Road To Wrestlemania 31 - Bad News Barrett

He is a professional wrestler, actor, and former bare knuckle champion boxer, also known by his former ring name; Wade Barrett. He is signed to the WWE, where he performs under the ring name of Bad News Barrett and currently holds the WWE Intercontinental Champion’s title which is scheduled to be contested for, by a number of top wrestlers in a ladders match at the upcoming WrestleMania 31. Bad News Barrett can kick some ass, winning the Intercontinental Champions title multiple times. He is a crowd favorite and is cheered on each time he makes an entry, thus making for a potential superstar in the future for WWE.

#1 How 2014 played out for Barrett

Bad News Barrett was doing very well from the start of 2014, but in due course, an injury proved to be an obstruction in his pursuit of the World Heavyweight Championship title even after getting a second shot at it.

On the 14th of April, an episode on Raw featured a match between Barrett and Dolph Ziggler in round one of the #1 Contender's Tournament for the Intercontinental Championship match at Extreme Rules, which Barrett had convincingly won. Following which, on the 21st of April in Raw, Barrett defeated Sheamus to progress through to the finals of the contender’s tournament. He defeated RVD on the 28th of April in the final round, earning a match at Extreme Rules for the Intercontinental Championship against Big E.At Extreme Rules he defeated the Big E and bcame the Intercontinental Champion for the fourth time in his career and soon after, he also defended his title against RVD at Payback to retain his Intercontinental Championship. Barrett was consequently offered a shot at the World Heavyweight Champions belt.

On a Smackdown match, Barrett severely injured his shoulder after being hurled into a barricade by Jack Swagger. Barrett's injury required surgery, dismissing him from show business for months.

After being dismissed for surgery due to a shoulder injury, Bad News Barrett made a surprise comeback at the Suvivor Series, delivering a double dose of bad news commenting on the feud between Team Cena and Team Authority. He started off by saying, “After a 5-month absence, I'm making my return on this monumental night!!”

#2 Momentum heading into Wrestlemania

From 5th January, at the Fast Lane show, where he won back the title for the fifth time, he has been losing most of his matches ever since. The fans of Barrett are disappointed with the storyline constructed around the Intercontinental championship title match due this WrestleMania 31.

This match was previously set to evolve around the current champion Bad News Barrett in a rift with disqualified champion Dean Ambrose and Barrett basher R-Truth, and a man who beat Barrett last week, Dolph Ziggler. Now with the entry of Daniel Bryan, it is all an open game. However, this might change if the creative of WWE decide to add on an even bigger fixture. Some say this fixture might be finally settled as an 8 man ladder match.

#3 What to expect from Barrett at Wrestlemania 31

Bad News Barrett is a brilliant entertainer who has not been used to his best potential in the past few weeks. Losing seven matches since his Fast Lane victory which won him the title.Once being held as the 2nd most important title in the WWE circuit, the IC Championship belt has lost a lot of its importance in recent years. Partly because this belt has changed hands so many times in the recent past. And now, the wrestler who holds onto the title is treated more like a jobber and he loses on free screen time as often as possible.

Defending the title at WrestleMania 31 would give him a reign of nearly 3 months, giving the Intercontinental title a little more meaning. But for some of Barrett's fans and followers, a loss at Wrestlemania would free him from the shackles of the IC title and let him move on to something more entertaining and to his potential, such as a one-on-one feud with an actual storyline involved.

#4 Immediate aftermath following Wrestlemania 31

The IC title initially seemed as if it would be claimed by Dean Ambrose at the Wrestlemania match-up against defending champ Bad News Barrett. But from recent news, it will be a five-way open contest, all for grabs in a ladders match at WrestleMania 31. The most recent addition to the list of contenders is Daniel Bryan. Bryan has become an automatic favourite in this match.

Some fans of WWE might be upset if Bryan wins the Intercontinental title, seemingly placing him in the mid card range of wrestlers for an extended period. But WWE could be expecting Bryan’s popularity to be used in a way as to elevate the title. John Cena has a good chance to win the United States Championship, Putting the U.S and Intercontinental titles in the capable hands of Cena and Bryan which could help make those belts look more important than they have been in years.

It seems unlikely at this stage that Barrett will retain his title at Wrestlemania, but if he does, it would further stagnate his career towards a single direction and this is something his fans would not want. He has the potential of rumbling with the heavyweights and have exclusive storylines built around his rise to greatness. He was going strong till an unexpected injury haulted a steady progress last year. This year he is back again as the Intercontinental Champion, having no scope for growth in this domain, it seems this Wrestlemania will declare a new IC Champion and let Barrett’s ambitions progress even further.

#5 Future card positioning for Wrestlemania 32

Bad News Barrett is both a capable athelete and an entertaining spokesman, both of which are the essentials to make a WWE Superstar. The future might hold some good news for Wade Barrett if he is booked strategically by the WWE creatives. His shots at the main titles were interrupted due to injuries in the past, which he has come out strong from. This year might see feuds spring between Barrett and Bryan or Ziggler or even Ryback, unless he is booked for going further up league, exposing him to a new world of WWE veterans.

It would be interesting to see Barrett more often on screen both in the role of a spokesman and inside to ring, pulling off his incredible showmanship and keeping the fans of WWE tuned in. I personally hope he has a promising career up ahead and keeps us all entertained as he always does.