In the Summer of 2012, vignettes began airing on WWE television to hype up the return of Wade Barrett. Immediately, it was noticeable that he'd had a hair cut and had been working extremely hard on his physique during his time off. More chiseled than before, Barrett looked like he could feasibly create some waves when he did return to action. WWE had a new character in mind for him too. The video clips showed Wade taking on all comers at what appeared to be an underground fighting ring. It was gritty, and completely different to the saccharine feel which had accompanied much of the promotion's programming since the onset of PG ratings in 2008. This both helped the segments stand out and posed a problem.The company were worried that the new gimmick might be too gnarly for their current product. Any bare-knuckle fighting nuances were completely toned down by the time Barrett reappeared as an in-ring talent on Smackdown. There was a bad-ass nature to the guise, but WWE weren't prepared to fight off some potential disgruntled groans from sponsors in order to make it work. If only they had.