In an interview with TheFA.com, Wade Barrett spoke about wanting to perform at Wembley Stadium. Here are highlights:
On why WWE wrestlers like working in front of UK crowds: “It’s been a hectic schedule but I always love coming back home. I’ve been at shows in Nottingham, Leeds, Manchester and now we are in London and it’s been a great experience so far. I’ve had a mix of cheers and boos, sometimes they go crazy for me or they hate me, but it’s great to come back home as these are the loudest fans anywhere in the world and it makes it all the more special being a home crowd. Anywhere we go around the world, wrestling fans are very passionate, but especially in the UK I feel there’s definitely some crossover from our football fan culture. With their singing and the chanting, a lot of the time over here the crowd is actually the star of the show. They are so special and different, and I know I speak on behalf of the entire locker room when I say that this is our favourite place to wrestle because the fans are so crazy. We never know what they are going to give us – they don’t always play along with the storylines and twist things their own way, so it’s great.”
On WWE possibly returning to Wembley Stadium: “That would be incredible to perform at Wembley. I was a big British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith fan, he was my favourite as a kid, and I remember watching Summerslam 92 at Wembley and being blown away by how amazing the experience was. To be able to follow in his footsteps and do something like that by performing at the new Wembley, it would just be incredible. I know we would pack it out, the British fans would be hanging of the rafters, and I think I’d be the real favourite for that one so it would be a great show. It’s out of my hands whether that would ever happen, but if they could make it work that would be fantastic and a truly amazing event.”
On wanting to be the first English WWE World Heavyweight Champion: “There’s never been an English world heavyweight champion. Some guys have come close in the past. The British Bulldog is one who I think should have won it, William Regal is another I believe should have won it at some point but didn’t. I myself have come pretty close in the past, especially in 2010 I came very close in a few matches on pay-per-view. Eventually it’s got to happen – if you look at the caliber of wrestlers in the past that have come from our island it is incredible that it has not happened. Whether it’s me, or Adrian Neville, another Englishman who has recently debuted in the ring on TV, it will happen – but I would love to be the first.”
