9 Times WWE Killed A Popular Star In Less Than 60 Days
3. Bad News Barrett
Poor Stuart ‘Wade Barrett’ Bennett is a cautionary tale: a great wrestler with a marketable look and a man who can talk like few others - but one who exited WWE a complete bust.
What went wrong for Barrett? Simple: he was booked to be the biggest loser in the company.
Winning the King of the Ring in 2015 was the beginning of the end for Barrett. Much like other previous winners, he started walking around with a robe and a crown, calling himself King Barrett. It's a classic heel gimmick, beloved amongst wrestling fans despite its old-fashioned nature… but it was absolutely pathetic on our boy Barrett. It all felt like a massive rib, having a guy who lost the majority of his matches go around proclaiming himself king.
The most ludicrous thing was that Barrett's coronation came just as he'd finally gotten over. The ‘Bad News’ gimmick had caught fire, and he was clearly having the time of his life with it… but as with Zack Ryder, the office nixed it seemingly out of spite. With his popularity entirely deflated, Barrett was eventually lumped in the awful League of Nations stable, effectively wedging the door open for his eventual departure from the company in 2016.