The first season of “WWE NXT” introduced fans to talent like Bryan Danielson and Wade Barrett, who would both go on to have lengthy runs in WWE and capture gold. After winning the show, Barrett later rallied his fellow contestants to form the Nexus. One of the group’s members, Michael Tarver, recently looked back at the “WWE Raw” debut of the Nexus back in 2010.

“It was a crazy night because everything was done in secret,” Tarver said during an interview on “Rewind Recap Relive.” According to Taven, the faction members were brought in backstage and instructed by John Cena and Vince McMahon to “destroy” Cena in the ring, while giving them all their signature Nexus armbands. “If it didn’t look real, we were fired. So, we said ‘Okay,’ so we just destroyed everything.”

Tarver was known for the mask he wore around his mouth, and explained the significance of the attire piece. “I remember I put the mask on for the first time – or the second time, ’cause I did it on an episode of ‘NXT’ – and I was standing by the guardrail … and a lady standing next to me noticed me, looked at me, and screamed!” he recalled. “I remember I laughed, I winked at her and then jumped the guard rail.” Tarver continued to describe The Nexus’ debut as surreal, and expressed that while he enjoyed the debut a lot, it all went by so fast that in hindsight it seems like a dream.

“I still remember every detail vividly; it was just an amazing night,” he recalled. Tarver then claimed that the debut segment paid off, and McMahon was very happy with their performance.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Rewind Recap Relive,” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.