Fall from grace - Superstars who never quite recovered from the fall

3) Wade Barrett

Wade Barrett

A few words that would aptly describe Wade Barrett would be cocky, over confident and brash. This towering bare knuckle boxer from England is perhaps one of the best heels in a long time. Making his début in the first season of NXT, Barrett won the event with an impressive display of power and skill.

But his actual call for glory came when he was made the leader of the ‘Nexus’, a bunch of rowdy NXT rookies who constantly interfered in main event matches and wreaked havoc in the WWE.

They targeted top stars including the likes of John Cena and were a largely successful heel bunch. Barrett did most of the in-ring talking on behalf of the group and was very impressive. The Nexus against the WWE feud went on for over a year, including some interesting twists like Cena joining the heel faction.

After the WWE planned to do away with the Nexus angle, Barrett stood out from the group, who eventually became major jobbers barring Ryback. He picked up feuds with Cena, Big Show, Randy Orton and Sheamus, establishing himself as a major superstar on SmackDown.

He became a three time intercontinental champion with notable wins over Kofi Kingston and Ezekiel Jackson. He was also involved in various number one contenders matches for the World title.

Barrett has been a strong solo competitor over the years and has all the goods that can make him a star. After a strong début stint, he has failed to establish himself at a higher level, largely remaining a mid-carder in the past couple of years. He is in his early 30′s and can portray a major heel with utmost ease. However, his career too seems to be on the decline despite a string of impressive performances.

Barrett has never really recovered from his Nexus stint, even though he has tried to reinvent himself on more than one occasion. It is indeed unfortunate however that this beast from Liverpool remains underutilized.