The original Nexus were arguably the biggest missed opportunity in WWE history because the night of their debut was so memorable and iconic. Recently during his interview with ESPN, Fred Rosser, formerly known to the WWE Universe as Darren Young shed some light on that night, and how it was received backstage.

That night saw the eight men of the first NXT season (Young, Skip Sheffield, Michael Tarver, Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, David Otunga and Daniel Bryan) brutally attack John Cena after the main event on RAW. According to Young “only Cena, Vince McMahon and Nexus were in on it.” For WWE to keep such a thing secret is absolutely incredible to the point where Young went over to a timekeeper and “could see the fear in his eyes, because he didn’t know I was about to attack him”, and that gives WWE the feeling of surprise and legitimacy that is so desperately needs.

Obviously this thrust all eight men, perceived as rookies in the locker room, straight to the main event of WWE’s flagship program, and as Young recalls, “everyone in the back was shocked, but there were a lot of people who didn’t like us coming in and going straight to the top.” That’s understandable, but it’s very unfortunate that WWE didn’t keep their push going, because this group, led by Barrett, could have gone on to become one of the biggest things in WWE history. But they pulled out at the risk of sacrificing John Cena, and as they say, the rest is history.

So what do you guys think? Was it deserved criticism and skepticism from the locker room in the back? Should the WWE have done more with the original Nexus? Is there any way that WWE manage to keep something a secret like this in today’s wrestling landscape? Let us know all your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.