Will The Fourth Time Be The Charm?

[Jack-Hammer]

At Extreme Rules, Bad News Barrett just became WWE Intercontinental Champion for the 4th time. It's no secret that Barrett's 3 previous title runs have been some of the most abysmal in quite a few years. Barrett's second run started off well before heading into WrestleMania season where he wound up being used as fodder to help build bigger stars on the roster. While his runs have started out well, WWE quickly fumbles with him and causes him to lose momentum. Will this time be different or will the IC title & Wade Barrett continue to mix like oil and water?

 

[Trill Co$by]

I would be okay with it if they brought back to globe IC title. It was great when Rhodes used it because it was vintage which made it unique. Now it's just a white eye sore. As for Barrett winning, I can honestly say that so far this is the best Barrett push they have had. I haven't always been the biggest Wade fan, but I love this Bad News Barrett. I don't see this being a World champion Barrett, but definitely this is the one WWE should stick with.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

In my eyes the IC title's just been a piece of rusty tin for over a decade. If Barrett's to have a meaningful reign, he'll first have to be the guy that actually makes the title meaningful again. With only one world title now I think it's doable. Barrett's over and a main-eventer in my opinion. Let him headline a pay-per-view as IC champion, like the WWF used to sporadically do in the 1990s, and I'll see the IC strap as more than something for my dog to piss on.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

For once, people are actually into Barrett as he starts his IC title run.

The other times, he was given the IC belt as an attempt to MAKE fans get into him, which never really worked out.

I'm optimistic that this will not be another forgettable run w/ a mid-card belt.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

For once, people are actually into Barrett as he starts his IC title run.

The other times, he was given the IC belt as an attempt to MAKE fans get into him, which never really worked out.

I'm optimistic that this will not be another forgettable run w/ a mid-card belt.

Barrett was most definitely over as a heel in 2010, but WWE made sure to cut his legs off.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

Barrett was most definitely over as a heel in 2010, but WWE made sure to cut his legs off.

Right, but they didn't give him the IC belt until after the Nexus thing was over with. They pulled the rug out from under him w/ Nexus and gave him the IC title as a consolation prize at some point, but his credibility w/ the audience was shot at that point.

 

[theblasterkid]

Well the IC title lost prestige when the WWE had two champions and made the WHC the new IC title. Now that the two championships are unified, the IC title holder should have more people gunning for it. Big E has a rematch clause as well. Hopefully, in the future they show more of Big E's personality. I think it was about time he dropped it though, but is Barrett the right guy? I was thinking more of Sheamus, ADR, Ziggler, Sandow (who could really benefit from it), Henry (power-lifter feud with "The World's Strongest Man"), Fandango (a guy that has never won it before), or Cesaro. Speaking of Sheamus, why the hell was he not even in a match at EC? It seems that he will probably be in a program with O'Neil soon, and it could be interesting. O'Neil's in-ring style has become more aggressive. I'm seeing a potential monster heel run at the title for him. Anyway, Barrett's gimmick is straight mid-card. I just don't see him with that gimmick feuding for the WWE WHC strap.

 

[JWGunslinger]

I certainly think so, Barrett hasn't had this much steam since his early run leading the Nexus and main eventing PPVs with Cena and Orton, and I dare say his individual character is more over with fans now than even those days. People have really taken to the Bad News gimmick and I'm one of them, I've always enjoyed him but I felt he was being limited to what he could do then, now he's oozing charisma and you can tell he's having fun doing it. I think that coupled with his improved in ring abilities and excellent mic work has the makings of a great run.

The key here I think on top of his new gimmick and style is to not get complacent now that he's champion, I've sensed that with him and others in the past and if he wants to make the most of this momentum he has to pour it on even more now than enforce he won it. That's what will propel him to the upper echelon of talent and keep him there. Vince is high on him and I think that the rest of the roster has a lot of Bad News coming their way.

 

[kadroan]

I don't expect anything out of his run. Kofi had four reigns and we saw how things went with him.

I wouldn't be surprised to see him losing to Bryan/Cena to make them look good every week. I'm hoping he gets in meaningful feuds. There's plenty of midcarders for him to feud with like Dolph

 

[IT Factor]

I actually was not a fan of Barrett in the beginning. Hell, all the way up until he was repackaged as "Bad News Barrett" I hated him. He had the skills in the ring, just not the personality to carry him to the top. I am pleasantly surprised at how great this man is and how much he has improved his game. I dunno if the fourth time will be the charm, but if he keeps improving I could easily see him being elevated to become a serious contender for the WWE World Heavyweight title. It's just a shame that US and IC titles aren't stepping stones to main event status like they used to be. But making a guy like Bad News Barrett IC Champion is certainly a positive step in the right direction. Now if only WWE would actually make legit contenders in a bigger IC division, it'd be much more interesting to watch.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think he could be a success as Intercontinental Champion on this occasion. The Bad News Barrett character has been a success so far, which has pleasantly surprised me as I really thought the gimmick would bomb.

I think this IC title run may prove more successful than Barrett's earlier runs because the fans have got behind him without the belt and WANTED to see him win it, rather than WWE making their common mistake of putting the belt on someone in attempt to get them over. A belt shouldn't be used to get a wrestler over, it should be given to someone who IS over, which strengthens the prestige of a title.

If Vince stays in support of the Bad News Barrett character, then he could have a great title run. If Vince loses interest though, then Barrett may struggle. Hopefully this time we will see Barrett take the step to the next level, as any more failures could see him on the Future Endevoured list.

 

[Viola Moonlight]

If you think the Intercontinental championship is the reason that Barrett is [going to be] successful in the WWE this time around then I'm afraid I've got some Bad News!

Barrett is a more seasoned wrestler than when he first started and has used his charisma to take a gimmick that would surely hurt many careers, turning it into something interesting and entertaining to which the crowd seems to love (even going as far as cheering him as a heel). He's updated his look and moveset to compliment his intimidating figure, making him an even more imposing person. He's also very decent in the ring and has proven to wrestle longer matches as seen in the IC Tournament (most recent example I can use). The gimmick and Barrett's ability to turn it into something special is what has gotten Barrett his rise in popularity.

If anything, Barrett will probably do more for the Intercontinental title than the Intercontinental title will do for Barrett. Sure, championships put the spotlight on people but he really didn't need one considering he made one for himself. However, in saying that, I'm happy for Barrett to be champion and I'm actually excited to see IC Championships matches now so if he continues what he's been doing since becoming Bad News, he'll continue to do well in the WWE.