Wade Barrett has all the potential in the world, but more than a few people are saying his ‘push’ is being wasted right now. I ask you, what push? He came back from an injury and got settled in the midcard picture, but no one promised us (or him) a push to the top upon his return. In all honesty, I don’t really see any room for him in the world title picture at the moment, but that’s hardly a dig at him. Wade is one of my favorite characters on television; I liked him as the Nexus leader and I like his bare knuckle fighter persona. Wade is going to be a huge star, you can just tell he has a big presence and he wants to succeed.
Nexus started out with a bang, and it had a lot to do with Wade being the focal point. He was competing as a rookie and as the NXT winner, but he looked like he has been there before without being too cocky or forced. Wade was the perfect person to be a leader, and I would argue that Nexus (and the Corre) fell apart because of crappy writing, not because of their leader. Nexus wasn’t just a renegade group, it was Wade’s group. Now that he’s on his own, he says his focus has been renewed, and I couldn’t be happier to hear that. Even more, I’m glad he is challenging for the Intercontinental Title because WWE needs to refocus on making the whole roster credible, not just the main eventers when they are in a program.
Wade is the perfect guy to push in the secondary title picture, yes he has ‘world champion’ written all over him, but that will come in due time. He had a small test when he had some title shots two years ago, but John Cena was right when he told Wade he didn’t want to win with help. Look at the champions who were hot shotted to a title or ones who cheated – Alberto Del Rio cheated to interrupt CM Punk’s title reign, and Dolph Ziggler doesn’t even acknowledge his ‘cup of coffee’ with the big gold belt. Wade will be fine, he’s a great foil for Kofi Kingston, and he works well with pretty much anyone he’s been paired with so far. As far as the IC title goes, Wade would be a good champion. I could see him beating Kofi eventually, and it may happen as soon as Sunday at the TLC pay-per-view. I do like seeing longer title reigns, but the stability of the other belts could provide some room for one of them, like the IC, to change hands a few times and not devalue it if you get a few defenses in between.
Wade Barrett is going to be a champion, and he is going to be a top star for years to come. Right now, he’s finding his spot on a card much different then when he left due to injury. Dolph Ziggler may be the next “guy,” but stars like Antonio Cesaro and Wade Barrett aren’t too far behind him. I like Wade because he, like Cesaro, isn’t a cheap shot artist and he can actually fight and win. I don’t really see his loss to R-Truth this week as anything more than a weak moment, but it doesn’t take from him and it certainly shouldn’t stop his momentum. If anything, Truth’s win helped him look like a challenge to Cesaro, it didn’t hurt Wade more than helping raise someone else’s stock. I feel like the WWE needs to continue to emphasize an NFL-esque “anyone can win at anytime” mentality. We are in a UFC and reality era, and losing one match doesn’t end your career. Wade is still in the hunt, and the great thing about him is that he’s been in it his whole WWE career. Wade is always near the top and can beat you on any given day, so stop talking about why there’s nothing to watch, and start talking about Barrett. (more!)
