Forgotten Nexus star looks unrecognizable as Wade Barrett reveals hidden talks over return to face John Cena
WWE superstar Wade Barrett revealed to talkSPORT that one thing stopped him from making a wrestling return against John Cena.
The Preston-born grappler, who is currently a commentator on RAW, has not competed since he and Sheamus lost to The New Day in 2016.
The 45-year-old has never officially confirmed his retirement, leading fans to speculate on whether he could still have one final match.
A perfect opportunity to do so would have been during old rival Cena’s farewell tour, following his own history with WWE’s GOAT.
Wade Barrett: ‘Small chance’ to face John Cena
During an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.com, Barrett – real name Stu Bennett – said: “Let me tell you, they put a contract right in front of me.
“I picked up the pen just before pen hit paper for me to sign to be part of that tournament. Someone whispered in my ear. Gunther is going to be in the tournament.
“I put the pen straight down, ripped up the contract and said, ‘No, no, that ain’t for me.’ So, yeah, it was a small chance.
“But then I realized I would get hurt badly if I entered that tournament, and I have no interest in getting destroyed by the ring general.”
Barrett was expected to precede Drew McIntyre as WWE‘s first-ever British-born world champion in his wrestling pomp.
He broke through as the leader of the Nexus, but a crushing defeat to Cena at SummerSlam 2010 torpedoed his momentum.
Barrett recovered to become a five-time WWE Intercontinental champion, as well as the 2015 King of the Ring winner.
Where are Nexus now?
However, he never managed to claim a major singles title, with his former stablemates enjoying even less individual success.
From the original Nexus line-up that fell to Cena and Co. in 2010, only Barrett remains with WWE and not even in a wrestling capacity.
Darren Young, Skip Sheffield (Ryback), Michael Tarver, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, and David Otunga have all since left the company.
When asked whether he would love to see any old Nexus members come back to face Cena, Barrett added, “I love all of those guys.
“I’d say all of those guys that were in the original Nexus, and even some of the guys that came in afterwards, I’m still in touch with them. We still chat regularly.
“We’re just a group of guys who were kind of bonded together by this crazy experience we all had together.
“I would love to see Heath back in WWE. I think he’d be fantastic.
“He is the quirkiest character you’ve ever met, and you see him off-camera. He’s even crazier.
“Ryback is another one, just an amazing physique on him. Big powerhouse.
“Darren Young, love that guy. He’s still wrestling to this day.
“Justin Gabriel’s another one, big high flyer, the South African. Yeah, you could name any of those guys.
“I’d love to see that back involved in some capacity, either in the ring or behind the scenes with coaching and producing, just a great crew of human beings that I’ll always hold in very high regard.”
Justin Gabriel looks unrecognizable
Gabriel, specifically, would come as the biggest shock to WWE fans following his rebrand on the independent wrestling scene.
The 44-year-old is now known as P. J. Black, with Barrett adding to talkSPORT: “You wouldn’t recognize the guy!”
John Cena’s final match takes place on Saturday, 13 December, live at Saturday Night’s Main Event on WWE’s YouTube channel. His 2025 Retirement Tour has seen him appear 35 times around the world – fans in the UK and Ireland can catch up on the full tour so far on Netflix.
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