What to do with Barrett?

[Navi]

So the rumour mills are once again swirling that Wade Barrett is sidelined because of a possible serious neck injury. He is being used in LON matches, but mostly just stands around the outside of the ring, causing distractions and making noise.

If this is true what do you see the WWE doing with Barrett going forward? Personally I think he's done in the ring. This has to be the unluckiest guy ever. It seems that every time they start or try to push him, he goes out with some freak accidental injury.

Barrett has been around for the better part of 5 years now, and even though he has wrestled the like of Cena and Orton, he never managed to break through. If he is done in the ring, the best place for him would be on the announce team. Get rid of JBL and put Barrett in his place. He would make a great heel com-mentor and give Cole someone fresh to play off. Barrett would also make a good mouthpiece for anyone who needed it as he's gold on the mic.

It's a shame he's one of my favourite wrestlers, but after watching that sham of a KOTR this year, and seeing what's happening to him now, I don't hold out much hope for his career.

 

[Khalifa]

I swear I am the only person to like JBL as a commentator, anyways more to the topic. Yeah it might be time for Barrett to hang it up. I like the idea of having his as some sort of announcer in the WWE. He can definitely work the mic well and it would be ashame for him to just disappear even though I am not even really a fan of the guy.

If he does come back to wrestle see how he goes for 4-6 months after his injury. If his body is holding up give him a run with the IC title or US. You can't put him in the main event anymore for a lengthy time surely. So best case scenario is he gets a little fierce run with the IC title. Maybe even in a tag team to aid his body for a while. If we are being honest though he will probably go back to the person that everybody is high on but will never actually do anything on the card.

 

[J.J.]

Good as done, you cannot continue to invest into a guy that is hurt long term every year. Too much other reliable talent on the roster to turn to than to deal with him. That's just my opinion.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

It's tough, because with hindsight being what it is they probably should've put the belt on him during the Nexus run, but since that ship has sailed and he has proven to be injury prone (through no fault of his own), it's hard to put a ton of stock in to him as a wrestler.

Then you look at the other options…

Manager/mouth piece? Maybe, but he's so big you don't want him to over shadow whoever he's with. It worked for a team like Perfect and Flair, because Kurt wasn't a huge guy, but Barrett's taller than most of the roster. Plus he has so much personality, you want to make sure it's giving the shine to his wrestler and not to him. So this might be tricky, kinda like DDP back in the day before becoming a wrestler himself, his size and personality were too big.

Then maybe as a commentator? I think he'd be good in this role, but it looks like we've got shakeups occurring with Mauro Ranallo joining the SD team, Lawler probably close to retiring (or being forced to), etc. I do think he'd be MUCH better than JBL for what it's worth, but I think JBL's got job security for the time being.

I'd love to see Wade get healthy and get the push I feel he deserves, but at this point I'd say it's looking unlikely.

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

Wade Barrett would be an excellent heel color commentator. Barrett has a great voice and mind for the game.

 

[DeadSurvivor]

Wade Barrett should reform the Nexxus with the current remaining members still contracted to the WWE.

I don't see Barrett going far any other way.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Wade Barrett had massive potential but it was all sabotaged by the Nexus storyline, shoving him into main events he was nowhere near ready for. If 2010 hadn't happened the way it did, Wade Barrett would have been much bigger than he wound up being. With injuries piling up for him, I think his career is going to be over very soon, sadly without him ever realizing his potential.

 

[stingray11214]

I don't think Barrett has any future left in WWE. He would make a great announcer, but there is a glut in that slot: Riley, possibly Otunga, Booker T, Cory Graves. Wade has really nowhere to go in WWE except MAYBE as a trainer. If he still wants to wrestle, he needs to go back to the UK or to Japan where the travel and workload is less than WWE.

 

[Navi]

When I say his career in the WWE is over, I mean his career in wrestling is over. Yes he could go to the indies, but if he has neck problems, that's not a good place for him to be.

As for replacing JBL. Not suggesting that they fire him, he can be used doing other things, such as what he's doing on the network with his interview show and other things. He just needs to get out of that announcers chair. Barrett would be perfect to spar with Cole and Saxton. Or put him on SD with the new guy, can't remember his name, and see what happens. Lawler been bored with his job for a long time, and it's showing.

 

[stingray11214]

When I say his career in the WWE is over, I mean his career in wrestling is over. Yes he could go to the indies, but if he has neck problems, that's not a good place for him to be.

As for replacing JBL. Not suggesting that they fire him, he can be used doing other things, such as what he's doing on the network with his interview show and other things. He just needs to get out of that announcers chair. Barrett would be perfect to spar with Cole and Saxton. Or put him on SD with the new guy, can't remember his name, and see what happens. Lawler been bored with his job for a long time, and it's showing.

Unless a Doctor tells him to retire or else, I doubt Barrett will retire on his own. Lawler is going nowhere unless HE retires. VKM is not going to fire him without cause. They have a ton of people they are making announcers, so where do you put Barrett? Short of becoming a Trainer, Barrett has little future anyplace else in WWE. If he does not want to be a trainer, he will continue in wrestling where he can work a lighter schedule where the travel is not as taxing. Face it: WWE is a LIFESTYLE. Barrett's body just cannot handle that lifestyle.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Daniel Bryan gets injured after not being given proper time to heal and WWE wants to basically retire him... Wade Barrett gets injured seemingly every other month, and for some reason they keep him around. Don't get me wrong, I like Wade Barrett. He's a talented worker and can perform really well. But at what point does WWE pull the plug? I get that the injuries Barrett and Bryan had are different, believe me I do... but at the same time it has to be getting annoying when you're trying to do something with a guy but he's always getting injured.

 

[ShinChan]

So the rumour mills are once again swirling that Wade Barrett is sidelined because of a possible serious neck injury. He is being used in LON matches, but mostly just stands around the outside of the ring, causing distractions and making noise.

If this is true what do you see the WWE doing with Barrett going forward? Personally I think he's done in the ring. This has to be the unluckiest guy ever. It seems that every time they start or try to push him, he goes out with some freak accidental injury.

Barrett has been around for the better part of 5 years now, and even though he has wrestled the like of Cena and Orton, he never managed to break through. If he is done in the ring, the best place for him would be on the announce team. Get rid of JBL and put Barrett in his place. He would make a great heel com-mentor and give Cole someone fresh to play off. Barrett would also make a good mouthpiece for anyone who needed it as he's gold on the mic.

It's a shame he's one of my favourite wrestlers, but after watching that sham of a KOTR this year, and seeing what's happening to him now, I don't hold out much hope for his career.

I love Wade Barrett! He has everything that is needed in a main-eventer! Good looks, Nice in-ring talent, charisma and the so-called IT Factor..... He has awesome mic-skills too.... Unfortunately, He has not been properly utilized and now he has got the tag Injury-prone! Great loss! If he isnot allowed to wrestle(i hope this doesnt happen), I wouldnot like him as commentator... He is gonna be overshadowed by other veterans... I think after LON splits, i would like him as RAW GM or mouthpiece of a duo or even of one person like Cesaro! Just imagine his promos as RAW GM in which he says to the heels that he has some Bad News for them!

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Barrett in the announce team could work since he's great on the mic, however it would be a great shame to shove him down there. Yeah Barrett is injured quite often and yes he's never broken through, but it's not like he had an unsuccessful career. He's a five Intercontinental Champion. I mean, we want Daniel Bryan to come back wrestling in the ring, who's been missing in a combined 18 months the past two years, but for Barrett? No, Wade we don't want you to return because you suck.

We can't decide upon his future. Yes, I agree that the company might can't invest in him, but if they can invest on a guy with a broken neck back in 1997 to carry the entire company in his back, I'm sure they can invest on Barrett to receive some sort of push someday.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Good point on Austin, however it came down to the long term... Austin was great as a short term fix but the moment the accident happened he was on borrowed time, as anyone with a neck injury is. WWE's problem is they can't invest too heavily now in Barrett, firstly cos of the injuries.

But he did also bring some of it on himself by foolishly saying he'd be "done in 5 years" about 3 years ago... that more than anything is responsible for the middling push he has gotten... Why invest 2 years to build someone to THAT level for 3 years?

He might have changed his mind since but the seed was planted... WWE need guys who are gonna commit like Cena and Orton did... 10+ years AT THE TOP... not including the journey there before they start thinking about the next thing.

What saves Barrett is his Charisma and Nationality. He's the best European they have on the mic, but particularly Englishman. Look how that helped Regal stay around for years, even when he couldn't go in the ring. Barrett also has some movie experience, not leading man experience but having been on some bigger budget sets and working with guys like Colin Farrell will help if he wants to go that way. Barrett is the sort of guy who could do movies or TV outside of WWE but while still technically with them and do more than he could in the ring. He's worth keeping for those UK shows/tours and people will pay to see him do his schtick... so a GM role ala Regal is very much a possibility.

In fact, I could see he and Regal having some kind of GM feud down in NXT... As a trainer Barrett might not be the best in terms of ring ability, but as a replacement for Dusty in that promo class, he's probably the best guy they could put there as he is the prototype that class was based on... How one promo can change your life.... onscreen, let him have a feud over NXT and on Breaking Ground with Regal... that could reignite him enough to bring him back to the main roster as a top player once some of the NXT guys are established.

 

[Softcore Holly]

The latest rumor I've read was that the injury wasn't that bad and he could be back in action by the RR, so he'll probably still be around for the foreseeable future. (Of course this could all be just wishful thinking on my part) Sadly even if that rumor is true he's heading towards the wrong end of 30 and of course his bad luck with injuries will keep him far away from anything big. At this point being in the tag matches with the other LON members is probably the best thing for him, it keeps him somewhat relevant while giving him a partner to lessen his time in the ring thus less chance of getting injured again.

If he has to retire from in-ring action he can easily be a manager for upcoming NXT stars that could use the mouthpiece, with the added bonus of bullhammers behind the refs back for easy victories/heat.

 

[Mustang Sally]

His ring repertoire is fine, he speaks well, he presents well.

Still, whatever Creative tries to do with him doesn't get him over as a single. Apparently, he has to be part of a group.....and preferably the lead spokesman .....to make it in WWE.

His injuries don't halt his progress when he's got guys around him.....as indicated by his being able to participate in LON stuff without actually taking any bumps.....and whatever it is he lacks in the 'singles' department is covered up by his being one of a gang.

I wouldn't like seeing him shipped out of WWE. The League of Nations can be his salvation.....until someone in management decides to cast Wade once more as a single, and louses everything up once again.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

When I created the thread announcing that Barrett had been injured again, the first thing that came into mind was to put him on commentary. I've always enjoyed Wade Barrett and it's a shame that his wrestling career has been continuously sidelined by injuries, so much in fact that there's probably no real way for WWE to be able to invest in him.

To start out with, if he was to go on commentary, I wouldn't mind seeing him sent to the NXT commentary team first in order to work out any sort of particular kinks or hang ups he might have working the announce table.

 

[TheLogan27]

I think its time to put him in a suit and align him with the Authority. They can say he's the representative for all foreign relations or something so he can still be tied to the League of Nations. I think his in ring career is just about over

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

Wade Barrett should retire. He's immensely talented and full of potential, but injuries have derailed his career.

He had a promising start as the leader of the Nexus. Then he couldn't beat Cena or Orton, and the faction slowly disbanded.

Then EVERYTHING went downhill fast. He went to Smackdown and formed the Corre (the members aren't worth mentioning), which lost to Santino Marella, Kane, Big Show, and Kofi Kingston at WM27 (one of the worst WrestleManias ever). How do you go from feuding with Cena and Orton to those guys?

A few injuries and series of terrible booking later, he's irrelevant and injury prone. He should just retire from in-ring competition and become a manager.

 

[Azane]

I remember when Nexus first started, and everyone and their mom said "please don't have someone established take over" - Then CM Punk and Cena were both members and everyone in the stable pretty much died, after being the hottest Storyline in Wrestling since nWo.

This topic is such a deja-vu, as Barrett is injured or reportedly injured so often, that I can't invest in him myself anymore, I was even prepared to see him become the Champion when Nexus had first debuted, but I knew around when they tried to do the Corre, that his career wasn't going anywhere.

I gave him the benefit of the doubt on the first couple injuries, like the Announce Table Broken Arm incident, but man, his body is made of paper by now.

Dudes got a great personality, international ambassador thing going for him, and he can actually get heat while being loved (Something so many heels just fail at). Be a waste to not use him more on the entertainment side if the Sports part isn't working for him.

 

[J.J.]

We can't decide upon his future. Yes, I agree that the company might can't invest in him, but if they can invest on a guy with a broken neck back in 1997 to carry the entire company in his back, I'm sure they can invest on Barrett to receive some sort of push someday.

That's a really good point. Austin managed to put off the major neck surgery for at least 2 years or so. But with him being extremely over at the time, WWE in major competition with WCW and the depature of their top star second to HBK - it was all swept under the rug or deemed not as serious.

In today's time with so many news sites and safety precautions I highly doubt Austin would be able to get away with holding off on an injury that long without surgery. In retrospect it's a good thing because it enables the company to realize the seriousness of these injuries that prematurely put Austin. Edge and Puke into early retirements.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

That's a really good point. Austin managed to put off the major neck surgery for at least 2 years or so. But with him being extremely over at the time, WWE in major competition with WCW and the depature of their top star second to HBK - it was all swept under the rug or deemed not as serious.

In today's time with so many news sites and safety precautions I highly doubt Austin would be able to get away with holding off on an injury that long without surgery. In retrospect it's a good thing because it enables the company to realize the seriousness of these injuries that prematurely put Austin. Edge and Puke into early retirements.

Trouble is that there are 2 major differences in comparing that situation with Barrett one:

1) WWE is in considerably better situation now to risk like that. They dont even want to clear Bryan eventhough one of the reasons for that is last year RR fiasco.

2) Wade Barrett is midcarder at best while StoneCold is once in a lifetime superstar

That being said I think Barrett stays where it is and that is midcard. Even without injuries dont think he would go past midcard and that he ever will.

 

[J.J.]

I think after the Bad News run started out strong and ended with injury, I believe that permenantely sealed his fate at main eventing in WWE ever, which isn't a bad thing, when healthy he's a good worker and makes a believable champ mid card.

 

[swallop]

Bring back badnewsbarrett. Atleast then he cant get injured.

 

[CanYouDigIt98]

I reckon the way forward is have a New Nexus with Barrett as leader.

Have him on NXT Recuriting Superstars and then they show up on Main Event of Raw or PPV and do a repeat of the Cena Beatdown.

For me, it allows Barrett to get big exposure but allows him to have a lesser workload in ring and allows to be used as a vehicle for a few superstars on NXT that need a extra boost to make it on the main roster alone but allows people to become invested in them

Barrett doesnt have to compete every week on Raw aslong as he is building a tasty rivalry for the PPV with the opposition

I am not someone who watches NXT regularly enough to say what Superstars so who would you guys pick if you had the choice?