Wade Barrett - The British Brawler

[Hard Hit Prince]

Wade Barrett returned a month back after an elbow injury that sidelined him for about 9 months, and he returned with a few twists in his character. WWE went full force to his bare knuckle fighting past and brought that into their current product, but is the gimmick a good one for Wade Barrett?

I believe that the general fans realize that his strongest point is his ability to speak in front of a live crowd, his ability to do promos and be a good villain. Now, he is being groomed as a guy that kicks-ass, which it's fine since WWE really needs a heel that can put up a fight, but why take the microphone away from him? There are always a lot of guys that people want to see get a push, I understand that, but I believe that Wade Barrett should benefit more by having Sheamus - an Irish - as World Heavyweight Champion. In the past two weeks WWE gave us a taste of what these two can do together, but the matches were as random as it can be. Good lengthy matches, but are really overshadowing Barrett by not letting him hype the match in some sort of way and obviously by making him lose them. Why not a victory due to outside distraction on Sheamus? It would make them way more balanced.

I feel that Barrett can be one of the best current brawlers/talkers in the WWE, but he needs a program for now. He isn't doing anything, and people that were excited for his return, don't even care now. He was referencing a lot economic factors, just to say that Wade Barrett is open for business and that he wants the main event, he's doing that for a month and WWE does not deliver it. Why not make him the leader of 3MB? Why not make him have a brief feud with the likes of Brodus Clay? Knocking out a "dinosaur" would be great to build Barrett back up, and then take the shot to the main event, since it's too crowded at Hell in a Cell.

• What do you have to say about Barrett's gimmick since he return?
• What should WWE do with him in the next few weeks?
• WWE World Tour is going to England in November, do you think he will have a role in that?

 

[Yawa]

I hate the fact that they went the route of forgetting how over he was. With the lack of upper card talent you would think he'd have been thrust into a main event feud fairly quickly.

 

[Phil]

BOOOOM! I just don’t care anymore, I don’t care anymore... That's the feeling you get from the live fans whenever he's making an entrance. I am a huge fan of his, slightly biest being English myself but I do reckon he will be heavy-weight champ one day. I dunno, I have been impressed with the last two matches that he has had with Sheamus but I feel his return could have been done a little better.
It's quite clear he has talent and speaks alot better than previous English wrestlers that I can think of. Personally I would have had him come back and go straight into a W.H.C feud with Sheamus for the belt, or he should have been the one to give Orton his 'recent injury', making him take out a top guy which would had made him look strong and they could have picked up from where they left off months ago. I've seen him wrestle 2 weeks in a row on Superstars against Kidd and Tatsu I think, could be wrong but both were also good matches. It's going to take time to build him up again, I just wished he stopped shouting BOOOM, he looks a right prat everytime.

 

[Teddy Irving]

In the past two weeks WWE gave us a taste of what these two can do together, but the matches were as random as it can be. Good lengthy matches, but are really overshadowing Barrett by not letting him hype the match in some sort of way and obviously by making him lose them. Why not a victory due to outside distraction on Sheamus? It would make them way more balanced.

I think the reason of not having him win because of a distraction is so that he isn't bragging about the win (which is the type of thing his character would do). This way he can brag that although Sheamus has won their last two matches it wasn't by pinfall or submission. He can then continue on to say that had he not been disqualified for outside interference, which he had nothing to do with, he would have beaten Sheamus.
With the matches ending in DQ's there is no way that people can say he wouldn't have done so and he doesn't have people saying he needs to cheat/ have help to beat Sheamus. He has yet to lose cleanly to Sheamus and has taken him to the limit in both matches.
Although Barrett is losing these matches it is because of interference, this is booking him strongly. If you disagree then think about it with Barrett replaced with Cena and Sheamus with whoever you want. If someone beat Cena because of interference it would be said that it was done to keep Cena looking strong, while still giving a victory to his opponent. (Not ripping on Cena just he is the easiest example to use here ).

• What do you have to say about Barrett's gimmick since he return?
• What should WWE do with him in the next few weeks?
• WWE World Tour is going to England in November, do you think he will have a role in that?

The gimmick is fine he is a brawler and bare knuckle fighter (a few years ago this may have been a problem as close fists were against the rules but I haven't heard of that rule in a long time now). He has played his part well and I think his new finisher is good and looks very impactful (I await the day Dolph is on the end of it ).

There is little they can do with him until after the HitC PPV really. He isn't yet involved in any storyline for the PPV and at this stage it would be a rush getting him into one. After the PPV though I feel he should move his way up to the main event level of opponents. Possibly Orton to finish their rivalry. Big Show maybe as he could be blamed by Barrett for his injury, but I don't see that happening as they are both heels.

He is English and the show is in England? I believe he will have a role in it yes. He will get a good pop from his home crowd and he will beat his opponent. If you meant will he be involved in a WHC fued then, my answer would be that I doubt it. I think WWE want to save that fued of Sheamus V Barrett for a little later on.​

 

[zakkdreamz]

I love everything about the new Wade Barrett. His hair, his beard, and his aggression. He no longer reminds me of a younger William Regal-esque pretty boy like he did in the Nexus. Nowadays, he's just in it to beat someone to death, and it's awesome.

I personally feel that Alberto Del Rio is in Wade Barrett's feud right now. Barrett should be feuding with Orton, not Rio. Rio is all well and good, but he's not riding any momentum right now. Wade Barrett IS, even if it's slowing down, it's still there. Maybe they're saving Orton and Barrett for the belt, who knows.

As for what they should be doing with him in the next few weeks, I personally feel like it's a good time to pull the trigger on his main event status. Let Ziggler cash in his briefcase thanks to Barrett's beatdown on Sheamus after the HIAC match with Big Show. Barrett's faced Sheamus twice now, and both times went without a decisive end, as others keep getting involved. It's a good chance to have Barrett give Sheamus a beatdown and let them feud, to see what could have been (or might sill be).

 

[Soulblazed]

Ever sine I first learned that Barrett was a former bare-knuckle fighter I was hoping WWE would make that a part of his wrestling character..He's doing good..What he can improve on is using more punching combinations during his matches and refusing to accept a pinfall victory after dropping his opponent with a series of punches or elbows, citing that he is a true knockout artist and demanding the referee give his fallen opponent a 10-count..

Maybe at the Royal Rumble, Barrett and Big Show can have a singles match where Barrett knocks out Big Show, after his victory over Show, Barrett could start citing himself as the true knockout artist in WWE and then finds a way to challenge Sheamus for the World Championship at Wrestlemania 29.

This wouldn't be a normal match because I think that if Barrett does go against Sheamus at Wrestlemania 29 for the World Championship, it should be in a Manchester Pit Fight. The feud between them would bring up all the past wars the English and Irish have had with each other, giving it a more personal feel..That way we could have a serious, focused Sheamus, instead of the fable-telling, pandering Sheamus...For those of you who remember Ken Shamrock's Lion's Den Match, it'd be similar..The Pit would be of the same size as the Lion's Den except that it would have a very dingy, worn look to it and have weapons such as brass knuckles, a baseball bat and a wrench/screwdriver scattered around the Pit..There'd also be a stand-by stretcher with EMTs waiting alongside the referee outside the Pit to put over the brutality of The Manchester Pit Fight..After a gruesome, bloody asswhooping,(a Pit Fight needs blood, especially when an Irishman and Englishman are involved), Sheamus is wheeled away on a stretcher, thereby showcasing Barrett as truly legit

Barrett also needs new theme music..His titantron video is perfect, but his music sounds like some rejected WCW music

 

[Silver Fox]

This wouldn't be a normal match because I think that if Barrett does go against Sheamus at Wrestlemania 29 for the World Championship, it should be in a Manchester Pit Fight. The feud between them would bring up all the past wars the English and Irish have had with each other, giving it a more personal feel..That way we could have a serious, focused Sheamus, instead of the fable-telling, pandering Sheamus...For those of you who remember Ken Shamrock's Lion's Den Match, it'd be similar..The Pit would be of the same size as the Lion's Den except that it would have a very dingy, worn look to it and have weapons such as brass knuckles, a baseball bat and a wrench/screwdriver scattered around the Pit..There'd also be a stand-by stretcher with EMTs waiting alongside the referee outside the Pit to put over the brutality of The Manchester Pit Fight..After a gruesome, bloody asswhooping,(a Pit Fight needs blood, especially when an Irishman and Englishman are involved), Sheamus is wheeled away on a stretcher, thereby showcasing Barrett as truly legit.

Well, il certainly give you top marks for creativity, unfortunately this wouldn't be approved in the current PG product. Not only that, im not really sure a mostly American audience at Wrestlemania would care for a feud based on the history between the Irish and English. They'd want wrestling, not a history lesson.

I've been disappointed by Barrett's return so far. He was on such a roll before he got injured, and its like he's having to start all over again just to get to where he was. However i enjoyed his match against Sheamus on Monday night, it showed that these two have good chemisty together, which more than likely would transition into a good feud. I also like the fact that they are building on his legitimate background as a bare knuckle fighter.

Id like to see Barrett captain a team at Survivor Series. This would give him something to do. He could mention how he has been the leader of Nexus and The Corre to Teddy Long, so he's an ideal candidate for this. A Smackdown vs Raw elimination match for example. Then id really like to see pick up his feud with Randy Orton again after Survivor Series. There's a lot of potential there still.

Imo, he should win the 2013 Royal Rumble. Ziggler has MITB, and there aren't many other candidates at this point who are ready to break out. This would give Barrett the big win he needs, and would also lead to a feud with Sheamus culminating at Wrestlemania.

 

[Fansince1992]

No need to rush him into the main event at all. Save Barrett for 1 or all of the Big 4 PPV's. Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, and Wrestlemania are what all in the space of about 5 months. I would hold back on Barrett for the time being and start to build him towards Sheamus (if he is still champion by then) at Survivor Series. Seems like they are already testing the waters with Barrett and Sheamus with the 2 recent matches between the 2.

 

[Diet Soda]

This wouldn't be a normal match because I think that if Barrett does go against Sheamus at Wrestlemania 29 for the World Championship, it should be in a Manchester Pit Fight. The feud between them would bring up all the past wars the English and Irish have had with each other, giving it a more personal feel..That way we could have a serious, focused Sheamus, instead of the fable-telling, pandering Sheamus...For those of you who remember Ken Shamrock's Lion's Den Match, it'd be similar..The Pit would be of the same size as the Lion's Den except that it would have a very dingy, worn look to it and have weapons such as brass knuckles, a baseball bat and a wrench/screwdriver scattered around the Pit..There'd also be a stand-by stretcher with EMTs waiting alongside the referee outside the Pit to put over the brutality of The Manchester Pit Fight..After a gruesome, bloody asswhooping,(a Pit Fight needs blood, especially when an Irishman and Englishman are involved), Sheamus is wheeled away on a stretcher, thereby showcasing Barrett as truly legit

I can see this working wonders for tourism in Manchester...

I don't know if you've noticed, but Barrett is now being announced as being from Preston, instead of Manchester. This more accurate for two reasons as (a) Wade Barrett actually comes from Preston rather than Manchester, and (b) Preston is more of a shit-hole so it fits his character more.
This may be a cynical play by the WWE, since they visit Manchester every November with house shows, and probably don't want to insult us indigenous folk by making out the city as being rough as hell, when in reality it is highly developed and culturally rich.

Either way, with every British heel they try to make up some old chutzpah about them being a homeless orphan who had to fight the mayor for a loaf of bread, and it's pretty tired; Dynamite Kid, Bulldog, Regal (though he was more tea and crumpets), and now Barrett. All billed from the North West, incidentally, coz we're 'ard. You never see a Cockney or a Cornwall farmer in the WWE, do you?

The difference with Barrett is that he oozes charisma, and is fully in to his gritty, working-class character, and be that as it may that the phrase "bare knuckle fighter" is a stereotype and a cliche, Barrett can and will probably give the character longevity and popularity.

And back to the poster whom I quoted, a standard street fight surely would suffice between Barrett and Sheamus, but even so, such hardcore matches severely undermine the fact that these two are good wrestlers, and don't need baseball bats or screwdrivers to tell an in-ring story. The "Brass Knuckles on a Pole" from the Regal/Jericho feud was quite fun though. Furthermore, your knowledge of British history is offensively piss-poor.

 

[Mustang Sally]

... but why take the microphone away from him?

I think this involves management's desire to change the Barrett character, while leaving certain elements of it untouched.

Consider the biggest difference: He was originally presented to us as a leader of men.....in Nexus and Corre. This requires a unique set of qualities that many performers wouldn't be able to bring to the table. Wade's current persona is the polar opposite: he's the ultimate loner, engaging in one-on one fights and depending on himself alone to pull himself out of danger. See the difference? It's huge, yet, he's still a tough guy, capable of brutal exchanges in his fights.

At this point, Sheamus is the perfect opponent for Wade. They're both young and rugged, capable of engaging in tough-man brawls that are effective and entertaining. One of the posters in this thread called it correctly; let 'em work long matches that display their brutality and durability......if that doesn't please the fans, they shouldn't be at a wrestling show anyhow.

At the same time, Wade doesn't need to talk to establish his new character. As a former bare-knuckle fighter, he needs nothing but his body to pave the way. Having him talk about it would only distract from the new persona.

Eventually, he'll start using the mic again; he's too good to abandon it forever. For now, his actions in the ring are enough.

 

[Soulblazed]

I can see this working wonders for tourism in Manchester...

I don't know if you've noticed, but Barrett is now being announced as being from Preston, instead of Manchester. This more accurate for two reasons as (a) Wade Barrett actually comes from Preston rather than Manchester, and (b) Preston is more of a shit-hole so it fits his character more.
This may be a cynical play by the WWE, since they visit Manchester every November with house shows, and probably don't want to insult us indigenous folk by making out the city as being rough as hell, when in reality it is highly developed and culturally rich.

Either way, with every British heel they try to make up some old chutzpah about them being a homeless orphan who had to fight the mayor for a loaf of bread, and it's pretty tired; Dynamite Kid, Bulldog, Regal (though he was more tea and crumpets), and now Barrett. All billed from the North West, incidentally, coz we're 'ard. You never see a Cockney or a Cornwall farmer in the WWE, do you?

The difference with Barrett is that he oozes charisma, and is fully in to his gritty, working-class character, and be that as it may that the phrase "bare knuckle fighter" is a stereotype and a cliche, Barrett can and will probably give the character longevity and popularity.

And back to the poster whom I quoted, a standard street fight surely would suffice between Barrett and Sheamus, but even so, such hardcore matches severely undermine the fact that these two are good wrestlers, and don't need baseball bats or screwdrivers to tell an in-ring story. The "Brass Knuckles on a Pole" from the Regal/Jericho feud was quite fun though. Furthermore, your knowledge of British history is offensively piss-poor.

Obviously Sheamus and Barrett are very good wrestlers, but I'd rather see them in a brutal, decisive battle on PPV instead of just a Street Fight..I know Barrett's been announced from Preston..But a Preston Pit Fight just doesn't sound brutal..People who've never been to England have likely heard of Manchester instead of Preston which is why i put that..Seeing as how I have never been to England I do have a shitty knowledge of the history of the English/Irish rivalry..

 

[Soulblazed]

Well, il certainly give you top marks for creativity, unfortunately this wouldn't be approved in the current PG product. Not only that, im not really sure a mostly American audience at Wrestlemania would care for a feud based on the history between the Irish and English. They'd want wrestling, not a history lesson.

I've been disappointed by Barrett's return so far. He was on such a roll before he got injured, and its like he's having to start all over again just to get to where he was. However i enjoyed his match against Sheamus on Monday night, it showed that these two have good chemisty together, which more than likely would transition into a good feud. I also like the fact that they are building on his legitimate background as a bare knuckle fighter.

Id like to see Barrett captain a team at Survivor Series. This would give him something to do. He could mention how he has been the leader of Nexus and The Corre to Teddy Long, so he's an ideal candidate for this. A Smackdown vs Raw elimination match for example. Then id really like to see pick up his feud with Randy Orton again after Survivor Series. There's a lot of potential there still.

Imo, he should win the 2013 Royal Rumble. Ziggler has MITB, and there aren't many other candidates at this point who are ready to break out. This would give Barrett the big win he needs, and would also lead to a feud with Sheamus culminating at Wrestlemania.

Point taken about the blood..But it would make sense to have blood if the feud between Sheamus and Barrett is booked to eventually become extremely personal..Obviously most Americans could give a shit about history, I'm just saying have the announcers give the gist of the Irish/English rivalry, not an in depth report..Definitely agree with you about Barrett winning the Royal Rumble, though..

 

[Boourns]

The problem they have at the moment is that a Sheamus/Barrett feud would be amazing but, at the moment Sheamus still has to go through Big Show and then Dolph Ziggler is lingering and unless they tease Ziggler cashing in at Hell in A Cell and then Big Show goes into a feud with someone else and then Barrett and Sheamus feud at Survivor Series and Ziggler cashes in and the three have a triple threat at TLC. I can't think how else they could make the whole situation work without somebody losing momentum.

 

[Diet Soda]

Obviously Sheamus and Barrett are very good wrestlers, but I'd rather see them in a brutal, decisive battle on PPV instead of just a Street Fight..I know Barrett's been announced from Preston..But a Preston Pit Fight just doesn't sound brutal..

A Preston Pit Fight sounds like it would have involved some disheveled girl in a Primark dress, with a Blue WKD in one hand and a Richmond Superking in the other, yelling "Wade, leave 'im, 'e's a dick'ead, 'e's not worth it", outside some chippy at three in the morning.

People who've never been to England have likely heard of Manchester instead of Preston which is why i put that..

William Regal has been billed from Blackpool for over a decade in WWE and that's not exactly the most famous town in the UK.

Seeing as how I have never been to England I do have a shitty knowledge of the history of the English/Irish rivalry..

Shortly after the First World War there was an uprising in Ireland to assert their independence from the rest of Britain, leading to a guerrilla-style war which lasted two and a half years between 1919 and 1921.

It's hardly an Israel/Palestine relationship; tensions still existed between the Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland (the counties that decided to remain as part of the UK), and between Unionists and Loyalists (those who believed in either for or against a united Ireland respectively - still with me?).

The biggest incident came in 1996, when the IRA (a paramilitary Irish republican group) detonated a bomb in Manchester city centre, injuring hundreds. While this may seem like grounds for a feud between Barrett and Sheamus, it would never happen because it'd be deemed far too crass, and the WWE would piss a lot of people off doing it. Besides, the IRA were definitely the heels.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

I think, while WWE still has a chance to make something with Barrett, they really dropped the ball on his return. He didn't return all that dominant, he has a weaker finisher IMO, & he has yet to get really involved in a feud or evolve his character much from the promos we saw advertising him.

Barrett's matches with Sheamus have been good but he needs more if WWE wants him to ever achieve his full potential.

At this point I'd mark out huge if Barrett re-debuted as The British Brawler & he has The Brooklyn Brawler as his manager!

 

[Isaac Kaye]

It was a shame Barrett got injured a few months ago because he was really starting to gain some momentum, and the whole Barrett Barrage gimmick was beginning to stick. He has a terrific feud with Randy Orton and got booed out of the building every time he spoke. He was smarmy, intelligent and conniving. He was original.

Usually when guys return from injury they get a pop, and people are genuinely pleased to see them back, but for some reason everyone seems to have forgotten about him. At least that was the feeling when I heard the crowd reaction. He's changed his music again, which is good because his last two were absolutely horrendous. His new theme is ok but I'm still not bought. He's been booked in squashes with an outright brawler gimmick which he is pulling off well and he worked a great match with Sheamus last week. It's gonna take some time for the fans to start caring about him again though. This whole, 'Wade Barrett is open for business' is crap. Just have him beat the heck out of people and back it up on the mic.

I like his new look, I think he looks better, and it suits his style. Forget the squash matches now, have him take out a top babyface and start a proper feud. Then we will know how much people still care. I for one think he is great, and more than capable of carrying a world title sometime over the next year or so. But there is no need to rush with him.

 

[XXJJ]

I like his gimmick. He currently doesnt have a feud going on so thats probably why he hasn't talked much. What exactly is he going to say right now? He would just end up repeating the same subject matter if he started cutting promos every show.

Its a shame he got hurt. Orton got his career back on track. He wasn't doing much for months before the Orton feud. I thought the feud was a very good. I believe he would of been Orton's Wrestlemania opponent. Also, I think he would of ended up winning MITB, if he was healthy. They have to build him back up again.

It's amazing that Daniel Bryan and possibly Ryback would become world champions before Barrett. I dont think anyboby would of thought that during Nexus.

 

[The Tay]

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBnVpzxYF3o&feature=relmfu[/YOUTUBE]

Wade Barrett is open for business.

Ever since returning he has debuted his new finisher,The Souvenir.For some reason a lot of people don't like his new finisher,I on the other hand think it fits him pretty well.Wade Barrett is portraying a former bare knuckle fighter,it only makes sense his finisher be an hard elbow.Not to mention it's quick,easy to perform,and looks pretty damn painful.

It would have been significantly more impactful for Barrett to return by immediately being
placed into a main-event level storyline. I thought that this would be exactly what happened, and I thought that the storyline would be a World title feud with Sheamus.It may not happen right away, but the fact is that Wade Barrett just has “it.” And when a Superstar has that intangible, then the sky is the limit. Now, it’s all in the hands of WWE creative, who are tasked with booking Wade in the right way, to bring him up at the right time, so fans will be ready for the moment that he reaches the top.

And I believe that he will. For me, it’s just a matter of time.

Let the barrage begin.