WWE Survivor Series 2011: Wade Barrett Deserving of WWE Title Feud with CM Punk

Over the past several weeks, the WWE creative team has built up Wade Barrett well. That continued at Survivor Series when he and Cody Rhodes were sole survivors against Team Orton. Because of that, Barrett is now deserving of a title shot.

Leading up to Survivor Series, Barrett scored a myriad of big victories after months of toiling in obscurity. Daniel Bryan, Sheamus and Orton were all upstaged by Barrett, and he was extremely impressive at Survivor Series as he eliminated both Kofi Kingston and Orton.

I was concerned that Barrett's push would come to a screeching halt at Survivor Series, but it is quite apparent that the company is committed to making Barrett a player. If nothing else, it's an astute maneuver, as Barrett possesses all the tools necessary to be a champion, including smooth mic skills and great in-ring ability for a big man.

After Orton came down ringside to watch Barrett's match on RAW, it is very apparent that the two of them will feud. It is absolutely vital that Barrett comes out on top, unlike the feud between Orton and Rhodes in which Rhodes failed to pick up a semi-clean victory.

Barrett has already beaten Orton cleanly (I don't consider a thumb to the eye to be cheating), and he'll need to do so again. Provided Barrett wins the feud as he should, the next logical step would be a feud with new WWE Champion CM Punk.

I realize that Barrett is technically a member of the SmackDown roster at the moment, but due to the RAW Supershow, the brand split is effectively dead. If need be, a storyline could always be created to explain Barrett's move to RAW, such as a trade of some sort between John Laurinaitis and Teddy Long.

Ultimately, the feud would make perfect sense. Not only is there no avenue to the World Heavyweight Championship for Barrett, as heel Mark Henry currently holds the title and is tied up with the Big Show, but Punk doesn't have an immediate challenger for his title.

Alberto Del Rio will get his rematch for Punk's title on next week's RAW rather than at TLC, which is a tell-tale sign that the Punk versus Del Rio feud will soon be over. In addition to that, Barrett and Punk have a history that has kind of been swept under the rug to this point.

It was Punk who usurped control of Nexus from Barrett and forced him to form The Corre instead. A feud between the New Nexus and The Corre never materialized, as the stables were stuck on different shows, so there was never a proper resolution.

One may not think that the creative team would dig up that storyline as the basis for a Punk versus Barrett feud, but it did something similar for the Punk versus Orton feud leading up to WrestleMania. Punk's reasoning for wanting to get back at Orton was that Orton had punted him and forced him to relinquish the World Heavyweight Championship a few years earlier. That is ancient history compared to the Nexus situation, so I see it as a very real possibility. Not only would the feud make perfect sense from a storyline perspective, but the matches and the lead up would all be phenomenal.

Both superstars are excellent on the mic as well as in the ring. Everyone already knows that Punk is the best in the business on the stick, and Barrett can most certainly hold his own as well. I wouldn't necessarily give Barrett the title, but the program would be great for his credibility and he is certainly deserving of it.