Stuart Alexander Bennett (born 10 August 1980) is an English-American
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...
commentator, actor, and former professional wrestler who holds both British and American citizenship. He is currently signed to
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
, where he is a color commentator on the
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
brand under the
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
Wade Barrett.
Under the Wade Barrett name, he won the
first season of ''
NXT
NXT may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010
** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory
* ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
'' in 2010 and made his main roster debut on ''
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'' later that year. He rose to prominence as the leader of
The Nexus, a villainous faction composed of the remaining ''NXT'' first season rookies. He headlined five PPV events for WWE in 2010—
SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
,
Night of Champions
Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends o ...
,
Bragging Rights
Boasting or bragging is speaking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities.
Boasting occurs when someone feels a sense of satisfaction or when someone feels that whatever occurred proves thei ...
,
Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
, and
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
—three of which saw him unsuccessfully challenge for the
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
. He later formed
The Corre
The Corre was a multinational villainous stable that wrestled on World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE's SmackDown brand in 2011. The group was a spinoff of British wrestler Wade Barrett's previous stable, The Nexus.
The stable was formed after Ame ...
, a short-lived group with former Nexus members
Heath Slater
Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Impact Wrestling, where he performs mononymously as Heath, and is also active on the independent circuit. He is best known for his time in W ...
and
Justin Gabriel
Phillip Paul Lloyd (born 3 March 1981) is a South African-American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, under the ring name Justin Gabriel. He is currently wrestling under the ring name P. J. Black.
A second-generation ...
, along with
Ezekiel Jackson
Rycklon Stephens (born April 22, 1978) is a Guyanese-American retired professional wrestler and bodybuilder. He is best known for his time with WWE under the ring name Ezekiel Jackson, where he was the final ECW Champion under the WWE brand of t ...
in 2011. After they disbanded, Barrett would go on to become a
five-time Intercontinental Champion
A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...
.
In 2013, Barrett's ring name was changed to Bad News Barrett and he adopted the character of a man who took immense pleasure in breaking bad news to other people. In 2015, he won the
20th King of the Ring tournament, at which point his ring name was changed to King Barrett. He was notably portrayed as a villain for his entire WWE career, regardless of any other changes made to his character. He has not wrestled since leaving WWE in May 2016, though he has appeared in non-wrestling roles on the international
independent circuit
In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...
, such as a commentator for
World of Sport Wrestling
''World of Sport Wrestling'' (frequently shortened to ''WOS Wrestling'') was a British professional wrestling television series and occasional promotion. It was promoted as a re-launch of the popular wrestling segment of the '' World of Sport'' ...
and a general manager for Defiant Wrestling under his real name. He returned to WWE as a commentator for NXT in August 2020.
Bennett made his acting debut in the action film ''
Dead Man Down
''Dead Man Down'' is a 2013 American neo-noir crime thriller film written by J.H. Wyman and directed by Danish director Niels Arden Oplev. The film stars Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Dominic Cooper, and Terrence Howard, and was released on March ...
'' (2013) and has since starred in action films such as ''
Eliminators'' (2016), ''
I Am Vengeance'' (2018), and ''
I Am Vengeance: Retaliation'' (2020).
Early life
Stuart Alexander Bennett
was born on 10 August 1980 in
Penwortham, Lancashire.
He grew up in nearby
Preston before moving to
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
with his family at the age of six.
He was inspired to become a professional wrestler by his idol
Davey Boy Smith
David Smith (27 November 1962 – 18 May 2002) was an English professional wrestler. Born in Golborne, Lancashire, Smith is best known for his appearances in the United States with the World Wrestling Federation under the ring names Davey Bo ...
, and named the
WWF Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roste ...
match in the main event of
SummerSlam 1992 between Smith and his other childhood hero
Bret Hart
Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...
as his favourite match of all time.
He earned a degree in
marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies s ...
from the
University of Liverpool
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
,
after which he went to work in a science lab and as a recruitment consultant while training to become a wrestler.
Bare-knuckle boxing career
While living in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
in his early 20s, Bennett has stated to have become a champion
bare-knuckle boxer
Bare-knuckle boxing (or simply bare-knuckle) is a combat sport which involves two individuals throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time without any boxing gloves or other form of padding on their hands. It is a regulated ...
who would fight in various locations throughout Europe.
[The NXT big thing](_blank)
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is a group of British subscription sports channels operated by the satellite pay television company Sky Group (a division of Comcast), and is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It ...
. 11 June 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2012. He competed in a match in
Budapest
Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
dubbed "The Battle of Buda" by the bare-knuckle underworld, in which he defeated a reputable opponent for a substantial cash prize.
[Wade Barrett Universe blog entry](_blank)
. Archived at The Wasteland. Later, while walking through an alleyway in search of a taxi to the airport, he was stabbed with an eight-inch knife by someone who attempted to steal the money. He has refused to elaborate on the incident for legal reasons, but has said that he seriously injured his attacker and escaped with the money despite significant blood loss. The attack left him with a 12-inch scar that stretches from his upper back to halfway down his right arm,
and the punches he took during his bare-knuckle career left him with a disfigured nose,
but he has expressed no regret over that period of his life.
He incorporated his bare-knuckle career into his WWE
gimmick at the request of
Dusty Rhodes
Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who most notably worked for the National Wrestling Alliance, Jim Crocket ...
,
being introduced to the WWE audience as a European bare-knuckle champion who had fought on the streets of Europe. His ''Wasteland'' move is named after the site of many of his fights.
Professional wrestling career
Early career (2004–2006)
![WadeBarrett1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/WadeBarrett1.jpg)
Bennett decided to become a
professional wrestler
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
at the age of 21,
and was trained by Jon Ritchie and
Al Snow
Allen Ray Sarven (born July 18, 1963) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name Al Snow. He is best known as a wrestler for Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Extreme Championship Wrestling, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Sn ...
.
He made his professional wrestling debut in June 2004, using the
ring name
A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or projecting ...
Stu Sanders,
as a surprise entrant in a 30-man
battle royal
Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...
held by NWA UK Hammerlock Wrestling.
Sanders also performed at numerous Dropkixx Wrestling, Real Quality Wrestling and
All Star Wrestling
All Star Wrestling (ASW) is a British professional wrestling promotion operated by Brian Dixon and based in Birkenhead, England. Founded as Wrestling Enterprises of Birkenhead in October 1970, it has also been known over the years as All Star P ...
events,
as well as wrestling in Wales for Welsh Wrestling. In June 2005 he beat Danny Beckwith for the Dropkixx IWC Heavyweight Championship. In 2005, he feuded with
Nick Aldis
Nicholas Aldis (born 6 November 1986) is an English professional wrestler best known for his time in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He is also known for his time in Impact Wrestling under the ring name Magnus.
Aldis made his debut on t ...
and Danny Dexter in Dropkixx Wrestling.
World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006–2008)
After appearing as part of a security team on 13 November 2006 episode of ''
Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'' in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, Barrett participated in a tryout with
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
(WWE) later that month. He had another tryout in 2007, and signed a developmental contract with them in October.
He was assigned to
Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg.
O ...
(OVW) under his Stu Sanders ring name, where he defeated
Ace Steel
Christopher Guy (born January 25, 1973) is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ace Steel. He is perhaps best known for his time with Ring of Honor and occasional appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment, as w ...
in a
dark match
Professional wrestling has accrued a considerable amount of jargon throughout its existence. Much of it stems from the industry's origins in the days of carnivals and circuses. In the past, professional wrestlers used such terms in the presence o ...
.
He later formed a
tag team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
with
Paul Burchill
Paul Birchall (born 8 October 1979), better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English retired professional wrestler best known for his time with WWE. Prior to joining WWE, Burchill wrestled for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance and other ...
and the pair faced the
Major Brothers in several matches.
On 2 January 2008 Sanders and Burchill defeated
Colt Cabana and Charles Evans in the final of a tournament for the
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
The OVW Tag Team Championship formerly known as the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. There have been 177 reigns shared b ...
.
Sanders and Burchill held the title for nearly two months before losing it to Los Locos (Ramón and Raúl) in a
four-way match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
also involving The Insurgency (Ali and Omar Akbar) and The Mobile Homers (Ted McNaler and Adam Revolver).
[
]
Florida Championship Wrestling (2008–2010)
After WWE ended their relationship with OVW as a developmental territory, Sanders was moved to Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
(FCW) with several other wrestlers. On 6 May 2008, Sanders and Drew McIntyre
Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre.
McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion, one-time WWE Int ...
, collectively known as The Empire, defeated The Puerto Rica Nightmares (Eddie Colón
Eddie or Eddy may refer to:
Science and technology
*Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle
*Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Linu ...
and Eric Pérez
Eric Alexander Pérez (born December 18, 1979) is a Puerto Rican professional wrestler who currently performs under the ring name "Escobar". In 2005, Pérez signed a developmental contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he worke ...
) to win the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship
The FCW Florida Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling, (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It was contested for in their tag team division. The c ...
. They lost the titles back to the Nightmares at FCW's first TV taping on 17 July. The team broke up after the loss, and Sanders began wrestling under his real name before changing it to Lawrence Knight at 9 October FCW
Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
television taping. On 19 February 2009, Knight announced that he was the new FCW commentator, alongside Dusty Rhodes
Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who most notably worked for the National Wrestling Alliance, Jim Crocket ...
. He became colour commentator due to an injury, in which he tore his Latissimus dorsi muscle
The latissimus dorsi () is a large, flat muscle on the back that stretches to the sides, behind the arm, and is partly covered by the trapezius on the back near the midline. The word latissimus dorsi (plural: ''latissimi dorsorum'') comes from L ...
and required surgery. In August 2009, Bennett was renamed yet again to Wade Barrett, partially named for Wade Dooley
Wade Dooley (born 2 October 1957) is a former England rugby union international who played lock forward. He played for his country 55 times and was known as the "Blackpool Tower", as a result of being 6 feet 8 inches tall and a police officer ...
. He described the character of Barrett as being an extension of his "dark side". He returned to in-ring competition in FCW in December 2009.
The Nexus and The Corre (2010–2011)
Barrett competed on the first season of ''NXT
NXT may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010
** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory
* ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
'', with Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler and singer. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is the leader of the Jeri ...
as his storyline mentor. His first appearance for ''NXT'' was on the inaugural episode of ''NXT'' on 23 February, when he acted as Jericho's ring announcer
A ring announcer is an in-ring (and sometimes on-camera) employee or contractor for a boxing, professional wrestling or mixed martial arts event or promotion, who introduces the competitors to the audience.
In boxing and mixed martial arts bouts, ...
. Barrett made his in-ring debut on the following episode of ''NXT'', defeating Daniel Bryan. On 13 April episode of ''NXT'', Barrett won the "talk the talk" challenge and was awarded his own custom made entrance theme. On 11 May, Barrett was ranked in first place in the Pros Poll. On 1 June 2010 episode of ''NXT'', Barrett won the overall competition and a WWE contract, by defeating Gabriel and David Otunga
David Daniel Otunga''Lawyer ' (born April 7, 1980) is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Otunga is best known for his time working with WWE. He was the runner-up on the first season of ''NXT''. He is also an original member of ...
in the season finale.
On 7 June 2010 edition of ''Raw
Raw is an adjective usually describing:
* Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made
* Raw food, uncooked food
Raw or RAW may also refer to:
Computing and electronics
* .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...
'', Barrett was at the forefront of an attack by the ''NXT'' rookies, as they interfered in the main event
In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...
match between John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied w ...
and CM Punk
Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...
, attacking both competitors, Luke Gallows
Andrew William Hankinson (born December 22, 1983) is an American professional wrestler, who is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Luke Gallows.
Hankinson began his career in 2005 and participated i ...
, the announce team, the timekeeper and the ring announcer, Justin Roberts
Justin Jason Roberts (born December 29, 1979) is an American professional ring announcer currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), Roberts regularly announced for its pay-per-v ...
, before they destroyed the ring area and surrounding equipment. Cena in particular was heavily targeted by the rookies, who hit him with their finishing moves. On 14 June 2010 edition of ''Raw'', Barrett and the other rookies (minus Daniel Bryan) demanded full-time contracts from Raw General Manager Bret Hart
Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...
, who instead fired Barrett and had the rookies removed from the building. Later in the show, the rookies attacked Hart and gave him until the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
to decide on their contracts. At Fatal 4-Way, the rookies interfered in the main event for the WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, representing the Raw brand division. It is one of two world titles on WWE's main roster, alongside SmackDown' ...
, costing Cena the match and the championship in the process to Sheamus
Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sheamus.
Prior to joining WWE, he wrestled on the European indep ...
. The following night on ''Raw'', Vince McMahon
Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the w ...
fired Hart and announced that a new 'anonymous' General Manager had been hired and the six rookies received WWE contracts (Barrett's contract was reinstated after he was originally fired the previous week). The group of rookies continued their path of disrupting main events, as they attacked both Cena and McMahon, who had been acting as the referee
A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...
on 21 June 2010 edition of ''Raw''. On 5 July 2010 edition of ''Raw'', the group was named The Nexus. That same week, Barrett was absent from ''Raw'' as his work visa had expired and he had to return to the United Kingdom to apply for a new one. With his visa situation cleared up, Barrett returned the following week.
On 12 July 2010 edition of ''Raw'', the Nexus (who were without Darren Young
Frederick Douglas Rosser III (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is the current Strong Openweight Champion in his first reign. He is best known for his ...
due to being injured in an attack by Cena the previous week) competed in their first match together and defeated Cena in a 6–on–1 handicap match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
after Gabriel hit Cena with the 450° splash. The following week, Barrett made his singles match debut on ''Raw'' by defeating Mark Henry
Mark Jerrold Henry (born June 12, 1971) is an American former powerlifter, Olympic weightlifter, strongman, and professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a commentator/analyst, coach, and talent scout. He is b ...
. The Nexus continued to feud with Cena and the ''Raw'' roster, resulting in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match at SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
. Barrett was the final member of the Nexus but submitted to Cena, causing the Nexus to lose the match. After Young was exiled from the group for losing a match to Cena the night after SummerSlam and Skip Sheffield was injured at a live event in Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
two nights later, the Nexus faced Cena, Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
, Randy Orton
Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw (WWE brand), Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. H ...
, Sheamus and Jericho in a five-on-five elimination match on 30 August 2010 edition of ''Raw'', which Barrett won by pinning Orton.
Barrett received his guaranteed championship match from winning NXT at Night of Champions
Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends o ...
, where he was unsuccessful in a six-pack challenge match for the WWE Championship, despite eliminating Cena. The feud between Cena and the Nexus continued at Hell in a Cell
Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling steel cage-based match which originated in 1997 in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It features a large cell structure, a five-sided cuboid made from open-weave steel mesh chain-link fenci ...
on 3 October, when Barrett defeated Cena to force Cena to become a member of the Nexus. The following night on ''Raw'', Barrett, with the help of the rest of the Nexus, won a battle royal to determine the number one contender to the WWE Championship, when Cena eliminated himself on Barrett's orders. Barrett received his championship match against Randy Orton at the Bragging Rights
Boasting or bragging is speaking with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities.
Boasting occurs when someone feels a sense of satisfaction or when someone feels that whatever occurred proves thei ...
pay-per-view. After ordering Cena to help him win, Cena interfered in the match causing Barrett to win via disqualification, which meant that Orton retained the championship. The following night, Barrett was granted a rematch at the Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
pay-per-view, and allowed to choose a guest referee. He chose Cena, stating that if Barrett wins the match and the WWE title, Cena would be allowed to leave the Nexus; however if Barrett failed to win the title, Cena would be fired. At Survivor Series, Barrett was unsuccessful in winning the WWE Championship from Orton after Cena pushed him into an RKO
RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...
by Orton. Cena was fired as per the match stipulation after Survivor Series. Due to Cena's interference, Barrett received a rematch for the championship the following night on ''Raw'', but was attacked by the fired Cena, "costing" him the match, leading to The Miz
Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz.
Mizanin first gained fame a ...
to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Orton. After Cena attacked several members of the Nexus over the next few weeks, they demanded that Barrett re-instate him, or be exiled from the group. On 13 December 2010 edition of ''Raw'', Barrett agreed and rehired Cena on the condition Cena faces Barrett in a Chairs match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
at the TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view, which Cena won after dropping 23 steel chairs on Barrett.
Barrett made his first appearance since the TLC pay-per-view on 3 January 2011 edition of ''Raw'', where he confronted CM Punk
Phillip Jack Brooks (born October 26, 1978), better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler, sports commentator, actor, and retired mixed martial artist currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Best known for ...
, who had taken over the leadership of the Nexus in his absence. Punk gave Barrett the opportunity to regain the leadership, stating that if he won a triple threat steel cage match involving Orton and Sheamus to determine the number one contender for The Miz's WWE Championship, Punk would not only give up the leadership, but work for Barrett's Nexus. However, during the match, Punk came down to ringside, attacked Barrett as he was about to win and took off Barrett's Nexus armband, symbolically removing him from the Nexus, resulting in Barrett losing the match. At the television tapings of 10 January 2011 edition of ''SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
'' the next day, Barrett made his first ''SmackDown'' appearance since 1 October, this time by attacking Big Show
Paul Donald Wight II (born February 8, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as an in-ring performer, and as a commentator for its web television show, '' AEW Dark: Elevation,'' under ...
. The following week, he was joined by Ezekiel Jackson and his former Nexus stablemates Gabriel and Slater, who had left the group the previous Monday for and the group named themselves The Corre
The Corre was a multinational villainous stable that wrestled on World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE's SmackDown brand in 2011. The group was a spinoff of British wrestler Wade Barrett's previous stable, The Nexus.
The stable was formed after Ame ...
. Barrett later qualified for the Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel ...
match for the World Heavyweight Championship, but came up short after being the first man eliminated by Big Show.
At the television tapings of 25 March 2011 edition of ''SmackDown'', Barrett defeated Kofi Kingston
Kofi Nahaje Sarkodie-Mensah (born August 14, 1981) is a Ghanaian-born American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand under the ring name Kofi Kingston. He appeared on WWE's NXT brand as one-hal ...
to win the Intercontinental Championship. At WrestleMania XXVII
WrestleMania XXVII (also written as WrestleMania 27) was the 27th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDow ...
, The Corre were defeated in an eight-man tag team match by the team of Kingston, Big Show, Kane and Santino Marella
Anthony Carelli (born March 14, 1974) is a Canadian judoka and semi-retired professional wrestler. He is known for his 11-year tenure with WWE where he wrestled under the ring name Santino Marella. He is the founder of and instructor at Battle Art ...
. Barrett went on to successfully defend his championship against Kingston on 22 April 2011 edition of ''SmackDown''. On 6 May 2011 edition of ''SmackDown'', Barrett, Gabriel, and Slater attacked Jackson, removing him from the group. On 13 May 2011 edition of ''SmackDown'', Barrett then challenged Jackson to a match for the Intercontinental Championship at the Over the Limit pay-per-view and Jackson accepted. At the event, Gabriel and Slater attacked Jackson during the match, resulting in a disqualification, but Barrett retained the title as a title cannot change hands via disqualification. He then defended his Intercontinental title against Jackson again on 3 June 2011 edition of ''SmackDown''. During this match, Jackson threw Barrett out of the ring, resulting in a countout, but once again, Barrett retained the title as a title cannot change hands via countout. Barrett then instructed The Corre to attack Jackson, but abandoned Gabriel and Slater, whom Jackson fended off. The following week, The Corre dissolved after Barrett, fleeing from Jackson, walked out on Gabriel and Slater in a six-man tag team match against Jackson and The Usos
The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are ...
, causing them to lose the match. At Capitol Punishment, Barrett lost the Intercontinental Championship to Jackson, and failed to win his rematch for the title on 24 June episode of ''SmackDown''.
On 1 July episode of ''SmackDown'', Barrett was announced to be one of the participants for the SmackDown Money in the Bank match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, facing Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Kane, Sin Cara
In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, ...
, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes
Cody Garrett Runnels Rhodes (''né'' Runnels; born June 30, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. Rhodes is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AE ...
and Sheamus. The match was won by Daniel Bryan, sparking a rivalry between the two. At SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
, Barrett defeated Bryan in a singles match. He then had a short feud with Sheamus, where he lost on three occasions.
Barrett Barrage (2011–2012)
On the 21 October episode of ''SmackDown'', Barrett dismissed his past allies as a "legion of parasites" and claimed that the only person he needed for success was himself. He vowed that the "Barrett Barrage" was only just beginning. Barrett followed this announcement by beating Daniel Bryan. The next week, he began a winning streak, defeating John Morrison, Trent Barreta
Gregory "Greg" Marasciulo (born March 30, 1987), better known by the ring name Trent Beretta or Trent?, is an American professional wrestler signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his time with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Ring ...
, Sheamus, and Randy Orton in singles competition. In November, he began feuding with Orton, and both were announced as opposing team captains for Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
. Barrett's winning streak was broken on the 14 November episode of ''Raw'', when he was defeated by Orton via disqualification after Team Barrett attacked Orton. Team Barrett defeated Team Orton at Survivor Series, with Barrett and Cody Rhodes being the sole survivors of the match. On the 25 November episode of ''SmackDown'', Barrett competed in a fatal four-way match against Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Daniel Bryan to determine the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Bryan won.
Barrett continued his feud with Orton by attacking and distracting him during matches. On the 9 December episode of ''SmackDown'', Barrett and Orton were put into two Beat the Clock matches, with the winner choosing the stipulation for their match at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs. Barrett defeated Ezekiel Jackson in 7:53, but Orton beat Dolph Ziggler
Nicholas Theodore Nemeth (born July 27, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and stand-up comedian. He is currently signed to WWE under the ring name Dolph Ziggler, where he performs on the Raw brand.
After a prolific career in amateur ...
in 7:51 and chose a Table match. At TLC, Orton defeated Barrett after hitting the ''RKO'' in mid-air, with Barrett landing through the table. On the 23 December episode of ''SmackDown'', they brawled backstage, ending when Orton hit Barrett with the ''RKO'' onto a car. This led to a Falls Count Anywhere match the next week, where Barrett pushed Orton down a set of stairs before exiting through the door. Orton suffered a herniated disc as a result, taking him off television for a number of weeks. After Orton returned from injury in late January 2012, he eliminated Barrett from the 2012 Royal Rumble match. On the 3 February edition of ''SmackDown'', Orton defeated Barrett in a No Disqualifications match to end the feud.
At Elimination Chamber
The Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling elimination-based match held in the WWE. The match was founded by Chris Jericho , created and introduced by Eric Bischoff in November 2002. It features a large chain-linked circular steel ...
, Barrett failed to capture the World Heavyweight Championship after being eliminated by Santino Marella. The following night on ''Raw'', Barrett suffered a partially dislocated
A joint dislocation, also called luxation, occurs when there is an abnormal separation in the joint, where two or more bones meet.Dislocations. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. Retrieved 3 March 2013 A partial dislocation is refe ...
elbow after Big Show threw Dolph Ziggler at him during a battle royal, and was taken off television.
Intercontinental Champion (2012–2013)
In August 2012, WWE aired vignettes promoting Barrett's return, showing Barrett fighting at an underground fight club in an attempt to "reignite the flame". Barrett, with an entirely new look, made his return on 7 September ''SmackDown'', defeating Yoshi Tatsu
Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Yoshi debuted in ''Super Mario World'' (1990) on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi's sidekick. Yoshi is the title character of the List of Y ...
. He then went on a winning streak, defeating wrestlers including Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd
Theodore James "TJ" Wilson (born July 11, 1980) is a Canadian retired professional wrestler better known by the ring name Tyson Kidd. He is currently signed to WWE, where he works as a producer.
The final graduate of the Hart Dungeon, Wilson w ...
, and Zack Ryder
Matthew Brett Cardona (born May 14, 1985) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Zack Ryd ...
, among others. His first loss came on 8 October episode of ''Raw'', when he lost a non-title match to World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus via disqualification after Big Show interfered. Barrett suffered his first pinfall loss on 19 October episode of ''SmackDown'', in a Lumberjack match
Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...
against Sheamus. At Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
, Barrett was part of the winning team of Dolph Ziggler against the team of Mick Foley
Michael Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American actor, author, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator. He is currently signed to WWE under the company's Legends program, acting as a company ambassador.
Foley worked for m ...
, where he eliminated Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston before being eliminated by The Miz
Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz.
Mizanin first gained fame a ...
.
The following night on ''Raw'', Barrett defeated Kingston in a non-title match to earn a match for the Intercontinental Championship. Barrett, still number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship, received a shot at the United States Championship on 3 December ''Raw'', against champion Antonio Cesaro, Kofi Kingston, and R-Truth
Ronnie Aaron Killings (born January 19, 1972) is an American professional wrestler and rapper. He is currently signed to WWE, performing on the Raw brand under the ring name R-Truth.
Killings worked for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WW ...
in a fatal four-way match, but was unsuccessful. Barrett failed to win the Intercontinental Championship from Kingston at the TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
pay-per-view. Two weeks later, on 31 December ''Raw'', Barrett defeated Kingston to win the Intercontinental Championship for the second time in his career. Barrett made his first successful title defence four days later on ''SmackDown'', defeating Kingston in a rematch. Barrett entered the 2013 Royal Rumble match and was eliminated by the debuting Bo Dallas
Taylor Michael Rotunda (born May 25, 1990) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Bo Dallas. Rotunda is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather Blac ...
, but Barrett later returned to eliminate Dallas as well. This started a feud between the duo, with Barrett challenging Dallas to a non-title match the next night on ''Raw'', and Dallas pulling off an upset victory. During the month of February, Barrett and Dallas continued to feud with the two attacking each other backstage. On 21 March taping of ''NXT'', Wade Barrett defeated Bo Dallas for another successful title defence.
During the WrestleMania 29
WrestleMania 29 (billed in print ads as WrestleMania NY/NJ) was the 29th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by WWE. It took place on April 7, 2013, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. N ...
pre-show, Barrett lost the Intercontinental Championship to The Miz, however, he would regain the title in a rematch the following night on ''Raw''. On 20 May ''Raw'', Barrett and Fandango
Fandango is a lively partner dance originating from Portugal and Spain, usually in triple meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping. Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has ...
were defeated by Chris Jericho and The Miz in a tag team match after Fandango left the match to dance at ringside and Miz submitted Barrett with the figure-four leglock
Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...
. Barrett then lost an Intercontinental Championship match to The Miz by disqualification, after Fandango interfered, leading to Barrett attacking both Miz and Fandango post-match. On the next episode of ''Raw'', Barrett was defeated by Fandango in a non-title match after The Miz, who was special guest referee, gave Barrett a ''Skull Crushing Finale''. In June, Fandango suffered a legitimate concussion, removing him from the feud between Barrett and Miz.
At Payback
Payback may refer to:
* Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance
Payback may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Payback, a member of the fictional comics superhero team Shadow ...
, Barrett lost the Intercontinental Championship to Curtis Axel
Joseph Curtis Hennig (born October 1, 1979) is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Curtis Axel. Hennig signed with WWE in 2007 and wrestled at their developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and was ...
in a triple threat match, also involving The Miz. Barrett received his rematch for the title on the following episode of ''SmackDown'', but was again defeated by Axel. On 14 July at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Barrett competed in the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, but was unsuccessful as the match was ultimately won by Damien Sandow
Aron Steven Haddad (born August 3, 1982) is an American professional wrestler best known for wrestling with WWE under the ring name Damien Sandow. He is also known for his time in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and the independent circuit under t ...
. Barrett finally ended his long losing streak on 31 July ''Main Event'', when he defeated R-Truth. On 5 August ''Raw'', Barrett was to shave Daniel Bryan's beard at the orders of Vince McMahon as part of Bryan's "corporate makeover", but Bryan attacked and shaved Barrett instead. That same week on ''SmackDown'', Barrett lost to Bryan, but on the next ''Raw'', Barrett defeated Bryan after special guest referee Brad Maddox
Joshua Tyler Kluttz (born May 4, 1984) is an American retired professional wrestler and former professional wrestling referee. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Brad Maddox.
From 2008 to 2012, Maddo ...
made a fast count on Bryan. Four days later on ''SmackDown'', Barrett was again defeated by Bryan in a no disqualification match.
Bad News Barrett (2013–2015)
After an absence from WWE television due to legitimate work visa issues, he returned on 2 December 2013 episode of ''Raw'' as Bad News Barrett, a persona he had previously assumed on ''The JBL and Cole Show'', but was still called Wade on occasion by commentators and backstage interviewers.
He made his in-ring return on 7 April 2014 ''Raw'', defeating Rey Mysterio
Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profes ...
in Mysterio's last WWE appearance until 2018. On 14 April episode of ''Raw'', Barrett defeated Dolph Ziggler in round one of the #1 Contender's Tournament for an Intercontinental Championship match at Extreme Rules and on 21 April ''Raw'', Barrett defeated Sheamus to advance to the finals of the tournament. He defeated Rob Van Dam
Robert Alexander Szatkowski (born December 18, 1970) is an American professional wrestler and actor better known by his ring name Rob Van Dam (frequently abbreviated to RVD). He is best known for his tenures in Extreme Championship Wrestling ...
on 28 April ''Raw'' in the final round of the tournament, earning a match at Extreme Rules for the Intercontinental Championship against Big E. At Extreme Rules, he became the Intercontinental Champion for the fourth time in his career when he defeated Big E. He then defeated Van Dam at Payback
Payback may refer to:
* Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance
Payback may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Payback, a member of the fictional comics superhero team Shadow ...
to retain his Intercontinental Championship. On 9 June ''Raw'', he competed in a WWE World Heavyweight Championship qualifying match for the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, but failed after a Brogue Kick by Sheamus. However, Triple H
Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as on ...
put him in the Money in the Bank ladder match
The Money in the Bank ladder match is a multi-person ladder match held by the professional wrestling promotion WWE. First contested at WWE's annual WrestleMania event beginning in 2005, a separate Money in the Bank pay-per-view was established ...
for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract on 23 June ''Raw''. The following night at the ''SmackDown'' tapings, Barrett separated his shoulder after he was thrown into the barricade by Jack Swagger
Donald Jacob Hager Jr. (born March 24, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and mixed martial artist, currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Jake Hager, where he is a member of the Jericho Appreciation Society ...
, so he was pulled from the pay-per-view. Barrett's injury required surgery, ruling him out for months, thus WWE made the move to vacate the Intercontinental Championship on 30 June.
Barrett returned onscreen in November at the pre-show of Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
. On 29 December 2014 episode of ''Raw'', Barrett returned to action and defeated Cesaro. On 5 January 2015 episode of ''Raw'', Barrett defeated Dolph Ziggler in a 2-out-of-3 falls match to capture his fifth Intercontinental Championship. At Fastlane, Barrett retained his title against Dean Ambrose
Jonathan David Good (born December 7, 1985) is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley. He also makes appearances for New Japan Pro-Wres ...
after Ambrose got himself disqualified. Ambrose then stole the Intercontinental title, but he would not be the only one to do so for the following weeks, as various wrestlers gained possession of Barrett's title belt, including R-Truth, Luke Harper
Jonathan Huber (December 16, 1979 – December 26, 2020) was an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Luke Harper (later simply Harper) from 2012 to 2019, and in All E ...
, Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, and Stardust. Of these people, Barrett was pinned in non-title matches against R-Truth, Ziggler, Bryan, and Ambrose within a month before and after Fastlane. Thus, a ladder match for the Intercontinental Title was made for WrestleMania 31
WrestleMania 31 was the 31st annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on March 29, 2015, at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area town of Santa Clara, California. Nine ...
, with Barrett defending against Ambrose, Harper, R-Truth, Ziggler, Stardust, and Bryan, who ultimately won the match. Barrett was scheduled to face Bryan for the championship in a rematch at Extreme Rules, however Bryan was not medically cleared to compete. Barrett instead faced Neville in a losing effort on the pre-show.
King Barrett (2015–2016)
On 28 April 2015 episode of ''Raw'', Barrett would compete in the 2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
King of the Ring tournament
The King of the Ring tournament is a men's professional wrestling single-elimination tournament held periodically by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. Established in 1985, the winner of the inaugural tournament was Don M ...
, where he defeated Dolph Ziggler in the first round. The following night on the WWE Network
WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television network owned by the American entertainment company WWE. It primarily distributes original professional wrestling events, films, television and ...
, Barrett would defeat R-Truth in the semi-finals before defeating fellow Englishman Neville in the final to become the twentieth winner of the tournament. Under the moniker King Barrett, he would go on to deliberately get himself counted-out to Neville at Payback
Payback may refer to:
* Revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance
Payback may also refer to:
Art, entertainment, and media Fictional entities
* Payback, a member of the fictional comics superhero team Shadow ...
. King Barrett participated in the Elimination Chamber match for the vacant Intercontinental Championship, but was the first eliminated by R-Truth. At the Money in the Bank pre-show, Barrett lost to Truth. After his victory, Truth began referring to himself as "King What's Up" and wore a cape and crown to mock Barrett. The renewed feud accumulated to Battleground, which saw Barrett defeat Truth.
Barrett then formed a partnership named "The Lords of Darkness" with Stardust, leading to a tag team match at SummerSlam
SummerSlam is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Dubbed "The Biggest Party of the Summer", it is considered WWE's secon ...
, where they were defeated by Neville and actor Stephen Amell
Stephen Adam Amell (born May 8, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He came to prominence for playing the lead role of Oliver Queen on The CW superhero series ''Arrow'' (2012–2020). Amell also appeared in subsequent Arrowverse franchise media, along wi ...
, when Neville pinned Barrett for the win. The night after SummerSlam, Stardust turned on Barrett for costing him the match, thus disbanding their tag team.[ After a short hiatus, Barrett returned on 28 September episode of ''Raw'', attacking Neville and Stardust.
On 5 October episode of ''Raw'', Barrett helped Sheamus defeat Neville, after Barrett, who was on commentary during the match, distracted Neville long enough for Sheamus to take advantage. Barrett and Sheamus would then form a tag team, defeating Neville and Cesaro in tag team matches on both ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown''. At ]Survivor Series
Survivor Series is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1987 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Held in November generally the week of Thanksgiving, it is the sec ...
, Barrett took part in a 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match, alongside Sheamus and The New Day, with this team being defeated by Ryback
Ryback Allen Reeves (né Ryan; born November 10, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE where he performed under the ring name Ryback.
One of the eight finalists on WWE's '' Tough Enough 4'', Reeves ...
, The Usos
The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They are ...
and The Lucha Dragons
The Lucha Dragons were a professional wrestling tag team composed of Kalisto and Sin Cara.
They previously wrestled in WWE's developmental territory NXT, where they were one-time NXT Tag Team Champions. Their name is a reference to their ''lucha ...
. The following night on ''Raw'', Barrett would help Rusev and Sheamus against Roman Reigns
Leati Joseph "Joe" Anoa'i (born May 25, 1985) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former American football, football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown (WWE brand), SmackDown WW ...
. On 9 November in Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, footballer Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while ...
slapped Barrett after Barrett talked trash to him repeatedly.
On 30 November episode of ''Raw'', after interfering in Sheamus' WWE World Heavyweight Championship title defence against Reigns, Sheamus announced the formation of The League of Nations
The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
stable alongside Barrett, Rusev and Alberto Del Rio
José Alberto Rodríguez Chucuan (born 25 May 1977) is a Mexican-American professional wrestler, professional wrestling promoter, sports commentator, and mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) as a c ...
. On 14 January episode of ''Smackdown'', Barrett helped Del Rio to win United States Championship.
On 7 March 2016 episode of ''Raw'', Barrett, along with Sheamus and Rusev, competed against Dolph Ziggler in a 3-on-1 handicap elimination match, where Barrett was the only member of his team to be eliminated. At Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:
*Roadworks
*Temporary road closure during special events
* Police chase
*Robbery
*Sobriety checkpoint
In peaceful circumstances ...
, Barrett and Sheamus unsuccessfully challenged The New Day for the WWE Tag Team Championship
WWE (formerly the WWF, the WWWF, and Capitol Wrestling) has maintained at least one primary tag team championship for its male performers since 1958 (except for a two year interim between 1967 and 1969). During periods of brand division, separat ...
. On 14 March edition of ''Raw'', Barrett and the entire League of Nations attacked the New Day, after Alberto Del Rio lost to Big E and Xavier Woods in a Tag Team title match. After the attack, Sheamus issued a challenge to The New Day for a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania 32
WrestleMania 32 was the 32nd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on April 3, 2016, at the AT&T Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. This was the last Wre ...
. On 17 March episode of ''Smackdown'', Barrett suffered a loss against Kofi Kingston. At WrestleMania, Barrett's stablemates defeated The New Day after interference from Barrett himself. On 4 April episode of ''Raw'', Barrett and Sheamus challenged the New Day for the tag titles, but lost. After the match, the League of Nations blamed Barrett for being the "weak link" and attacked him, ejecting him from the group. This was his last appearance for WWE.
On 6 May, WWE announced that Bennett had been released. Following his release, Bennett stated that he chose not to sign a new contract with WWE in August 2015, his contract was scheduled to end in June 2016, but WWE had agreed to an early release from his contract. Bennett then took a hiatus from wrestling altogether in order to focus on his acting career, but said he would return to wrestling when he felt the time was right.
In-ring hiatus, other work and commentary for WWE (2017–present)
After leaving WWE, he would work in no-wrestling roles. Throughout 2017, Bennett made appearances in WhatCulture
WhatCulture Ltd. is an online entertainment news website and magazine which was launched in 2010. The site offers news in the field of professional wrestling, television, films, video games, and board games.
History
Originally started by Peter ...
Pro Wrestling (WCPW)\Defiant Wrestling, where he served as on-screen general manager. The following year, Bennett joined World of Sport Wrestling
''World of Sport Wrestling'' (frequently shortened to ''WOS Wrestling'') was a British professional wrestling television series and occasional promotion. It was promoted as a re-launch of the popular wrestling segment of the '' World of Sport'' ...
(WOS) as an on-screen executive and commentator.
Bennett appeared on Lucha Underground
Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists Media Group. Partly owned by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program, which featured c ...
for its season four finale on 8 November 2018. Lucha Underground closed after season 4, therefore Bennett never got to appear for the company again. In December 2019, Bennett provided color commentary for the National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc.
Founded in 1948, the NWA ...
during their '' Into the Fire'' PPV event as well as ''NWA Power
''NWA Powerrr'' is a professional wrestling streaming television program produced by the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) that premiered on October 8, 2019. The series currently streams on FITE TV, where episodes are also made available on-demand ...
'' tapings.
On 26 August 2020 episode of ''NXT
NXT may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010
** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory
* ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
'', Bennett returned to WWE under the Wade Barrett name as a color commentator
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and t ...
in a single-appearance deal. He would become an official member of the NXT commentary team the following week. On 17 September, Barrett announced in an interview with ''Sports Illustrated'' that he had signed a one-year deal with WWE to become a permanent member of the NXT broadcast team. On October 6, 2022, WWE announced that they had shuffled their commentary and interview teams, with Barrett moving to ''SmackDown'' to be the color commentator alongside Michael Cole.
Acting career
Barrett had a small role as Kilroy in the crime thriller
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
film ''Dead Man Down
''Dead Man Down'' is a 2013 American neo-noir crime thriller film written by J.H. Wyman and directed by Danish director Niels Arden Oplev. The film stars Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Dominic Cooper, and Terrence Howard, and was released on March ...
'' (2013), for which he adopted a New York accent
The phonology, sound system of New York City English is popularly known as a New York accent. The New York metropolitan area, New York metropolitan accent is one of the most recognizable accent (sociolinguistics), accents of the United States, ...
.[''Talk is Jericho'', January 2015] He starred as assassin George "Bishop" Edwards in the action thriller
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include lif ...
film '' Eliminators'' (2016) and had a leading role as John Gold in the action film '' I Am Vengeance: Retaliation'' (2020), which received primarily negative reviews; however, his performance received praise, with ''Variety'' noting that he has "sufficient comic chops to occasionally undercut Gold's macho with self-parody".
Personal life
Bennett was granted an American green card in November 2014, before acquiring American citizenship in January 2021. He is an avid supporter of his hometown football team Preston North End FC.
Bennett was formerly in a relationship with American wrestler Alicia Fox
Victoria Crawford (born June 30, 1986) is an American retired professional wrestler and former model known for her time with WWE under the ring name Alicia Fox.
Crawford debuted on '' SmackDown'' on June 13, 2008, using the Alicia Fox name and ...
, with whom he remained friends after they broke up.
Filmography
Film
Television
Web
Championships and accomplishments
* ''The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
''
** Feud of the Year (2010)
** Newcomer of the Year (2010)
* Dropkixx
** Dropkixx IWC European Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
** Dropkixx IWC European Heavyweight Title Tournament (2005)
** Best Physical Appearance Award (2005)
* Florida Championship Wrestling
Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) was a professional wrestling promotion based on the former National Wrestling Alliance member promotion, Championship Wrestling from Florida, which operated from 1961 until 1987. From October 2007 to August ...
** FCW Florida Tag Team Championship
The FCW Florida Tag Team Championship was a professional wrestling tag team championship owned and promoted by Florida Championship Wrestling, (FCW), a former developmental territory of WWE. It was contested for in their tag team division. The c ...
( 2 time) – with Drew McIntyre
Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre.
McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion, one-time WWE Int ...
* Ohio Valley Wrestling
Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former developmental promotion based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is currently run by Al Snow and Matt Jones and Louisville mayor elect, Craig Greenberg.
O ...
** OVW Southern Tag Team Championship
The OVW Tag Team Championship formerly known as the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship is the tag team titles of Ohio Valley Wrestling. Created in 1997, the first champions were Nick Dinsmore and Flash Flanagan. There have been 177 reigns shared b ...
( 1 time) – with Paul Burchill
Paul Birchall (born 8 October 1979), better known by his ring name Paul Burchill, is an English retired professional wrestler best known for his time with WWE. Prior to joining WWE, Burchill wrestled for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance and other ...
* ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publish ...
''
** Feud of the Year (2010)
** Most Hated Wrestler of the Year (2010) –
** Ranked No. 19 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the ''PWI 500
''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishi ...
'' in 2011
* WWE/World Wrestling Entertainment
** WWE Intercontinental Championship
The WWE Intercontinental Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE, currently defended on the SmackDown brand division. It is one of two secondary championships for WWE's main roster ...
( 5 times)
** King of the Ring
King of the Ring was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The PPV event was held annually in June and was established in 1993 when the promotio ...
(2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
)
** ''NXT
NXT may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010
** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory
* ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
'' (Season one Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012
* ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012
See also
*
*
* Season 2 (disambiguation)
* Season 4 (disambiguat ...
)
** WWE Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender's Tournament (2014)
** Slammy Award
The Slammy Awards is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers and other individuals within WWE, such as commentators and managers. Introduced in 1986, there have been 13 edi ...
(1 time)
*** Shocker of the Year (2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
) –
Notes
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Wade
1980 births
21st-century professional wrestlers
Alumni of the University of Liverpool
Bare-knuckle boxers
English male professional wrestlers
English marine biologists
Expatriate professional wrestlers
FCW Florida Tag Team Champions
Living people
Professional wrestling announcers
Professional wrestling authority figures
Sportspeople from Preston, Lancashire
WWF/WWE Intercontinental Champions
WWF/WWE King Crown's Champions/King of the Ring winners