Wade Barrett recently debuted on NXT as a commentator to fill in/take over from Mauro Ranallo, and earlier this week we found out that he'd officially joined the black and gold brand as a full time announcer.
WWE fans will no doubt be aware that Barrett used to be an in-ring competitor as the leader of the original Nexus, and is a former Intercontinental Champion. He later got over with his "Bad News Barrett" gimmick, but decided to leave the company shortly after.
During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Barrett explained that he didn't hang up the boots because of any career-ending injury, and seems open to returning to the ring again at some point.
“Pro wrestling has always been a true love of mine, especially commentary. Physically, I feel 100%. My body feels incredibly good. I’m not doing commentary because I had a career-ending injury. I want to focus on commentary because I’m passionate about it. That’s not to say I won’t pull the boots back on at some point, but commentary is my focus and I am extremely excited about it.”
We have seen announcers with wrestling backgrounds become physically involved in angles in the past, so there's every chance Barrett will mix it up with one of NXT's top heels at some point in the future. For now, he's being doing a terrific job calling the weekly show, and has solid chemistry with Vic Joseph and Beth Phoenix.