Wade Barrett Teases WWE Commentary Change When Pat McAfee Returns
Wade Barrett stays on his toes. The newly minted commentator for "WWE SmackDown" appeared on "Out of Character" with Ryan Satin recently to talk about his whirlwind move from "WWE NXT" to the blue brand.
"I probably found out maybe 3 or 4 days before I took the first trip over," Barrett said. "It was very much a last minute decision. Pat McAfee's off 2 or 3 months doing his college football stuff. Initially they had Corey Graves step in and fill the seat but I think Corey probably had a lot on his plate, he does a lot for WWE with all the pay-per-views and "Raws" and he's got his podcast, so I believe somebody had to pick up a little slack on behalf of Corey, so that's when they gave me the call and asked me to step in." McAfee is currently on the headset for ESPN's college football coverage, while Graves has been spread thin between "WWE Raw," WWE premium live events, and his "After The Bell" podcast.
"I think my history in the entertainment sphere in general and especially in WWE, you've got to be ready to pivot," Barrett continued. "I love "NXT," I hope to be back there sooner or later in some capacity, hopefully commentating, but I think you've always got to be ready to pivot in this game. Things change fast, as we've seen the past 18 months in WWE have been absolutely insane for all of us. So you've always got to be ready. I love "NXT," I thought that was going to be my future, but you get that call and you've got to jump."
'You can never get too comfortable in any position'
According to the former WWE Intercontinental Champion, that ability to pivot has been instilled in him since he started with the company in 2007. Per Barrett, the jump from the "NXT" desk to the "SmackDown" desk was no different than first being sent to developmental territory FCW, or being brought to WWE to participate in the first season of "WWE NXT," or then being brought to the main roster to lead The Nexus stable in one of the more prominent debuts in WWE history.
Barrett joined the "NXT" announce team in 2020, after a brief period away from WWE, where the former wrestler did commentary for WhatCulture Pro Wrestling, as well as NWA. "You can never get too comfortable in any position," Barrett concluded, "you've always got to be ready to jump when that call comes."