In an exclusive interview with Inside The Ropes’ Kenny McIntosh, former WWE Superstar Heath Slater opened up about one of the most controversial booking decisions of the PG Era—The Nexus’ loss to Team WWE at SummerSlam 2010—a result he says derailed the faction’s momentum entirely.
The Nexus had been booked as a dominant, rebellious force upon their arrival, and their main event showdown in a 7-on-7 elimination match at SummerSlam was meant to solidify their status as WWE’s next big threat. But instead, John Cena overcame the odds, defeating the final two Nexus members shortly after being DDT’d onto the concrete floor—a finish that drew sharp criticism from fans and talent alike.
Slater recalled the moment everything changed backstage, just after doors had opened:
“It was amazing being a part of SummerSlam, being the main event, and being in a hot story of that size. The outcome sucked. Because when we first got there, we were going over the match finish, and we’re going over. So we were like, ‘Oh crap, we’re taking over.’ Literally, an hour after doors opened, maybe, everything got changed. We’re not winning anymore—we’re losing. And we’re all just like, ‘That makes no sense.’”
Slater continued, explaining how the group envisioned a long-term storyline arc that would culminate at WrestleMania, not a one-night loss:
“You’d think they would let us have WWE in jeopardy. Move on. Here comes Mania. Get your supergroup, your Avengers, have them come in and beat us—easy as that. I tell the story as if we had a rocket ship between our legs headed to the moon, and before we landed, we ran out of gas. That took the wind out of our sails.”
According to Slater, the sudden change came after John Cena reportedly objected to the original finish. Although Edge and Chris Jericho, who helped structure the match, supported The Nexus going over, they were overruled:
“Edge and Jericho were the ones that put the whole match together, made it make sense—and it was good. Then Cena didn’t like it, is the story I’ve heard. So he wanted to change it. Edge and Chris went to bat for us. They were all for it. Then it got switched and Jericho and Edge were pissed. They were just like, ‘Are you kidding? Are you serious? This ain’t good for the story. This is just for his ego.’”
Reflecting on the fallout from that night, Slater said the decision left the group unable to recover its momentum:
“What got me is that once they beat us, it takes the threat away. So us trying to get Cena to join Nexus, or have a match where Wade wins and now Cena has to join Nexus—but he fights underneath… It’s like, have us win, and then we make the stipulation that Cena is in Nexus. Then have him beat us from the inside. Not beat us, join us, and beat us again. It’s like, come on, man.”
“I get you want to be Superman, but this story is great—and now it’s watered down and tainted to the point that it’s not believable. We couldn’t get the steam back after SummerSlam.”
The Nexus’ shocking defeat remains one of the most debated decisions in modern WWE history. For Heath Slater, it wasn’t just a missed opportunity—it was the moment the group’s future was cut short before it could truly take off.
