In my opinion and I think a lot of people would agree, 2011 was an underrated year for WWE's blue brand. We saw an amazing rivalry between Randy Orton and Christian and the emergence of Daniel Bryan as a World Title contender after winning the Smackdown Money in the Bank Ladder Match. My favorite part in all of this was The Corre.
When Wade Barrett was kicked out of CM Punk's version of the Nexus, I thought to myself "Finally! Wade Barrett can become the star he is destined to be." Alas that did not happen. Barrett would begin to find his footing on the blue brand by attacking the Big Show. His former Nexus mates Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel would join him in the attack. Refusing to fight each other to stay in Punk's New Nexus, Slater and Gabriel would then reunite with Barrett to create The Corre with Ezekiel Jackson. Barrett made it a priority to note that this new stable would not be like the Nexus, adding that all four men are equals and there is no leader.
Working together as a unit, The Corre made a habit out of attacking other stars, mainly the Big Show. Gabriel and Slater would go on to defeat Santino Marrella and Vladamir Kozlov for the WWE Tag Team Championship. They followed this up with Wade Barrett defeating Kofi Kingston to win the Intercontinental Championship, leaving the group one World Heavyweight Championship short of matching Evolution's dominance.
However, as we all know, all good things must come to an end. After losing at Wrestlemania 27, the group tried to make a statement by attacking The Rock and John Cena. It didn't end well for The Corre, as Cena and Rock would overcome the attack and further damage the group's momentum. Soon after, Slater and Gabriel would lose the Tag Team Titles to Big Show and Kane. As the losses begin to pile up the frustration and cracks began to show with Jackson walking out on the group after defeating the Big Show. This act of defiance led to Barrett, Slater and Gabriel attacking Jackson and removing him from the group. Shortly thereafter the focus shifted from the stable to strictly Barrett vs Jackson, effectively ending the group.
What I liked most about The Corre is the potential it had to build at least 2 legitimate stars in Jackson and Barrett. At first I didn't like the idea of Wade joining another group. He had the it factor and he should have been booked to be more focused on his own goals as opposed to a group. All though they claimed they were all equals, it was clear that Wade Barrett was the star of this group. Jackson in the role of group enforcer was solid but I felt he could be more. There never seemed to be much character development for him. He was the jacked bodyguard for the group and that was pretty much it.
Slater and Gabriel basically had the same role as they did in the Nexus which really seemed pointless to place them in another stable similar to the one they had left. The group only lasted about 5-6 months and they spent all of it feuding with the Big Show which sucked. They were entertaining because they reminded me of the Nexus which isn't exactly a good thing but they were better than what CM Punk tried to do with the New Nexus. The Corre should have been a launching point for Barrett into superstardom but sadly it was not meant to be. You may not remember them as one of the best stables in the history of the company, but I remember how fun it was hearing "End of Days" and watching these guys take care of business before they fell apart.
-Ameen
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