Bad News Barrett is set to make his first appearance between the ropes since leaving WWE in 2016, with him making his debut for WCPW in Newcastle on April 29.
WCPW, an independent wrestling promotion organised by the media company What Culture, will bring Bad News Barrett into the fold for his first wrestling show since parting ways with WWE. Barrett, who was introduced to the WWE as part of the stable The Nexus under the name Wade Barrett, took a hiatus from wrestling in order to focus on his acting career, though WCPW has managed to secure his talents for the company’s April show.
Bad News Barrett will join the likes of Rey Mysterio at the show, which will take place in Newcastle’s Sport Central. Other former WWE talent to have made appearances with the promotion include Cody Rhodes, who left the company around the same time as Barrett, Kurt Angle and Matt Hardy, who is now enjoying a high-profile stint in TNA with his popular gimmick Broken Matt Hardy.
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WCPW made the announcement that Barrett would be appearing at the show in a YouTube video, with this being big news for UK wrestling. A spotlight has been placed on the region following the success of WWE’s UK Championship Tournament, and Barrett — who was born in Lancashire — returning to the ring in England is likely set to cause a stir. Barrett has been keeping a low profile since leaving the WWE, with him only appearing in a couple of minor acting roles in the 2016 films Eliminators and Vengeance, so this is a major coup for WCPW. With the English grappler having left WWE on good terms, many believe that he’ll one day return to Vince McMahon’s company and enjoy a more successful run after gaining extra credibility on the indies. If his WCPW appearance kick starts a successful run in the UK, this could well be the case.
