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As confirmed by Wade Barrett during his recent interview with Sports Illustrated, the 40-year-old Superstar has signed a one-year contract with WWE, and he will be a full-time member of the NXT broadcast team moving forward. As per the new contract, Barrett also has the option to extend the deal when it nears its expiration.
The 5-time Intercontinental Champion will join Beth Phoenix and Vic Joseph on the commentary table of the Black-and-Gold brand.
Triple H took to Twitter to release an official statement on Wade Barrett's signing. The NXT boss said that he was thrilled to be working with Barret again and he put over the former Nexus leader as an experienced performer who would add a lot of value to NXT's commentary team.
Thrilled to be "officially" working together. Wade will add a valuable perspective to the commentary table and add insight from his years of in-ring experience each week on #WWENXT. #WeAreNXT @StuBennett
Wade Barrett on his new WWE role and a possible in-ring return
Wade Barrett left the WWE in 2016, and he has not wrestled a single match since the Monday Night RAW episode of April 4th, 2016.
Barrett did some commentary work for National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), and he was also set to sign a full-time deal with Billy Corgan's promotion before the COVID-19 pandemic threw a spanner in the works.
Nonetheless, Barrett returned to WWE at the end of August as a special guest commentator in NXT. He returned on the Super Tuesday editions of NXT, and his appearances coincided with the WWE departure of Mauro Ranallo.
WWE wasted no time in bringing Wade Barrett on board as a full-time commentator. Here's what he had to say about his new role in the WWE
"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. 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."
Barrett didn't rule out the possibility of wrestling again as he said that his 'body feels incredibly good':
"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."
Could Wade Barrett's new contract also lead to a potential in-ring return down the line? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
