WWE Armchair Booking: How to Maximize King Barrett for Remainder of 2015

The crown on his head should have King Barrett reaching a higher status, mixing it up with WWE's elite and feeling the steady warmth of the spotlight. 

Instead, it has only netted him embarrassment. Winning the King of the Ring tournament has yet to better Barrett's position. He's been busy losing to R-Truth, stumbling ever since he took his scepter in hand.

As seen on his CageMatch.net profile, Barrett has gone just 9-11 since defeating Neville in the tourney finals in April. And that victory total is misleading; it's padded by wins over cupcakes like Heath Slater and Zack Ryder. His pay-per-view mark is just 0-3 in that span. 

That's not exactly strapping a jetpack to his shoulders. 

Playing up the recent growth of his ego and getting him some victories against bigger names is key to making the achievement of being King of the Ring more of a boost for Barrett. Have him shun low-rung opponents and seek power to go along with his royal title. 

Refusing to Stoop

Barrett should be so full of himself that he believes he's superior to just about everybody on the roster. In his mind, a king deserves top billing. 

That should be the heart of his gimmick. That sets him up as an unlikable braggart, a man who looks down on the audience. This is where WWE seemed headed with the angle, but the R-Truth feud derailed him.

On Raw one night, he's set to face Diego in one-on-one action. After all the entrances and introductions are complete, Barrett starts to shake his head. He looks over at his opponent in disgust.

After stepping out of the ring, he grabs a microphone and announces he's not going to fight this bullfighter. "This man is beneath me," he explains.

Barrett walks away, leaving an angry Diego behind. Diego then rushes down to the ramp and tries to drag Barrett in the ring. The King of the Ring winner hurls him into the guardrail, stomps him until he stops moving and makes his exit.

This happens several weeks in a row. Fernando wants to fight. R-Truth looks for a rematch. Zack Ryder stands across the ring from him.

Credit: WWE.com

Barrett doesn't wrestle any of them. He claims that he's beaten them all before and that he should be in line for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, not scrapping with "peasants." He assaults each of his would-be opponents before anyone can ring the bell.

When he does this to Ryder, he goes further than usual. He issues a beating that's uncomfortable to watch. 

That inspires Ryder's friend John Cena to come to the rescue.

Hobbling the Top Dog

Cena will presumably be without the United States title thanks to Kevin Owens by this point. He'll need a new foe to contend with. Barrett provides that, their brief feud brought on by Ryder's suffering. 

Barrett's beatdown of Ryder ends abruptly when Cena runs out and slugs it out with the Englishman. 

For that night, Cena gets the upper hand. Barrett later claims that Cena sucker-punched him and calls the babyface a coward. This all leads to a showdown at Night of Champions.

Facing Cena at the pay-per-view is miles better than losing to R-Truth on the Money in the Bank pre-show. This is a chance to truly propel Barrett.

Credit: WWE.com

These two old foes battle in hard-fought action. Barrett gets a number of near-falls but grows frustrated when Wasteland doesn't get him the win. Cena makes one of his trademark comebacks.

Barrett halts it by "accidentally" nailing the referee and knocking him out. With the official down, Barrett is free to deliver a low blow and smash his scepter over Cena's head. That leaves the Superman of the squared circle out cold when the referee comes to his senses.

Sure, it's a cheap win, but it's one that showcases his dastardliness. 

Cena confronts Barrett the next night on Raw, demanding a rematch. Barrett says he already beat Cena. There's no need then to face him again.

"I'm off to bigger and better things," he tells him.

Refusing to back down, Cena calls for a ref to come to the ring. Barrett waits until Cena's back is turned and clocks him. Barrett flings Cena out of the ring, overwhelms him with right hands and sends him crashing through an announce table.

The attack leaves Cena unable to compete for a short while. 

Upon his return, a collision with another rival can derail Cena's quest for revenge. In the meantime, Barrett can live it up and make his reign a more memorable one.

King of Hubris

Barrett's personality is not often shown enough onscreen. Fans who watched The JBL and Cole Show on YouTube know how entertaining he can be. That's where the Bad News Barrett was born, where he developed that persona.

WWE should highlight Barrett in a similar way—but with a kingly twist.

Have Barrett appear in a series of vignettes where he expects everyone to treat him like royalty. He checks in at a hotel, orders food at a restaurant and gets his ankles taped up in the trainer's room. Each time, he feels slighted by the service staff and berates them.

"Don't you know who I am? I'm the bloody king!" he yells.

This is a chance for him to really play with the character. It's an opportunity for Barrett to be a consistent part of Raw and SmackDown, regardless if he's in any in-ring action or not.

Barrett is later seen trying to curry favor with The Authority. He reminds Stephanie McMahon he does have a win over Cena on his resume. He boasts about winning the King of the Ring and explains how all of  his accomplishments should get him a WWE title shot.

McMahon admits that beating Cena was impressive. She notes that Barrett hasn't lost in weeks. Still, she wants to see more.

"Take out Dean Ambrose tonight," she says, "And you'll be in serious consideration for a title opportunity."

Barrett sets off to appease McMahon by way of Ambrose's destruction. That's the catalyst for Barrett's next series of battles.

A Lunatic Brings Down the Kingdom

Barrett and Ambrose go toe-to-toe on Raw. The King of the Ring manages to knock off The Lunatic Fringe after a grueling match.

Barrett grabs the microphone afterward and gloats. He says he took down the man Seth Rollins couldn't. He says he's better than Cena, better than Ambrose and as he'll soon prove, better than Rollins.

A haymaker from Ambrose cuts his speech short. The two foes brawl in and out of the ring until they stumble into the stands.  

McMahon later tells Barrett that while he did defeat Ambrose, he failed to take him out. That's what Barrett tries to do over the course of the next few months. And WWE has to be happy with the amount of chemistry they have shown together in the past.

Barrett earns two pay-per-view wins against Ambrose in a row. The first one comes by way of Ambrose hitting his head on the ring post. The second one is thanks to Ambrose suffering a knee injury mid-match.

Barrett attacks Ambrose the night after that second win, focusing on that knee. Steel slapping against his flesh isn't enough to keep Ambrose down.

An ambush and table smashes don't stop Ambrose from gutting it out, either. 

They gear up for one last battle. This time, McMahon hints that a win gets him any title match he wants. And Ambrose demands that Barrett stop calling himself king if he loses.

Confident, Barrett accepts the stipulation. He regrets it after a Street Fight ends with him on his back and the referee counting to three. 

Ambrose mockingly wears Barrett's royal gear afterward before stomping on the crown.

Even with the loss, Barrett has a number of intriguing paths ahead of him. WWE can circle back to the Cena story and have those two go at it again. Barrett can start clashing with The Authority, frustrated with what he thought was the group using him. He turns face in the process.

Or, getting dethroned can set Barrett off on a rampage. He tears through the roster, anger fueling him to win after win.

Any of those options could build on a strong second half of the year. Any of those routes are favorable to the running in place he's been doing.