In professional wrestling, there is nothing like seeing a wrestler return to the ring after retirement. Whether the retirement was caused by injury or personal choice, it is exciting to see someone compete again when we thought it wouldn’t be possible. In 2016, Wade Barrett was released from the WWE; since then, he hasn’t had another wrestling match. He never pursued wrestling outside of WWE, and upon his return to the company in 2020, he became a commentator.
Barrett has impressed us all in this new commentary position and gained more love and respect from the fans as he shows his dedication to the company. Although his decision not to compete is personal, he is in phenomenal shape. With his 15+ years in professional wrestling, I’m sure he hasn’t lost a step.
WWE has teased Barrett’s return for one more match, but that may be bad news for his possible opponent…
Who Would Be Wade Barrett’s Opponent?
When wrestlers make a comeback, they typically face two types of opponents: a new wrestler to the company with whom they may not have had the chance to cross paths or someone with whom they already have a history.
Looking at the current wrestlers and their positions in the company, Barrett’s most compelling opponent would be Drew McIntyre. Over the years, they have been public about their friendship, especially recently with Barrett in the company.
Stay behind your desk grandpa; your stand-in has a better chance than you do https://t.co/lt6JSscFK0
— Drew (@DMcIntyreWWE) October 12, 2020
Digging through their wrestling history together, finding a televised singles match between them was impossible. McIntyre and Barrett have been involved in matches like Elimination Chamber 2011 but haven’t had a one-on-one match, which is pretty shocking considering their time together at the company.
During McIntyre’s time away from WWE, he reinvented himself in the indies, leading to the full circle moment when he returned to WWE. This time, he had an unforgettable run compared to the first time around.
Recently, McIntyre has been acting like the ultimate heel. This includes not listening to friends such as Wade Barrett when they try to calm him down after another one of his outbursts.
WWE has been hinting at a match between these two by having their conflict rise while Barrett is on commentary.
Commentary Exposure
Ever since Wade Barrett returned to commentary, fans have loved him heavily. Fans have always loved him, but now he has a different respect as a commentator.
He is experienced as a wrestler, so he can call the action play-by-play and relate to the competitors in the ring. This shows his persona more to the audience as we hear him speak weekly. His charisma shines through this professional role.
Through his performance on commentary, it seems like he enjoys this role. He has been having fun with it, inserting his personality. He is either enjoying it or doing an excellent job faking it (which I don’t think is the case).
Commentators’ jobs exceed simply calling the matches and showing replays. They help tell the story of the competitors and any history that the audience may not be aware of. They keep the story moving for the fans and ensure they understand what is occurring.
Since McIntyre’s feud with CM Punk, WWE has been teasing a match between Barrett and McIntyre. Barrett has been the friend he is to McIntyre and is trying to make sure he doesn’t do anything that he will regret. However, McIntyre hasn’t been appreciating it.
Bad News for Drew McIntyre
If Barrett is to come back for one more match, it will likely be against McIntyre. If, for some reason, it isn’t against McIntyre, it will probably be against someone he has a history with, such as Sheamus or CM Punk, which would also be very entertaining. However, McIntyre vs. Barrett makes the most sense, considering what is currently occurring in the company.
When he returns to the ring, will Wade Barrett fall back into his Bad News Barrett persona? He has made his presence known in commentary as Wade Barrett, which is strong enough to continue and incorporate more of himself into his character.
However, the Bad News character should be honored occasionally. Whether through promos or moves, it would be nice to see that he still acknowledges his previous run.
WWE has many opportunities to make this an important story with an extensive build-up to the match. Small teasers are already starting to appear. When is the best time to execute this match?
If they continue to build the story up and make it more intense from this point forward, this story could be a WrestleMania match. With all the other stories happening in the company, I don’t think this match would occur before WrestleMania.
If the match can’t happen at WrestleMania, I believe it could be a SummerSlam-worthy match.
I hope this story continues to unfold. It has the potential to become one of the top stories with the Royal Rumble around the corner; who knows what that entails for Barrett?
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