WWE TLC 2011 Results: What's Next for Wade Barrett After Loss to Randy Orton?

Poor Wade.

At WWE's TLC pay-per-view, he put up a very good fight in his tables match with Randy Orton, but ultimately fell short to "The Viper." The finish of the lively 10-minute match came about after Orton played possum and lured the English star into a false sense of security before hitting the dreaded RKO.

Barrett, believing Orton to be extremely vulnerable, had placed him on a table and was set to send him crashing through the table with an elbow splash before Orton shocking got to his feet and delivered his brutal finishing move, sending Wade, who had no time to react, right through the table instead.

It was one of the most impressive WWE finishes in quite some time, and certainly one that will make the highlight reels.

So what next for Wade?

Well, not to sound too pessimistic, but the results of this match were not a very good sign for his career. 

Despite his charisma and impressive promo ability, Wade has been struggling in the Smackdown upper card for some time now 

Along with Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio and Daniel Bryan, he may be one of the most obvious examples of the erratic WWE booking team dropping the ball on a fast-rising star and leaving him to fend for himself.

Truth be told, Wade's once-promising main event career hasn't really been the same since John Cena single-handedly demolished all of Nexus in the autumn of 2010.

That Wade couldn't even defeat Cena with help from several other men (including David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty) damaged him greatly in the eyes of fans and he has been stale ever since. The loss to Orton here, in what was likely the blow-off of their feud, certainly doesn't help matters.

Of course, in an attempt to help rebuild his career, WWE will now likely put him with another babyface in the future (the slimy, arrogant Wade is a natural heel and it is difficult to imagine WWE turning him face anytime soon).  

Sheamus may be the most likely option, as the Irish star finds himself at a loose end on Smackdown too. Additionally, he and Wade have never worked a long program with each other (Sheamus only officially turned face a few months ago), so at least it would give the fans something new to watch.

Barrett could also work with Daniel Bryan, who has also been stuck in the mid-card since he won Money in the Bank and promised to cash in his title opportunity at next year's WrestleMania.

Certainly, a program between the two would deliver good matches and keep both of them occupied until WWE figures out what to do with them both. 

Or what about the Big Show, who is also looking for fresh challengers? A Barrett-Big Show feud is an interesting and original prospect for wrestling fans.

Summarily, tonight was a deeply disappointing development in Barrett's WWE's career. But it is not the end, of course.

There are still plenty of interesting places for him to go, and through hard work and perseverance, he can recover from his shoddy treatment at the hands of the creative team.