Does there really have to be a traitor?
It's a question that seems stupid but it's my opinion that it would be far too predictable.
The Pro's for the traitor are simple. As good a leader Wade Barrett has been, adding someone who has a far bigger star would add another level of importance and shock to the whole storyline. Someone who is outstanding on the Mic like Cena or Jericho would give them a little bit of added threat and could stretch the storyline on for another few months to Survivor Series.
The con is that it would really put the Nexus rookies further in the background. Guys like Slater and Young who very rarely get anything to do will just completely fade into the shadows. Front men like Otunga, Sheffield and Barrett will have to take a step backward out of the Pro's spotlight. Gabriel may be the only one who won't be affected because his splash will be used as an exclaimation point throughout this storyline whatever happens, Sheffield may be able to boast the same about his clothesline but his mouth won't be as utilised. That all could make the difference in who actually remains on the roster after nexus and who is wished luck in future endeavours.
I get all that.
My point rests in history. For 7 year olds, that doesn't matter but the WWE, I can only hope, isn's naive to completely forget about the rest of us. Hell, Bret Hart is part of this match which is totally for the older viewers because the Bret Hart we're seeing right now isn't gaining much ground with the younger fans.
Lets start with the later half of 1998. DX became cool after Shawn Michaels left the group at Wrestlemania. X-Pac regrouped with his old friend Triple H, who now was the leader of DX, and Chyna and, later, The New Age Outlaws became one of the biggest face groups the company had seen since the Hart Foundation.
The Rock won his first WWE title, joining Vince McMahon's stable, The Corperation. He turned his back on the people and everything from the eyebrow to the elbow became Corporate... courtesy of the Corporate Champion.
Parallel to that storyline was the Undertaker returning from being Buried Alive as The Lord of Darkness, he began recruiting members such as Phineas Godwin and Mabel, changing them into dark minions named Mideon and Viscera and the Ministry of Darkness began to exist.
I liked doing that.
Anyway, long story short all three groups eventually started merging or, in The Corporation and DX's case, swapping members. The major shock horror moment was when Vince McMahon was revealed as the 'Higher Power' of the ministry merging the two stables as the Corporate Ministry.
This happened throughout the next 3 years. The McMahon Helmesly era kicked off when Stephanie revealed herself as traitor to her father, joining up with Triple H. Later, Vince made another traitorous turn by reuniting with them. Then we had the Invasion. There was first the Shane betrays his father and buys WCW. Then Stephanie and Paul Heyman's ECW revelation and then the shock that they were joining as part of the WCW invasion. There was Austin turning at the Inaugural Brawl. It just kept happening more and more. The final act of the Invasion was Angle's double agent role. Clever at the time. Very clever.
Betrayal has been part of every faction since then. NWO came and soon enough Hogan turned on them. Shawn Michaels returned and He and Triple H reformed DX... moments before he drilled him with a Pedigree. Evolution arrived and before you know it, Orton was being dropped from Batista's shoulders. Less than a year later, Batista turned on Triple H. Legacy was the latest band of brothers to implode as Rhodes and DiBiase got a little two big for their boots and was promptly booted out by Orton. And now we have Nexus. And in a storyline not seen since the Invasion, are we really going to see the same thing happen again less than 10 years since it last happened?
I want something else. There is always a traitor. I want something better than that. Wade Barrett has been talking for months now about a higher purpose that none of us understand. Can that please grow into something more than one of the egomaniacs at the top of the food chain wanting all the power? Only for that power to eventually be nothing more than the time between Vince needing a holiday and Vince coming back to 'Shockingly' side with them. As much as I really enjoyed the days of factions, particularly the McMahon Helmsley era, I don't really want it to happen again. There is always the chance it'll be done badly and this storyline has so much potential.
I expect there to be a traitor come Sunday. I'm hoping that if it has to be anyone it will be The Miz. There are all the pieces there. But I will have my fingers crossed for no traitor. Let something else happen for once instead!
