Wade Barrett Addresses Potential In-Ring Return

Wade Barrett had a memorable initial run in WWE, winning the first season of NXT, leading The Nexus, and capturing several championship titles. After returning to WWE in 2020 as a color commentator for NXT, he eventually moved to the main roster in the same role. Recently, Barrett has spoken about the possibility of making an in-ring return, creating interest in whether fans will see him compete again.

Wade Barrett’s career took off when he adopted the “Bad News Barrett” persona, which connected well with fans and reignited his momentum in WWE after a period of stagnation. Since Triple H took over WWE’s creative direction in July 2022, several wrestlers have made their in-ring comebacks, leading fans to speculate whether Barrett, who hasn’t wrestled since 2016, might also return to the ring. While his absence from wrestling has been long, fans continue to hope for his potential comeback.

In a recent conversation with AceOdds, Wade Barrett expressed that WWE’s major events in the UK, especially at iconic venues like Wembley Stadium, do make him nostalgic for a return to the ring. He revealed that if he could have one final match, it would be against Drew McIntyre at a sold-out Wembley, considering it the pinnacle of British wrestling.

“100%. Anytime I get asked this question, if I could have one match for the remainder of my days on this planet and you’re allowed one more match, who would it be? It would absolutely be me against Drew McIntyre at Wembley Stadium. A sold-out Wembley Stadium, I think that is the pinnacle for British wrestling, especially if you’re fans of the era back when Davey Boy and Bret Hart competed in 92 at that SummerSlam.”

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Despite this dream scenario, Barrett clarified that he isn’t actively pursuing a comeback. He mentioned that while he’s fit and open to the idea if the right opportunity arises, the physical demands of a full-time wrestling schedule are not something he’s currently interested in. Barrett noted that he has mentally moved on from the intense grind of a wrestling career.

“If they dangled that in front of me at any point in time, yeah, absolutely. I’m coming back and I’m having that sold-out match at Wembley Stadium. But that is a bit of a pipe dream. It’s not something I’m actively pursuing or trying to pursue. I’m fit and healthy, if something came up where they say, ‘Okay, there’s a match here, would you be interested in doing it?’ If it makes sense to me and I was excited to do it, absolutely, I could. The other thing I would say though, is I look at the kind of schedule that Cody Rhodes has, for example, it’s a killer at this point in time for me. I’m 43 years old, not too far from 44. The prospect of physically grinding that kind of schedule month after month after month as a full-time guy, it’s not for me at this point in time. I’ve kind of mentally moved on from that.”

Wade Barrett’s last match took place on the April 4, 2016, episode of RAW, where he teamed with Sheamus in a losing effort against Big E and Kofi Kingston. Fans are eager to see if Barrett, the former leader of The Nexus, will return to the ring in the future, but for now, it’s uncertain if he will make a comeback.

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