WWE: 5 Reasons Wade Barrett Peaked Too Soon

Wade Barrett is a good heel with a great look.  He can talk, he's very articulate and his ever developing ring psychology is improving over time. 

When I look at Barrett, I see a guy who should be in the top five of the company.  WWE has a great talent at their disposal, and there seems to be no reason why Wade is not being utilized to his full potential.

Yet here I am, offering a slideshow that speculates he has peaked too soon.

This is a discussion that we as fans often engage in, the merits of a wrestler who we feel should be higher on the food chain of WWE, but always seems to fall short.

Wade is a great example of this, and while writers like myself have praised him before, the more I watch him, the more I am convinced that he deserves more than he's getting.

Is the problem that he has indeed peaked too soon?

Here's the reasons why I believe just that.

5- He Had High Expectations

When Wade won the first season of NXT, expectations for the new WWE Superstar were already high. 

After all, his pro was Chris Jericho, a legend of the business, and they meshed better than any of the other duos on the program.

Of course, the show was just that, a show.  It was a work, and while the guys involved were working hard to impress whenever they each had the opportunity, the fact is that NXT, like everything else produced by WWE, was planned ahead of time.

The plan may have been for Barrett to go over the entire time, based upon the company's overall opinion of his potential.

Despite their intentions, WWE had a heel that fans immediately recognized as being a guy who had a bright future in the business.  NXT did its job in convincing fans that Barrett was the cream of the crop, and that he deserved an opportunity above all of the other "contestants."

It's not very often that a worker has the buzz that Barrett had, and the company actually give him the spotlight it takes to shine, especially with him being an untested commodity.

But, Wade was not only given a spotlight.  For the next six months, he lived in the spotlight.

4- The Nexus

The Nexus was the biggest, most groundbreaking faction to hit the business since the original nWo.

It was a stroke of genius, and the storyline had everything required to be legendary, one of those moments in the business that would never be forgotten. 

At the center of it all was the leader of the group, Wade Barrett.

Barrett reigned like a general commanding his troops as they invaded Monday nights, attacking anything and anyone in their path.

From the first moment The Nexus came into being, fans hailed them as the second coming of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash's group, and Barrett was seen as a more diabolical, more twisted version of Hollywood Hogan.

No pressure, Wade.

Wade's push with Nexus was unprecedented for a Superstar who was still cutting his teeth in a WWE ring.  While he did rise to the challenge, the spotlight, along with fans' expectations, became hotter, and more intense.

3-Weekly Exposure on Monday Night RAW

Okay, so you're Wade Barrett, you've won NXT, been given a very high profile spot as the leader of the hottest heel faction pro wrestling has seen in 10 years, what else could possibly be next?

You're featured live, on the company's number one program, its flagship show, Monday Night RAW.

The scrutinizing eyes of loyal WWE fans is all the more harsh and analytical when it comes to RAW.  Fans expect the best the company has on that program, and are very critical when they don't get what they want.

The more appearances Wade had on RAW, his exposure increased, his star rose and before long he and Nexus was on top of WWE.

The need to perform at a high level each and every night, especially on live TV, is felt by every WWE Superstar booked to appear.  For the men and women in that locker room, the challenge to shine is met with enthusiasm and determination to give everything they have every time they set foot in the ring.

This was no different for Wade, who did not shy away from the role he was given.  He played it to the hilt in front of the live audience each week.

Wade had become very visible, very quickly.

2- His Feud with John Cena

"Hey Wade, when we get you to RAW, you're getting your own stable, and you guys are going to wreck the whole roster, like every week.  Oh, yeah, and you're going to feud with John Cena."

Think the conversation went something like that?

John Cena, being the top guy in the company, can make or break anyone he's in the ring with.  If a guy gets the opportunity to touch the best, then he takes it, and kills it every chance he gets.

And, these two guys touched a lot.

The first man attacked by Nexus was Cena, and the assaults didn't stop there.  Barrett and company did everything in their power to forcibly remove John from the business that he loved.  They worked as a unit, and did all they could to achieve their agenda.

But the man leading the charge, Barrett, was the driving force behind it all, and the heat between he and John became quickly apparent. 

For a guy who just got to WWE, to start off by working the biggest name in the company is a big deal.  For that guy to be on TV against the biggest name in the company every week is virtually unheard of. 

But, for Barrett, it did not stop there.

1- His Push for the WWE Championship

By the time Wade got to his guaranteed WWE Title match, fans more than expected him to win.

Wade Barrett, a virtual rookie in the world of WWE, was the favorite in the eyes of many fans to win the championship his first time out.

To say that WWE had done an incredible job of pushing Barrett, and The Nexus, is the greatest understatement of all time.

Fans were confident of his ability, and the strength of his group, to make the WWE Title win a reality.  When he didn't win?  All of that work, all of that push, amounted to nothing.

Wade and The Nexus were used as nothing more than another way to get John Cena over.  He did a commendable job in that role, and excelled where some others may have failed.

So, when he was removed as the leader, and sent to SmackDown, fans waited to see what sort of impact he would have next.

We all know how The Corre turned out.

Since then, Barrett has been a shell of his former self.  He has had glimpses, some flashes of relevance, but nothing substantial enough to re-crown him as the next big star.

Barrett's spot on the company's No. 1 program, his heat with the top performer and all of the hype surrounding him, led Wade to great heights that he simply was not allowed to achieve.  It is for this reason that I personally feel he peaked too soon.

Did WWE throw too much at him, expecting more than he could handle at one time?  It's hard to say. Most of the time, fans take issue when a young guy is not trusted to run with the ball, because eventually, the younger workers need to get a shot.  Seems we cannot be pleased no matter which direction WWE chooses to go.

Is it over for Wade as a potential main event star in WWE?  Only time will tell.  Like many fans, I continue to wait for him to be given another chance. 

Hopefully the wait will not be that long.