During a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet, former WWE star David Otunga opened up about the infamous WWE SummerSlam 2010 main event, where Team Nexus lost to Team WWE led by John Cena. Otunga confirmed long-standing rumors that Cena was responsible for the faction’s defeat — a moment many fans see as the turning point that derailed Nexus’ momentum.
Below are the highlights, courtesy of ChrisVanVliet.com:
“[Do you think John Cena buried The Nexus?] Oh yeah, that’s 100% accurate. I mean, that’s what happened, that is what happened.”
Otunga stated that Nexus had been booked to win throughout the day, but things changed backstage.
“[Is it because Cena wanted to go over in that match?] Yes. And I don’t know why he wanted to go over, but we knew all day we were supposed to go over, and then things started getting weird, and then they tell us, no, the finish changed, and it’s because John wanted to go over, and we weren’t happy about that. The other guys in the match weren’t happy about that. And if I’m being honest, I think John probably knows that wasn’t the right idea. I mean, maybe obviously, at the time, he thought that was the right call, but in retrospect, I don’t even think he would agree that that was the right thing to do.”
According to Otunga, the original plan was a Nexus victory, though he wasn’t privy to the exact finish:
“[So what was the finish supposed to be?] I know we were supposed to go over. I don’t know how. I don’t know how many of us there were [supposed to be left in the match], but there were some shenanigans [planned] and ultimately, we went over.”
He emphasized how the loss crippled the faction’s momentum:
“You spend six months or however long it was building this faction, and we’re the strongest thing, we’re the hottest thing they have. Then now, why would you have us lose that? This is the main event. To really build these new stars, you want us to keep going. We could have rode this all the way to Mania, but then after that, we’ve now lost and that took us down a few pegs. After that, we never regained the steam. They ended up separating us.”
Otunga also revealed that WWE had internal storyline plans that were abruptly pulled:
“Even then they started to have a good storyline going where we were gonna oust Wade Barrett, and I was gonna take over. I remember, I kicked him out of the group. I think it was Raw, and then the next week, I was supposed to then become the leader. However, then it’s hey, surprise guys, we got a new leader for you, CM Punk. Wait, what? How does this fit in? And I guess he needed a faction. Straight Edge Society was done and he needed a new faction. So I don’t know why they decided just to give him Nexus. So then the storyline that we had going just stopped, and now we’re The New Nexus with CM Punk, which, eh. It never really took off, I think, because it was a disconnect for the fans too.”
He also addressed the long-held rumor that Vince McMahon insisted on a “happy ending” for SummerSlam:
“[On the rumor that Vince McMahon wanted SummerSlam to end on a happy note] I’ve heard that before too, because I know on house shows they would do that, have the babyface up at the end, but not necessarily on pay-per-views. Maybe that did come into play, and they thought about that, but that still wasn’t the right idea. That’s like, you know, winning the battle, but losing the war ultimately.”
Otunga’s comments add further detail to one of WWE’s most debated booking decisions — a moment many still believe marked the premature downfall of Nexus.
