Why Why Bad News Barrett Gimmick Failed in WWE Revealed

Wade Barrett is finally opening up about why Bad News Barrett — one of the most organically over gimmicks of the 2010s — ultimately fizzled out in WWE, and according to him, the downfall had nothing to do with fan support.

Speaking to Inside the Ropes about the rise and fall of the character, Barrett explained that the audience reaction was undeniable. The problem wasn’t that fans rejected the act — it was that they loved it too much. Barrett made it clear that for most of his WWE career, he was positioned as a heel and was perfectly comfortable in that role.

“So like I said, in my entire career, certainly with WWE, I was always the bad guy and I was always very happy being the bad guy.”

But Bad News Barrett was different. The crowd began cheering him, especially when he delivered the catchphrase that made the gimmick famous.

“There was a moment that for sure I should have been turned into a baby face… But the crowd was so behind Bad News Barrett and they wanted me to be the good guy and they wanted to cheer me.”

Recognizing the shift, Barrett approached Vince McMahon directly and suggested turning babyface. The answer he eventually received shut that idea down immediately.

“So I spoke to Vince about it and said, ‘Hey, I think it’s time to turn me baby face. I think that’s what they’re wanting.’”

“Week later, he apparently said in the meeting that week with the creative team, ‘Barrett will never be a baby face. He’s not a baby face. He’s a heel for life. He’ll always be a heel.’”

That decision created a creative dilemma. Every time Barrett delivered the iconic line — “I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news” — the crowd erupted. Instead of pivoting into the reaction, WWE chose to remove the one element fans were reacting to.

“The problem was every time I would say the bad news catchphrase, everyone would cheer along. That’s what they wanted to see. So how do we make that guy a heel again? The only way we can make him a heel again is to stop him saying the bad news.”

Barrett says Vince then gave him a direct instruction. From Barrett’s perspective, that stripped the character of its identity.

“He told me, ‘Here’s what I want from you. I want you to still be Bad News Barrett, but you can’t say the catchphrase anymore.’”

“The problem with that is if you’re Bad News Barrett and you’re not saying the catchphrase, then you’re not really Bad News Barrett.”

He went further, explaining exactly why the gimmick worked in the first place.

“The whole thing about Bad News Barrett is he’s just a regular wrestler, but he comes out and says the catchphrase and gives people bad news and that’s what people want. So the moment that’s taken away, then you’re just a generic guy in the ring.”

Barrett tried to push back. “So I explained that to Vince — here’s my thoughts. I don’t agree with you.” But the response was final. “No, no, it’ll be fine. No problem. Just go out and do that.” What followed was a slow decline. The reaction cooled. The momentum faded.

“At that point it was kind of dead in the water. And I felt myself literally week by week slipping lower and lower on the card.”

In Barrett’s view, Bad News Barrett didn’t fail because the gimmick wasn’t working. It failed because creative refused to adapt when the audience turned him into a fan favorite. Instead of leaning into the cheers, WWE pulled the catchphrase — the heartbeat of the character — and the act never recovered.

What do you think — should WWE have turned Bad News Barrett babyface when the crowd demanded it, or was keeping him a heel the right call? Drop your thoughts below and let us know.

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