Bad News Barrett's Porous Booking Will Lead to Big WrestleMania Moment

The return of Bad News Barrett to WWE programming was a welcome surprise to wrestling fans, but the inconsistent booking of Barrett since he won the Intercontinental Championship may not be as bad as it appears on the surface.

If Barrett continues to rack up losses leading to the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania season, there should be a huge push waiting for him, including a possible win in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

One way WWE loves to throw fans off the scent of a possible rise to the top of the card is a string of losses. As seen from the recent run of defeats handed to Seth Rollins, it is likely just a way to make the fans think Rollins has no chance of winning the title despite holding the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Losing more often may discredit the IC title, but the damage has already been done to the belt, and the focus should be on bringing Barrett back toward the main event scene. While Barrett is clearly a heel, the way he has been booked will have the fans who support him even more on his side and could create a groundswell of support the way it did for Daniel Bryan or Dolph Ziggler in the past.

Not only will the fans start to sympathize with a character who continues to lose, but the inconsistent booking should also lead to Barrett dialing back his comedic character and gaining the edge a top heel needs. With a serious lack of elite heels on the roster right now, Barrett’s ability to speak fluently on the mic and work against almost any style in the ring makes him invaluable to the WWE decision-makers.

Few fans will expect a wrestler like Barrett—who will likely be carrying a terrible record into WrestleMania—to make an impact, but when he does so by winning the Andre the Giant Battle Royal, the shock and excitement will create a legitimate WrestleMania moment.

The WWE created the exact same moment last year with Cesaro, and the fans began cheering the Swiss Superman. Instead of turning Cesaro face, though, they put him with Paul Heyman, and he suffered in his role.

The key for Barrett would be to remain heel but get the proper support he needs from the booking. With Extreme Rules holding a spot in the hearts of wrestling fans as one of the most exciting pay-per-views of the year, a blockbuster feud against John Cena, Bryan or another top face coming out of WrestleMania would put Barrett on the map as a legitimate top star.

Add in a possible alignment with The Authority in lieu of Big Show or Kane, and he could be positioned as one of the top heels in the company for 2015.

It’s dangerous to think WWE will follow through with a complicated long-term plan, but with the unquestionable skills Barrett possesses in the ring and on the mic, not using him in the role of a top heel would be even worse than his current booking.

Let’s just hope the inconsistent booking he endures now is a way of WWE making him pay his dues before the eventual return to the main event scene after his WrestleMania moment.

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