Heath Claims 'Superman' Changed Big Nexus WWE PPV Finish Last Minute
In 2010, there was arguably no hotter act than Nexus, a stable featuring Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel (PJ Black), Heath Slater, and David Otunga, among others, that attempted to take over the WWE main roster. The group's peak occurred at WWE SummerSlam that year, where Nexus ultimately came up short against a squad of WWE all-stars, including John Cena, Bret Hart, Chris Jericho, Edge, John Morrison, R-Truth, and Daniel Bryan). While he's overall happy with that show, Slater, who is now simply called Heath in Impact Wrestling, does wish one thing had gone differently.
"SummerSlam was amazing, main eventing and everything. Getting in the ring with Bret Hart was fantastic. But SummerSlam should've went differently," Heath said in an interview with Adrian Hernandez of 1140 AM Las Vegas. "Because we had WWE by the throat, but they never let us clench it, you know what I mean? They never let it be like 'Holy crap! These guys are legit taking over!' We were there. We had it. But then Superman had to go in there and change everything."
The "Superman" code Heath uses is in reference to John Cena, who led the WWE team against Nexus that evening. Several who worked for WWE at the time have agreed in the past with Heath's opinion that Nexus lost too soon, and Cena would admit years later that he "guessed wrong" regarding his input on the finish to the match.
"We were winning though. We were definitely winning. We got there and they said we were up," Heath added. "Me, Gabriel, and Wade were the last three in the ring. And then the next thing I know, an hour before the PPV starts, it all goes to crap, and we're all like 'Whoa what? What's happening now?' They had to switch it all." The group would eventually morph into the New Nexus early the following year, with CM Punk as its leader and many of its original members out. By August 2011, Nexus had dissolved entirely.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The BET 1140 AM Las Vegas and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription