The Handsome Devil



It’s been a few weeks since I last posted anything on here, mainly because of the hectic schedule that I am keeping at the moment.  Some people have even complained about the lack of action on here.  Hard luck.  Nevertheless, I have found a spare few minutes to write down a few quick thoughts on the various goings on that have occurred of late.

Firstly, thanks for all of the sympathies regarding the broken nose that I sustained on NXT a couple of weeks ago.  To be honest, sympathy is not something that I ever require, or give.  I see it as wasted emotion.  I have broken my nose so many times that I stopped counting long ago.  It comes with the territory when you are a bare-knuckle fighter, and I suggest that you consider it a testament to my toughness that I can shrug it off so easily.  Ask yourself what one of the ‘pretty boy’ rookies would have done if they had gone through the same thing.  I can assure you they would still be crying about it now and those softies would have taken every one of the 4 weeks recovery time ordered by the doctors.  For those keeping score, I was back in the ring the very next day – I think you Americans call that ‘manning up‘, which incidentally is something that I have always been very good at.  And for those who were worried, you shouldn’t.  Even with the broken nose, I am still a handsome devil.

Last week was also my first opportunity to attend a Wrestlemania.  It was an amazing spectacle and lived up to it’s billing as the greatest show on earth.  Many people were caught up with the emotion of the matches.  Some people were wowed by the scale of the Wrestlemania experience – from Axxess to the impressive set at the University of Phoenix Stadium.  Some even commented on the distances that many fans from around the world had traveled to attend the event.  Well if I am perfectly honest, that’s not what affected me.  The key part of Wrestlemania from my perspective was the incredible money-making opportunities available for main-event competitors.  For me, the entire reason I am competing on NXT was encapsulated in the sheer volumes of cold, hard cash that were flowing through registers across the city of Phoenix during Wrestlemania week.  Competing in WWE isn’t about emotional highs or creating history.  It’s about filling my bank account with the millions of dollars that WWE fans are throwing around.  I’m not ashamed to admit what I’m all about.  It’s the reason I risk busting my nose, or worse, every time I step in the ring.  I’m not asking you to like what I’m saying, just understand money makes the world rotate and is the driving force behind every decision I have made in my life.  Whether they admit it or not, it is also behind everyone else’s.

On to this week’s NXT.  As you are aware, I came second in the in the inaugural ’Pros Rankings’.  Some people have contacted me on my Twitter (@wadebarrett) to suggest that second place is somehow cause for celebration.  If you were one of those people, let me remind you that second place is the first loser and whereas Wade Barrett can be called a lot of things, ‘a loser‘ will never be one of them.  I am on NXT to win.  As far as I am concerned, I should have been ranked number one and to be frank, I am baffled as to why that wasn’t the case.  It seems that WWE Hall of Famer, Howard Finkel (WWE’s longest-serving employee and a man who knows a thing or two about a thing or two…) was also baffled too, check out his blog:  fans.wwe.com/howardfinkel/blog/2010/03/3…

Still, there are 6 weeks until the next rankings, so expect a few things to change between now and then.  You will have seen that I immediately picked up the pace on NXT by winning the 8-man ’Pro’ tag match on the show and pinning Christian after I replaced my pro, Chris Jericho in the match.  It gave me a great chance to test myself against some of the very best and by winning that match, I showed everyone (most importantly Chris Jericho) that I can hang with the very best.  I noticed a huge gulf in class between the likes of Christian and Carlito vs. my usual level of opponent.  Both were quicker and smoother than the NXT rookies.  The experience only added fuel to my fire to step up to their level and compete with them on a weekly basis.  Hopefully, more opportunities will be there in the coming weeks.

Unfortunately, I do have to report that the back-biting and politicking has already started in the NXT locker room.  During the NXT Battle Royal, I was ganged up on 7 vs. 1 – odds that even I couldn’t overcome.  It seems that a combination of jealousy and fear has bonded the seven other rookies together against a common foe in Wade Barrett.  Well that’s fine with me – I have always been a man who stands alone and it seems NXT will be no exception.  To be fair, I don’t blame the rookies – in fact I admire them for displaying the brains that they showed no signs of until now.  But now the gloves are off and I am where I always like to be – with my back to the wall swinging at anything that moves.  Bring on next week’s show, I have something in store for all of them.

Thursday, April 1, 2010, 06:25 PM EST

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