20 True Stories Behind Famous Wrestling Names

Not everyone remember that Wade ‘Bad News’ Barrett is a legitimate badass. A former bare knuckle boxing champion when he was a student in Liverpool, Barrett was once stabbed in the back in Budapest with an eight-inch blade by someone trying to steal his winnings. He fought them off and kept the cash, despite the injury – the scar is still very noticeable today.

Barrett’s ‘Wasteland’ move is named after the site of many of his bouts – as an underground, unregulated sport, fights take place as and when they can, and wherever they can… and it adds to the feel of a true fight if it’s taking place somewhere squalid, off the beaten track.

Of course, it’s possible that Stu Bennett, the man behind the Barrett character, was never a boxer at all, and that this is all just part of the gimmick. However, reputable sources cite the history as real, and Bennett’s referred to it as a genuine part of his history in out of character interviews, so we’re going with that.