It’s been close to a decade since Wade Barrett last stepped into the ring as a competitor, but the commentator is ready for one more match. Speaking with Phil Johnson for PWMania, Barrett was asked for his ideal opponent if he wrestles again, and had a fellow Superstar from the UK in mind.

“Absolutely it would be Drew McIntyre. He’s someone I go way back with and very close friends with the guy over the years. He did talk a little smack to me a few weeks ago on Raw and I haven’t forgotten about that. I’m not going to make a major deal of it, but he’s lucky he stopped where he did.

“Let’s just put it that way because if he did take one more step forward, the old bull hammer would have come out, boom, knocked him on his ass, and perhaps that in-ring comeback would have happened by now, but I’m not clamouring for anything like that.”

The pair’s real-life friendship has been no secret on WWE TV, with Barrett attempting to calm McIntyre during his post-Money in the Bank tirade. The incident Barrett is referring to though took place on the September 9, 2024, edition of Monday Night Raw and saw McIntyre warn Barrett to stay out of his way amid the Scotsman’s feud with CM Punk.


Should Barrett step into the ring again, it’ll be a decision that’ll involve the 44-year-old and WWE CCO Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque. In the interview, Barrett spoke highly of the unpredictable nature of Levesque’s creative direction.

“I love the fact that today, I don’t know who’s going to be in the main event of the next premium live event. I have absolutely no clue what the card is going to look like. I don’t know if Cody Rhodes is going to be anywhere near the card, he might be left off and he’s one of the biggest stars we’ve ever seen. I don’t know if Roman Reigns is going to be there, CM Punk might be back, I have no clue. That to me is really, really exciting and I think that one of the key factors in the success of Triple H is his ability to keep the audience guessing and not be so formulaic.”

Triple H also excels in “tying up loose ends” Barrett adds, and has thrived in preserving continuity since taking the creative reins from his father-in-law.

“I think he has a real respect for the need to tie up loose ends and call back things that maybe happened a year ago that everyone forgot about.”