Wade Barrett On Dusty Rhodes Giving Him A Huge Break

Wade Barrett is now Stu Bennett because that is his real name. He is heard on NWA Powerrr, but he really cut his commentary chops in FCW under Dusty Rhodes’ tutilege.

While speaking to the Art Of Wrestling podcast, Stu Bennett discussed his FCW days. He revealed how Dusty Rhodes saved his career in a lot of ways because he liked the way he talked.

I got a really lucky break. Dusty Rhodes really liked me, I bonded with him. He was the color commentator on the TV show. Dusty was writing the show, and he was doing the commentary too, so his hands were really full. He was like, ‘I need to step back from this a little. Let’s try some guys [on commentary].’ One day, he says, ‘Hey Stu, you’re doing color commentary today on the TV show.’ I was like, ‘No. Really, you need me?’ He was like, ‘I like the way you talk, go do it.'”

“I had never done this before, so, I went up and did the show, and the whole time I was thinking, ‘This is so bad.’ Dusty would occasionally come in my earpiece and be like, ‘Ah, he’s so good.’ I was like ‘Ok, at least I’m making him happy, so that’s good.’ But afterward, I was like, ‘Oh, this is going to be so bad. I came to the back and Norman Smiley put me over, and Dusty put me over. Then Dusty was like, ‘You’re doing this every single week now. That is now your thing. You’re now the commentator.'”

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“So, about six months later, I was doing color commentary on the FCW show, and I loved every second of it. I got that initial burst of confidence. I loved that I was having so much fun, making up stories with people…It allowed me to be creative and get this confidence and freedom. It was one of the happiest periods of my career, just doing that.”

Dusty Rhodes spent his final years working for WWE where he helped play a huge part in the development of many Superstars. He passed away far too soon, but his legacy will carry on forever in the careers of those he influenced along the way. It certainly meant a lot to Wade Barrett.

Thanks to Wrestling Inc for the quote