Projecting Where Bad News Barrett, King of Ring Participants Go Next
If the recent King of the Ring tournament felt familiar to viewers, there's a reason: It's essentially the same group—save Sheamus and Neville—that's been vying for the Intercontinental Championship since March.
The two-night tournament provided the WWE Universe with some really outstanding matches, some of which helped advance existing storylines in preparation for WWE Payback.
What happens after that pay-per-view for these eight wrestlers remains a mystery. WWE needs to set each on a new path so his character can develop.
It’s time to predict where King Barrett and the rest of the King of the Ring participants head next.
Please note that this is a prediction of where characters are likely to head, although there are some pretty outstanding suggestions.
King Barrett: Intercontinental Champion
1 of 8Now that Bad News Barrett has been officially dubbed King Barrett, his character has a new lease on life as an oppressive monarch. Holding both the crown and the Intercontinental Championship would be the perfect way to begin his reign.
The impact of Barrett's King of the Ring win has been a hot topic of debate on Bleacher Report. Big Nasty would like to see Barrett regain the Intercontinental Championship in addition to his new crown, while Ryan Dilbert states that Barrett's ceiling won't be so high: "WWE has shown that it lacks confidence in Barrett as a top guy. He's been good in the ring and one of the roster's best talkers. Even so, every one of his pushes stops before he reaches the top tier."
Both have a point. Since his return from injury in January, Barrett’s been in the thick of the IC title picture. His time as champion, however, was more a placeholder than a reign. After winning the Intercontinental Championship from Dolph Ziggler on Monday Night Raw upon his return, Barrett seemingly lost every match he fought, including against Kofi Kingston, Sin Cara and R-Truth.
Wrestlemania 31’s Six-Man Ladder match never seemed like a title defense; it was always meant to be a Daniel Bryan coronation. With Bryan now back on the shelf and the IC title picture in need of life, King Barrett is a perfect character to provide it.
The best kings in the WWE have all been heels, and rightfully so. The title begs for tyranny, someone who will knock down the righteous and rule with an iron fist—or Bull Hammer, as Barrett has promised. Doing so creates underdogs of his opponents, giving the crowd someone they can cheer on to rise up against the ruler.
Barrett is the perfect wrestler to bring meaning back to the belt. His classic heel persona can generate tons of heat. Unfortunately, because the King of the Ring honor has lost much of its luster from its heyday, there’s got to be more than a fake crown to seize. Intercontinental champion King Barrett has a nice ring to it.
Neville: Intercontinental Championship Contender
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There isn’t a hotter wrestler in WWE right now than Neville. Since his call-up to the main roster, Neville has been given great matches to work and done excellent work.
His work with King Barrett in particular has been exceptional. The two have an obvious in-ring chemistry, and Neville is the perfect underdog for the newly minted King Barrett to pick on during his IC title reign.
For all Neville has going for him, however, there’s still some work to do. His promos need some fine-tuning; the “fly above them” angle he’s been using will only go so far. Having the chance to not only go toe-to-toe with Barrett and Dolph Ziggler in the ring but also verbally will help him expand his character.
Neville doesn’t need a tag team partner to carry him. Nor does his skill set suit that division. He’s not ready for the prime time against the likes of Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and John Cena. Settling into the midcard and the IC title picture for a little while would do wonders for Neville’s future.
Sheamus: United States Championship Contender
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Sheamus inserting himself into the United States Championship picture makes so much sense that it’s unlikely to ever happen. That would be unfortunate, given it’s a story that essentially writes itself.
After all, it was his title up until last November, which already seems so long ago. That title reign was unmemorable on a number of levels, mainly because it was old Sheamus—the one who had no creative direction and a happy-go-lucky attitude. The new, more sinister Sheamus—the one who wants to just bully people—would make a much more entertaining opponent and potential champion.
Aside from Seth Rollins, there’s currently not a better in-ring heel on the main roster than Sheamus. It’s the role he was born to play in the WWE, and it's the perfect character for him to have to get back into the United States Championship picture.
No matter what happens at WWE Payback, Sheamus can stake his claim to the title and continue to play the heel. Whether John Cena retains or Rusev comes out on top at the pay-per-view, Sheamus could easily slide into the feud as a third player.
Sheamus needs a face to torture and a title to try and capture. With Bad News Barrett as your new King of the Ring and potential Intercontinental champion and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship picture getting crowded, the U.S. title seems most logical target. Cena versus Rusev needs a break, or at least a new lease of life. A devilish Sheamus could provide just that.
R-Truth: Squash-Match Fodder; NXT Call-Up Mentor
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FACT: According to The Internet Wrestling Database, the wrestler whom R-Truth has matched up against the most in 2015 so far is Fandango.
That right there tells you everything you need to know about in which direction R-Truth is heading.
While Truth is still a capable in-ring performer and an entertaining presence on camera, he’s never captured the attention of anyone—from the fans to WWE Creative. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a useful member of the main roster.
In fact, he’s a perfect person to help the next generation of WWE Superstars fine tune their characters, as well as those in WWE NXT making the jump to the main roster. Truth continues to entertain audiences, especially when he cuts promos. Who is going to forget a royal ban on spiders anytime soon?
It’s those skills on the mic and in front of a camera that are essential for younger wrestlers to learn.
Stardust: Midcard Purgatory
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Because of the sheer entertainment his character provides, Stardust is likely to remain in the forefront of the midcard for some time. His interviews are fantastic; his crowd reactions create heat.
In his recent WWE Armchair Booking, Bleacher Report's Ryan Dilbert gave his take on a potential Stardust program, culminating in a transformation back into Cody Rhodes. That's likely to happen, meaning Stardust will continue to work secondary angles on retreaded storylines.
Though not every wrestler needs to compete for a title to remain relevant on the main roster, using Stardust/Cody Rhodes as a singles wrestler is a waste of his immense talents. WWE needs to get him back on the tag team circuit.
To call someone a tag team wrestler doesn’t make them any less of a Superstar, it merely means their skills are best put to use when playing off someone else. Stardust/Cody Rhodes is a tag team wrestler.
Rhodes holds the ninth-longest reign as Intercontinental champion in WWE history, according to Wikipedia. He sits on that list with an assortment of all-time WWE Superstars and Hall of Famers—and Sheldon Benjamin. But his time as a singles competitor has been unmemorable, a likely fate if he remains solo.
The tag team division could use some new old blood. With the Usos out for a while, someone with Stardust’s experience would greatly benefit the younger wrestlers in that division. But who would be his partner? It’s too soon for a reunion with Goldust, and there’s not another personality as large as Stardust.
If the Freebird Rule is going to be in play with New Day as Tag Team champions, we should see him jump on with an existing team that could use some experience and direction: the Ascension.
In the meantime, enjoy Stardust jobbing to various singles competitors WWE Creative needs to get onto Monday Night Raw for five-minute squash matches.
Dolph Ziggler: Intercontinental Championship Contender
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There’s no reason to mess with a perfectly good situation. That’s why the WWE will keep Dolph Ziggler fighting for the Intercontinental Championship belt for the foreseeable future.
Don’t consider this to be underutilization of one of the best in-ring performers on the main roster, though. Ziggler is made for that white belt. He’s a steady worker in the ring, can sell a bump like no one else and can take a feud to the next level, whether that's with a newcomer such as Neville or a veteran such as King Barrett.
Plus, there’s the icing on the cake for WWE fans: If Daniel Bryan does return to action sometime in the near future and the company wants to keep him in the IC title hunt, there remains a real possibility of the Ziggler-Bryan pay-per-view match the two teased on Twitter (h/t WWE) prior to Wrestlemania 31.
The possibility of said match had Bleacher Report's Big Nasty billing it as, on paper, "one of the greatest matches in Wrestlemania history."
And while we were treated to a post-Wrestlemania 31 match between the two, they need the opportunity to square off on the big stage of a pay-per-view (SummerSlam?) to tear down the house.
Luke Harper: Heavy for the Authority
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Since dropping the Intercontinental Championship to Dolph Ziggler at the beginning of the year, Luke Harper’s star has faded. With King Barrett’s push, Neville’s emergence and the continued quest of Ziggler, Bryan and others, Harper is the odd man out.
He needs a new direction. Joining the Authority as its new heavy would be a perfect fit.
This possibility has already been teased. Harper teamed with the Authority at Survivor Series, after which he was promptly rewarded with the IC title. Such an alliance could once again benefit both Harper’s storylines and the Authority’s, setting up matches with more of the main roster.
Currently, Kane fills that role, but his emerging feud with World Heavyweight champion Seth Rollins could leave a void. Harper could be the Diesel to Rollins’ Shawn Michaels—an enforcer who does what he’s told. Kane has grown tired of that role, but it would be one in which Harper would flourish.
Dean Ambrose: Underused Singles Competitor
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Dean Ambrose is the toughest competitor from King of the Ring to figure out. The Lunatic Fringe is truly a wild card, which is why it’s likely he floats through the main roster with random feuds for quite a while.
Since the breakup of the Shield, Ambrose hasn’t had a true push anywhere on the roster. He had extended programs with Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt before heading into the Intercontinental title picture. Even during that stretch, it seemed Ambrose was just biding time before his next feud.
It’s a shame. Ambrose could be the perfect wrestler to vie for the United States Championship against John Cena or any of the heels who might be thrust into that title picture.
As mentioned earlier when dealing with Stardust, Ambrose’s identity is that he doesn’t need to fight for a title to be relevant. He’s a performer who can take any work to the next level with both his in-ring skills and ability to cut promos.
But without any endgame—whether it be a title or a longer program with a headline wrestler, such as his feuds with Rollins and Wyatt—it’s likely we’ll see Ambrose engage in more story-less brawls and angles that advance the trajectories of his opponents.
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