5 Superstars who were one second away from becoming WWE Champion

#3 Wade Barrett almost became WWE Champion

WWE Superstars usually appear on television for several years before working their way into WWE Championship storylines. In Wade Barrett’s case, however, he was immediately booked in the main-event picture following The Nexus’ debut in 2010.

The former Nexus leader competed in WWE Championship matches at Night of Champions (Six-Pack Challenge), Bragging Rights (vs. Randy Orton) and Survivor Series (vs. Randy Orton).

The stipulation for the Bragging Rights match stated that John Cena would have been fired if Barrett won. This led to a unique finish, with Cena attacking Barrett to cause a disqualification, meaning he kept his job and Orton remained WWE Champion.

At Survivor Series, the match revolved around Cena once again, with the stipulation stating that “Big Match John” would be fired if Orton won. If Barrett won, Cena would be freed from The Nexus.

As it turned out, Orton retained his WWE Championship following help from special guest referee Cena, but Barrett still came very close to picking up the victory on numerous occasions.

Barrett lost a rematch one night later on RAW and he never competed for the WWE Championship again.