In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Wade Barrett commented officially on signing a new WWE contract, how long the deal is for, and his thoughts on the Retribution angle.
On his new WWE contract: “I hope this lasts for a long time, that’s our intent. So there is no bad news to share, but never forget, there is always a little bad news up my sleeve.”
Thoughts on the NXT commentary team: “Our aim is to be different, a little more unique than the other WWE programming. We don’t want to be a carbon copy of what you hear on Raw or SmackDown. I’ve known Beth for years, and she is incredibly talented, and I am just getting to know Vic. I’m excited to learn from and work with both of them, and I’m really excited to develop this into a really tight unit.”
NXT’s growth over the years: “This isn’t a developmental brand. I’ve followed the careers of The Undisputed Era, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, and Rhea Ripley for a long time. There are so many up-and-comers, and NXT is a destination where you can see people turn into stars. Bronson Reed is a powerhouse and reminds me of a young Mark Henry. Coming from England, I might be a bit biased, but I can’t wait to see Ridge Holland’s rise into a megastar. He has all the potential in the world. I’m also especially excited to call Shotzi Blackheart on a weekly basis. She is going to be a massive star. The opening match-up tonight between Shotzi and Io Shirai will be fantastic, so make sure to get there nice and early to watch.”
Why he left WWE in 2016: “When I left in 2016, I was emotionally burnt out and beat up. I knew I needed to do some projects away from pro wrestling, but this has always been my passion. And even when I needed some time away, I still found myself looking at results online and then checking out the show on TV. Pro wrestling has always been a true love of mine, especially commentary. Physically, I feel 100%. My body feels incredibly good. I’m not doing commentary because I had a career-ending injury. I want to focus on commentary because I’m passionate about it. That’s not to say I won’t pull the boots back on at some point, but commentary is my focus and I am extremely excited about it.”
On working with the NWA: “Working with the NWA was a fantastic experience for me, and I planned to sign a long-term deal with them. Plans changed with the pandemic, but I have nothing but great things to say about Billy Corgan. And a lot of people don’t realize that I also have quite a bit of commentary experience, including in the U.K. Over a decade ago, I was a commentator for about six months with Dusty Rhodes and Byron Saxton in FCW. I enjoyed it so much, and even when I was wrestling and in main events, I knew I’d always want to return to it. So getting a call from Triple H about a spot on NXT’s commentary team, that was very exciting. This is the ideal role for me.”
Rumors on leading the Retribution Stable: “My focus is on commentary and NXT. But you know what, I’m not going to kill that Retribution rumor. My Twitter hasn’t stopped blowing up since they first appeared. People seem to be happy accusing me of being under that mask, so I’ll let them carry on.”
