WWE News: Vince McMahon Bans The Name Of A Top WWE Superstar?
From the archive: published Jul 19, 2015, 11 years ago. Details may have changed since.
Ever since donning the moniker of “Bad News Barrett,” current King of the Ring winner Wade Barrett has been referred to as “Wade” sparingly, at best. As it turns out, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has banned the name “Wade” from being used on WWE television anymore, according to Wrestling News.
The report does not give an elaborate explanation as to why McMahon decided to ban Barrett’s former first name, other than stating that it is one of McMahon’s weird rules. This is far from the first or last time that McMahon decided to ban a certain term from television.
Barrett used the name Wade on television from his debut in 2010 until donning the Bad News Barrett name in 2014.
As reported by the Inquisitr, McMahon recently banned the term “backbreaker ” from television. Same as the situation here, there was no rhyme or reason as to why the term was banned, other than McMahon decided that he no longer wanted it said.
To further demonstrate McMahon’s method to the madness, there were scripts leaked recently that announcers must follow while doing commentary. The scripts featured everything from obvious phrases that should not be said to the most mundane things that most people would never even realize.
While the name change will likely make no impact on Barrett’s position on television or in the long run, he is experiencing a bit of a downward spiral at the moment. After winning the King of the Ring tournament earlier this year, Barrett has been mostly on the losing end of a majority of his matches. Currently, he is feuding with R-Truth over his crown.
To further prove that the name “Wade” is banned, Barrett has been strictly referred to as King Barrett since winning the tournament.
Barrett is scheduled to wrestle R-Truth tonight at WWE Battleground. The two men will square-off for the right to wear the crown. As silly as it sounds, it’s one of the first storylines that the company has put Barrett in since he won the tournament. However, tonight’s match is not even on the main card, but rather on the pre-show.
As noted by LordsofPain, Barrett may return to a more serious role after tonight’s match. If Barrett loses to Truth, he can continue as Bad News Barrett, dropping the King moniker. It was the Bad News Barrett gimmick that helped Barrett return to a more prominent role on television, culminating with him capturing Intercontinental gold for a fifth time.