If you’ve listened to Wade Barrett‘s commentary since last year, you can tell that he hates https://britwrestling.co.uk/tag/cm-punk.
The British wrestler is long retired, having wrestled his last match in 2016. However, nobody seems to have riled him up as much since his retirement as the former WWE and AEW Champion has.
During Punk’s rivalry with Drew McIntyre, Wade Barrett has been one of the men extremely against the Chicago native. Wade Barrett’s hatred for CM Punk goes all the way back to 2010, when he was the leader of the ill-fated Nexus faction.
CM Punk Took Over The Nexus From Wade Barrett
The main reason Wade Barrett hates CM Punk stems from their rivalry all the way back in 2010. After Barrett’s loss to John Cena, Punk started to take some interest in the Nexus, with a view of taking over the faction.
He attacked the Englishman during a steel cage match on Raw in December 2010. Over the next few weeks, he would take control of the faction, kicking Barrett out of the group that he created.
CM Punk’s New Nexus faced off with Barrett’s new team, named The Corre, over the next few weeks. Punk battled Barrett on Raw for a chance to appear in the 2011 Royal Rumble, although despite Cena (as the special guest referee) disqualifying both men, they all appeared in the Royal Rumble match.
It is clear from his weekly commentary that Wade Barrett hates CM Punk because of this rivalry. Barrett was made to look like a loser, and never got one over on Punk during this rivalry.
It also marked the end of his chance of becoming a world champion. While John Cena burying Wade Barrett was the thing that killed his aspirations, CM Punk was the final nail in that coffin.
He has held the grudge for nearly 15-years, and recent incidents have not made his more sympathetic towards Punk.
Barrett Is Friends With Drew McIntyre, Who Is Punk’s Fierce Rival
Wade Barrett was furious at CM Punk during Clash at the Castle, and even called for the former WWE Champion to be suspended. Punk pretended to be a referee, and cost McIntyre the World Heavyweight Championship at the end of the title match in Glasgow.
With the referee down, Punk hid his face as he slid into the ring. He counted to two, before stopping in his tracks. He revealed himself to Drew McIntyre, which enraged him and ultimately cost him the bout.
After the show, Wade Barrett went off on CM Punk. The commentator compared the match to the Montreal Screwjob, and claims that bout was worse than Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels.
He also called for Punk to be suspended from his role in the WWE.
“That was the biggest screwjob in history, just beating Bret Hart. That is the new number one. There is a huge shadow cast upon this entire industry thanks to the actions of CM Punk. CM Punk needs to be fired by WWE management. For once, show some balls. Do what you’re supposed to do. This is a guy who was medically cleared to be in contact with any wrestler. He has now materially affected the outcome of two heavyweight championship matches.”
“What is CM Punk doing here? He wasn’t booked for SmackDown, he wasn’t booked for media. He wasn’t booked for Clash at the Castle. Are you trying to tell me he got a private jet all the way over to Scotland just to watch the show? He ruined this event.”
“He should have been thrown out of the building. To invite him to the press conference after that and give him donuts and throw softball questions at him. To have the leader of this industry, the leader of WWE, a man who I respect, Triple H, come out and answer these issues with quotes like, ‘I’m happy to have Phil Brooks back. This is the Phil Brooks I want to see. Thrilled and excited to work with him. Thank you CM Punk for helping change the culture behind the scenes at WWE.’ I cannot respect any of that. It’s nonsense. The man is poison,” Wade Barrett stated.
Could We See CM Punk vs Wade Barrett In WWE Again?
There is a chance we could see Wade Barrett wrestling CM Punk in the near future in the WWE.
The Englishman spoke with The Metro, and discussed possible return to the ring. Barrett said that he is “fit and healthy”, and nothing is stopping him from wrestling. However, he added that he would need a match that suitably interested him.
”I’m fit and healthy, if something came up where, ‘Okay, there’s a match here, would you be interested in doing it?’ If it makes sense to me and I was excited to do it, absolutely, I could.”
However, the chances of that story being with CM Punk are slim. That is because Wade Barrett has already named who he wants to face, if he does come out of retirement.
While speaking with AceOdds, the Englishman said that if he could wrestle one more match, it would be against Drew McIntyre at a sold-out Wembley Stadium.
With rumours of WrestleMania in the UK coming in the next few years, this does not look out of the question for the former Nexus leader.
“If I could have one match for the remainder of my days on this planet… It would absolutely be me against Drew McIntyre at Wembley Stadium… If they dangled that in front of me at any point in time, yeah, absolutely. I’m coming back and I’m having that match sold out at Wembley Stadium. But that is a bit of a pipe dream.”
