WWE Legend Wade Barrett Opens Up About Potential In-Ring Return
Preston-born WWE icon Wade Barrett has disclosed the singular condition that could potentially draw him out of retirement and back into the wrestling ring. The 45-year-old star, who grew up in Preston and became one of the United Kingdom's most accomplished wrestlers, is currently content with his life outside the squared circle.
Contentment in Commentary and Video Games
Barrett is thoroughly enjoying his role at the commentary desk alongside Joe Tessitore on SmackDown, and he has also lent his voice to the new WWE 2K26 video game. Speaking exclusively to Metro at the recent CreatorFest event held at WWE Headquarters for the game's promotion, Barrett admitted that a match against his old friend Drew McIntyre would be exceptionally difficult to refuse.
'That would be a difficult one to turn down, I'm not gonna lie,' he laughed during the interview. 'I think physically, it would destroy me for good, because Drew's a bit of a beast in that ring, he's a nasty piece of work when he wants to be.'
He reflected on his past capabilities, noting, 'Back in my day, I could give as good as I got. I don't know if I could still give as good as I would get from Drew. So, if that one did happen, hard to turn down, but that probably would be the end, the big goodbye.'
Staying Out of the Ring
Despite maintaining excellent physical condition, Barrett has made it explicitly clear that he does not get in the ring at all, not even to assist the next generation of wrestlers at the Performance Center. 'I don't want to put any ideas in anyone's head,' he explained. '"Oh, Wade's rolling around pretty well. Oh, I like that landing. You know what? Let's have Brock Lesnar or Drew or Seamus beat the hell out of the commentator this week".'
He humorously added, 'Let's, let's not put that out in the universe. Don't give anyone any bad ideas!'
Last Match and Near Comeback
Wade Barrett has not wrestled since April 2016, when he and Sheamus lost a tag team title match against The New Day's Big E and Kofi Kingston. However, he came close to a comeback in NWA against current SmackDown general manager Nick Aldis. At that time, Barrett worked for Billy Corgan's company as a commentator for a few months before the pandemic.
'That was definitely something that was floated out there, [but] I was strictly in NWA as a commentator,' he clarified. Barrett insisted that any discussions about a match with Nick Aldis were more 'fantasy booking for us guys in the locker room'. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the SmackDown GM still has 'a tonne left in the tank' and could perform at WrestleMania, despite not having competed in a WWE match yet.
'I would absolutely vouch for him to be a guy to have that, maybe with an Adam Pearce. I can see our two GMs of the two respective brands showing down,' he smiled. 'Adam Pearce can still go. That's a guy who's a former world champion in NWA. Great pedigree to him. And I know he's got that twinkle in his eye whenever I speak to him about the possibility of getting back in the ring.'
He quipped, '[But] leave me out of this. I'm done. Let those two throw down. I'll commentate!'
Video Game Commitment and Commentary Advice
Barrett's involvement in the WWE 2K26 video game represents a significant commitment in its own right. 'I'm in the game as a playable character too, but to be there as a commentator, huge goal achieved there,' he stated. 'I think I did a total of 125 hours of voiceover to get my lines down.'
For guidance in his commentary work, Barrett turned to veteran announcer Michael Cole. 'Michael Cole is the goat of anything, so any question I have in the world of commentary, he's my first port of call,' he explained.
Gratitude for a Second Career
Barrett expressed profound gratitude for building a second career within the wrestling world and for remaining with WWE. 'I remember coming into WWE in my early days that we were always told, "Hey guys, if you get a two-year career on TV in WWE, you're doing pretty well,"' he recalled. 'I lasted a bit longer than that, and I had a very enjoyable career that I can look back on and be happy about, but then to come back and get a second career and a completely different arc, it's insane to me, that that kid who was watching wrestling back in north Wales or Cardiff, or wherever I was living at the time, is still involved in this industry now and making a living from it.'
He admitted that without his commentary role, he might feel a stronger urge to return to wrestling. 'I 100% think that if I wasn't commentating now, at some point I would have wanted to get back in the ring,' Barrett confessed. 'I get so much of the adrenaline buzz from being on the show and performing on the show and being around this, and I also get the camaraderie of being in the locker rooms with the guys, hanging out with all the people that I came up with, like Drew and Seamus, and meeting all these new guys today, like Trick Williams and Je'Von Evans, the next generation.'
'I get so much from that that the itch to get back in the ring has never really come to me. And I think I'm pretty lucky in that regard.'
WWE 2K26 Release Details
WWE 2K26 is scheduled for release on March 13, featuring CM Punk on the cover. The Attitude Era, Monday Night War, and King of Kings editions were all released a week early, on March 6.
