Before the Nexus joined together, they were contestants on the show, NXT. At the end of the first season of the show, Wade Barrett was chosen to be the winner, and he got a WWE contract and a chance to face any champion he chose. The seven losers of the show were left without a job. On the June 7th Raw, the group debuted during a match between John Cena and CM Punk. The Nexus attacked Punk, Cena, Luke Gallows, Jerry Lawler, Matt Striker, and other WWE employees.