As the leader? Wasn't really surprising when he put the armband on, I knew Nexus wouldn't just disappear from the WWE like that. It was just a matter of time before they showed up again. I'm guessing Barrett comes back eventually to help Cena against the Nexus and becomes a face.
I didn't quite see this coming, but I liked the change a lot. I think it'll work well for Punk, and hopefully it makes the Nexus storyline a little fresher, because that was slowly getting stale over the past few weeks. I'm quite curious about what's going to happen with Barrett though. I can't imagine he's going to be back in Nexus since Punk is now the leader. I think it'd be a cool twist if he and Cena start working together, though I'm not sure how well he'd work as a face, seeing as how he's been a heel since his debut on NXT.
Meh...they can try and make the fans like anyone. Given how much the fans absolutely despise him, it'd be an interesting sell.
Remember how badly people hated Mark Henry? When he "injured" Batista and had him absent for several months? Look at him now, they all love him. Hell, I even remember at one point Vickie Guerrero had a little face run and people started liking her for her match-making decisions as SD! manager. I'm sure Barrett isn't anywhere near as hated as the two mentioned above. Especially since his main target was Cena who is half and half with the fans.
Barrett is awesome. I've always liked him. He will be back to team with Cena sooner than later I hope.
I actually feel you underestimate the popularity of Cena. Based on the reaction he gets when his theme music hits, he seems like he's by far the most popular superstar in the business.
Barrett is definitely awesome, he's had one of the best heel runs in a long time. I'm really curious as to how they handle his character now that he is seemingly out of Nexus. I definitely think it'd be awesome if they had him team up with Cena and watch those two dismantle Nexus.
I don't think you caught what point I was trying to make. I completely understand and agree that he is the most popular superstar in the business. I was trying to point out that half of the people in the arena love him and the other half hate him.
I agree. I think he should win the title on smackdown remain champion for a while fueding with some of the top guys on the brand.