Chris Jericho warned several WWE stars they might never be main-eventers again, former IC Champion recalls
Chris Jericho is widely viewed as one of the most respected wrestlers in the business. In a recent YouTube video, former WWE Intercontinental Champion Ryback recalled how the current AEW talent once gave The Nexus some stern advice backstage.
The Nexus debuted on WWE television in 2010. The villainous group consisted of Daniel Bryan, Darren Young, David Otunga, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Michael Tarver, Skip Sheffield (Ryback), and Wade Barrett.
On his Ryback TV channel, Ryback said Jericho was less than impressed after facing the stable at a live event shortly after their debut:
"Chris Jericho pulled us aside after the match because the match had a few mess-ups in it. He essentially cut a promo on us in a respectful, nice way but made it very clear that we as a group had to step up, and that we were all in the main event now, and that this would be possibly the only time in our careers that we would be in the main event." [1:23 – 1:46]
The Nexus gradually disbanded after losing to Team WWE in a seven-on-seven elimination match in the SummerSlam 2010 main event. Jericho wanted The Nexus to win, but John Cena allegedly convinced Vince McMahon to book Team WWE as the winner.
Ryback took Chris Jericho's advice on board
Over the next few years, only Ryback and Wade Barrett remained close to the main-event picture. Daniel Bryan also became one of WWE's top stars, but he had already been fired by the time Chris Jericho told The Nexus to step up.
Ryback had no problem with Jericho giving the inexperienced faction a wake-up call:
"He was right for multiple talents in the group. For others of us, we were lucky to go on and have main-event runs, but we couldn't take that for granted. We didn't know what the future held. We were being thrown into the shark tank right from the get-go." [1:46 – 1:59]
More than a decade on, The Nexus' debut is still regarded by many as one of the best in WWE history. Their first appearance took place on the June 7, 2010, episode of RAW. The group attacked several superstars, including John Cena, before dismantling the ringside area.
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Please credit Ryback TV and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.