The Nexus: Where Are They Now?

I recently read comments by a wrestling fan/blogger that stated that The Nexus' debut and attack angle went nowhere. As I read this I thought to myself 'did this guy stop watching for the next six months?' and 'does this guy not watch now?'. I always read other people's blogs/articles/comments and try to respect everyone's opinion but this screamed 'crazy' to me.

Something I won't get into; because I REALLY don't need to, is the second half of his comment saying that the CM Punk promo (from last year) resulted in nothing, too...

The Nexus debuted on Raw, on Monday 7th June 2010, with NXT winner Wade Barrett appearing on the ramp staring down at the John Cena vs CM Punk match at the end of the show. A bemused Cena was wondering what was going on. Other NXT 'rookies' jumped the guardrail at ringside and preceded to beat down the Straight Edge Society (who were in Punk's corner). The eight NXTers then surrounded Cena in the ring before giving a vicious and devastating beating to John-boy. They weren't done there, continuing the assault at ringside, pulling the ring apart, beating on ring crew - Jerry Lawler, Justin Roberts and anyone in sight were targeted. After completely trashing the ringside area, they finished up by giving Cena their signature moves to end Raw in the one of the most controversial endings in Raw history.

Link: The Nexus debut on Raw (YouTube)

Unfortunately, Daniel Bryan's actions were seen as 'too violent' for the PG era viewers and was released immediately. The Nexus continued as a seven piece group.

This angle continued throughout the coming months; mainly focusing on Barrett and The Nexus sabotaging Cena's championship hopes at every turn. It even resulted in Cena being forced to join The Nexus. This was huge for a group who were 'rookies' one minute and taking on the top stars for the next few months.

Even though each guy in The Nexus (with a few exceptions) has gone onto other things, I'll break it down so that our misguided friend can appreciate that the debut of The Nexus DID lead to something:

Wade Barrett
After being booted out of The Nexus (due to John Cena's attacks), Barrett swapped Raw for Smackdown. Here he joined forced with Big Ezekiel Jackson, Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel (the latter two also jumping ship) to form The Corre - a group who were equal. This led to Barrett winning his first singles title - the Intercontinental Championship. After a quiet end to 2011 and a six month injury in 2012, Barrett is back and in the hunt for the World Title - something that must be in the his near future.
WWE Status: Upper-mid card, soon to be first English World Champion?

Daniel Bryan
Bryan wasn't in The Nexus for very long at all. He has since been a United States Champion, Money in the Bank winner and World Champion (due to cashing in MITB). Throughout 2012 Bryan had some of the best matches of the year with CM Punk and this increased the worth of Daniel Bryan. He is currently one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions with Kane. This is hilarious stuff most of the time! Also, he is really over due to the 'YES!' and 'NO!' chants.
WWE Status: Former World Champion, current Tag Team Champion, option to go back to main event, most decorated former member.

Skip Sheffield (Ryback)
After clearly being the 'muscle' of The Nexus, Sheffield broke his ankle in a house show fairly early on. This ended his association with the group. In April 2012, he returned and was repackaged as Ryback - a jobber squashing, Terminator-like character. Since this transformation, he has gone onto gain huge popularity and is currently challenging CM Punk for the WWE Championship.
WWE Status: Challenging for WWE Title, still needs time/experience.

Darren Young
After being thrown out of The Nexus after Summerslam 2010, Young didn't have a major role to play. He appeared on NXT Redemption and after having a major feud with Titus O'Neil, the two formed a tag team known as The Prime Time Players. This tag team was signed to Smackdown in April 2012 and have gone onto be one of the longest running teams in the division this year. With other teams forming in the last few months, The Players have took a backseat, but I'm sure they'll have them belts at some point.
WWE Status: One half of Prime Time Players, future tag champs?

Heath Slater
Slater has always had a 'Rockstar' gimmick since coming into the WWE. Along with Gabriel, he joined Barrett on Smackdown as part of The Corre. He only started to pick up pace (and popularity) when he began feuding with WWE Legends in June 2012. This led to getting a beating from Lita, APA and the rest of the legends at Raw1000. It seemed that Slater had something to go on after this and has since started a stable with Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal (3MB). It's still early days for the group but there is potential.
WWE Status: Leader of 3MB, possible future tag champs?

Justin Gabriel
Like Slater, Gabriel left The Nexus and joined The Corre over on Smackdown. Eventually, Gabriel would form a tag team with Tyson Kidd. This has seen both have outstanding matches with Antonio Cesaro; seemingly elevating them to Monday nights and the tag team division. A bright future for this team ahead?
WWE Status: Tagging with Tyson Kidd, future in the tag division?

David Otunga
Otunga was the longest serving member of The Nexus - from it's debut on June 7th 2010 until it's dissolving in August 2011. Along with fellow New Nexus member Michael McGillicutty, he went onto be a Tag Team Champion (previously with John Cena, too). These title wins and being part of this group have been the high points so far.

After these highs, Otunga has gone onto be a 'Legal Advisor' to many superstars. First aiding John Laurinaitis and then others who felt wronged, Otunga has mainly been a jobber to Sheamus whenever he's pissed off about something and needs to Brogue Kick someone.
WWE Status: Billed as Harvard Law School Graduate, unsure where he's going?

Michael Tarver
Injured early on. Thrown out of the group as a result. Eventually released by WWE in June 2011.
WWE Status: Released in June 2011.

From this we can see that these guys (with the exceptions of Tarver and maybe Otunga) are all heading in the right direstion. Barrett, Bryan and Ryback are all in the main event scene. Young, Gabriel and Slater are all in the hunt for future tag team title opportunities.

Obviously there was also the New Nexus (led by CM Punk). Members included Otunga (again), Michael McGillicutty, Husky Harris and Mason Ryan. All of these guys are still employed with the WWE but I think it'll be a while before we see them on TV again.

As for the two most famous members of The Nexus - John Cena and CM Punk - does anyone know how they're getting on these days?...