that night, going on to send shockwaves throughout the WWE Universe when they decimated WWE Legends such as Arn Anderson, Jerry “The King” Lawler and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, showing that there are no lines the furious upstarts won’t cross.

Just one night after costing Cena the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank, The Nexus boldly declared that they’d end their invasion of Raw if Cena joined their ranks. But the seven-time WWE Champion had a bombshell of his own to drop: He’s been forming a team to challenge the rebel faction at SummerSlam – a squad determined to make sure The Nexus will not go down in history, but rather ensure that the arm-banded warriors simply are history.

Can Cena’s team topple The Nexus once and for all? Or will the rebellious NXT season one Rookies continue to tighten their vice-like grip on Monday Night Raw? Find out by tuning in to SummerSlam on Aug. 15, only on pay-per-view.

Not even the impassable, entwined metal of a steel cage could keep The Nexus from interfering. The sadistic structure was meant to prevent the seven deadly sinners from involving themselves in the Steel Cage Match pitting WWE Champion Sheamus against John Cena, but the rebel group still foiled Cena’s destiny as WWE Champ and allowed The Celtic Warrior to retain.

Toward the conclusion of the bout, The Nexus began to surround the ring. But before they could enter the cage, a quick thinking referee stole the bolt cutters they brought while another ref hurled the key to the cage into the audience. While this development denied Nexus entry into the structure, it also narrowed the options of the two combatants.

In the heat of battle within the cage, the match referee was knocked out cold. The absence of a ref would prove critical to Cena, who forced his opponent to tap out. Sadly, the tap would not count since it was not officially recognized.

As a result, Cena ascended up the cage walls. The Nexus, however, eagerly awaited him on the outside of the sadistic structure. While tending to their preferred target, Cena, the band of bothers mostly took their eyes off the WWE Champion, who quickly began scaling the opposite side of the cage.

After climbing the metal behemoth, Cena began his descent and attempted to drop to the floor for the win. Unfortunately for him, The Nexus were there en masse to stop him, preventing his sneakers from reaching the floor. As Cena struggled to touch terra firma, The Celtic Warrior surpassed him, having scrambled down the steel entrapment on the other side and placed his boots squarely on the ground. There was no time to celebrate, however, since Nexus chased him off in the wake of his victory. While the Irishman beat a hasty retreat, his rival stuck around to punish several members of Nexus.

Despite Cena’s best efforts, The Nexus had once again thwarted his aspirations and deprived him of the WWE Championship. And once again, Sheamus was there to reap the rewards.

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The Nexus returned to their roots Tuesday night, wreaking havoc on WWE NXT. Wade Barrett led the pack of former NXT Rookies to victory in a 20-Man Over-the-Top Rope Battle Royal over the season two class and their WWE Pros, leaving an indelible mark on WWE NXT.

With the NXT Poll opening again next Wednesday on WWE.com, and the second elimination just two weeks away, The Nexus’ invasion of WWE NXT comes at a critical time in the NXT Rookies’ competition.

The Nexus returned to WWE NXT
Wade Barrett led The Nexus back to WWE NXT, just one night after they defeated John Cena in a 6-on-1 Handicap Match and attacked several Superstars on Raw. The former season one NXT Rookies were met with plenty of hesitation, but Barrett wished the season two class all of the best, and urged the WWE Pros not to instigate any trouble.

In two weeks the second NXT Rookie will be eliminated from the competition. Who will impress the WWE Universe and the WWE Pros the most in the hopes of becoming WWE’s next breakout star? Return to WWE.com Wednesday, July 21 to vote in the NXT Poll. The WWE Universe’s votes count for 50 percent!

The Nexus won the 20-Man Over-the-Top Rope Battle Royal
The Nexus has been sending shockwaves throughout Raw since banding together under the guidance of WWE NXT season one winner, Wade Barrett. Now, the former NXT Rookies have made their presence felt on season two of WWE NXT, winning a 20-Man Over-the-Top Rope Battle Royal against the current NXT Rookies and WWE Pros. The Nexus worked together as a perfect unit, using their strength in numbers to rid the ring of all of the current NXT Rookies. Then, they systematically eliminated the remaining WWE Pros – John Morrison, Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and Cody Rhodes – after United States Champion The Miz cowardly took himself out of the match.

After the Battle Royal, The Nexus continued their assault on the WWE Pros, leaving a strong message for the WWE Universe. Barrett said the Nexus returned to prove they could make a difference in WWE, regardless if they were labeled NXT Rookies in season one.

“One thing’s for certain: You’re either Nexus or you’re against us,” Barrett warned.

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The Nexus def. John Cena in a 6-on-1 Handicap Match
Even John Cena can’t stop a rising tide – not forever, anyway. After defying Raw’s anonymous General Manager, the seven-time WWE Champion was forced to compete against The Nexus in a 6-on-1 Handicap Match (Darren Young was out due to injuries suffered at the hands of Cena last week). Despite a valiant effort, Cena was simply overwhelmed by the numbers.

After losing the contest, Cena reevaluated and armed himself with a steel chair from ringside. He managed to lay some serious hurt on several members of The Nexus before his Money in the Bank steel cage opponent, WWE Champion Sheamus, intervened. Brandishing a chair of his own, The Celtic Warrior assisted Cena in clearing The Nexus from the ring. The Irishman was likely motivated by the fact that The Nexus went after him, too, during a series of locker room area beatdowns that targeted several Raw Superstars.

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SA’s lord of the ring

He uses his upper body and left arm to pin down his opponent and his biceps bulge as he rapidly shifts position so he doesn’t lose his grip. His opponent uses all his might to break loose but when the referee pounds the floor for the third time he gives a last jerk and submits.

The crowd in the arena goes wild and as Justin Gabriel raises his hands triumphantly it seems he can’t stop smiling. And for good reason: he has made history by becoming the first NXT newcomer to beat a professional WWE wrestler. He’s also the first South African in the history of professional wrestling to land a WWE contract.

With his muscular body, sweatband, white wrestling costume and tousled black hair he looks similar to any of his American colleagues. But Justin Gabriel is Paul Lloyd, who was born in Cape Town and has spent most of the 20 years he has been wrestling fighting in South African rings.

To hear crowds applauding him now is like a dream come true and Paul often has to pinch himself to make sure it’s all real.

He was mad about wrestling even as a kid, the 29-year-old strongman says from the American state of Florida, where he has lived for the past few months.

In his day his grandfather was an amateur wrestler and professional boxer and his dad, also Paul Lloyd, was a seasoned wrestler known as The Pink Panther.

So the sport was in young Paul’s blood and as a boy he would often watch his father’s fights. The wrestling bug really bit when the spectacular contests of World Wrestling Entertainment were broadcast on local TV for the first time.

Now he’s part of this exciting world and although he did not win this year’s WWE NXT season he has signed a contract with WWE Raw and will make a guest appearance in the second season of NXT.

Find out how the South African wrestler made his dream come true in YOU’s 15 July issue. And look out for him on our local screens.

Source

The Nexus had to know this day would come. The group of outlaws have ridden roughshod over the WWE landscape seemingly free of consequence. Until now.

Through mouthpiece Michael Cole, Raw’s anonymous General Manager e-mailed to inform The Nexus that none of their members may compete for any WWE title until further notice, including Wade Barrett, who has a guaranteed championship match of his choice.

While the seven were visibly irate, John Cena, the target of much of their ire, entered and appeared itching for a fight. He brought six other Superstars with him to confront the group: Randy Orton, R-Truth, Evan Bourne, John Morrison & Unified Tag Team Champions The Hart Dynasty.

Before the 14 could saddle up to fight, however, WWE Champion Sheamus, United States Champion The Miz, Edge, Chris Jericho, Ted DiBiase & The Usos ambushed Cena’s posse as The Nexus scattered throughout the arena.

After the dust settled, Cole received another email. The mystery GM told the Superstars to simmer, that later in the evening all of the competitors in the Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match in two weeks will compete against one another. The still-anonymous GM also implored Cena to call a truce and shake the hand of Barrett. When Cena resisted the idea, the mystery GM asked Cena to do the “right thing” before cryptically adding in the e-mail, “and that’s the bottom line because the GM said so.”

During “truce” handshake, John Cena retaliated against Wade Barrett and The Nexus; mystery GM arranged Cena vs. The Nexus in 7-on-1 Handicap Match next week
John Cena is nothing if not a man of his word. That being the case, the seven-time WWE Champion showed up in the ring, as ordered by Raw’s mystery GM, to commence a truce ceremony with The Nexus’s de facto leader, Wade Barrett. While the Brit tried to assure his rival that his group’s attacks weren’t personal, Cena remained understandably skeptical.

But Barrett offered his hand to seal the truce, and Cena finally accepted. When The Nexus boss attempted to pull away, however, he quickly found himself angling for an Attitude Adjustment. Before Cena could lower the guillotine, though, he was attacked by The Nexus’ remaining six members. Just then, Cena’s pals rolled in for the rescue, including Mark Henry, David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, John Morrison, Evan Bourne, Goldust, Yoshi Tatsu, Santino Marella, Vladimir Kozlov and The Great Khali.

The Nexus escaped, though, except for Darren Young, who suffered an STF at the hands of Cena. As a means of punishment, the mystery GM is forcing Cena to face The Nexus next week in a 7-on-1 Handicap Match.

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