Every WWE King Of The Ring Winner Ranked From Worst To Best
22. Bad News Barrett (2015)
These days, Wade Barrett is a respected member of WWE’s broadcast team, but we’re afraid we’ve got some bad news… his turn as a King of the Ring was anything but respectable.
Barrett won the crown during one of the many KOTR revivals that have taken place in the 2000s, an abrupt two-night tournament in April 2015 that was probably every bit as thrown-together as it seemed. The Englishman defeated Neville in what actually was a notable moment for WWE: a non-PPV special event on the WWE Network.
Unfortunately for Barrett, the company’s motivation for the tournament was more likely producing content (sound familiar?) than it was creating a booking mechanism to make a star.
As king, Barrett almost immediately engaged in a feud with R-Truth, where he lost multiple matches to the comedy act. He then teamed with Stardust to face Neville and Arrow actor Stephen Amell at SummerSlam in a losing effort. When you’re losing to Cody Rhodes in a gimmick that sent him heading for the WWE exits, and an actor, you know you’re not a priority.
By the fall, we would see Barrett join forces with Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio and Rusev in one of the worst factions in modern history: the League of Nations. The less that’s said about the group, the better. But suffice it to say, they were losers.
Barrett was gone from WWE shortly after WrestleMania, lasting just a year after winning the KOTR tournament, and having accomplished next-to-nothing while king. Thankfully, his second act with the company has been much kinder.