Stu Bennett Is Happy for Drew McIntyre Becoming the First WWE British World Champ, Shares His Thoughts on NXT UK’s Affect on British Wrestling

During a recent exclusive interview with the 411 Wrestling Interviews Podcast, former WWE Superstar Stu Bennett, aka Wade Barrett & Bad News Barrett, spoke to us about about pro wrestling during the global coronavirus pandemic and how it’s being handled by various promotions. He also addressed if he would be willing to work under such circumstances. Below are some highlights and audio for the interview:

Stu Bennett on Drew McIntyre becoming the first British WWE World champion: “Just to be clear, I’ve known Drew since I think 2005. I used to wrestle together with him in the UK. We both got hired by WWE on the same day. We still lived together in developmental. To this day, we’re very good friends. I congratulated him when he won the championship. We speak regularly. And yeah, still very tight with him. So, I’m thrilled for him, but let’s be honest, Drew McIntyre knows I would kick his ass. If I ever got came back into a ring with him, I would kick his ass, and he knows that. It’s that simple.”

Bennett’s thoughts on NXT UK and its affect on the UK wrestling scene: “I wouldn’t say its helped the UK scene. I would say it’s helped the wrestlers who have been signed, but outside of that, I don’t think it’s been beneficial. You’d have to look at the affect it’s had on some of the companies or some of the independents, the independent companies, who were thriving prior that versus now. So, I don’t think it’s been beneficial to the scene at all. I understand why WWE have done it. They want to have a stake hold there. It was not coincidental that NXT UK was brought out at the same time that WOS [World of Sport], which at the same time, was seen as a threat to WWE over in the UK. It wasn’t coincidental, however, it’s been portrayed by them, and I think we all know the truth behind that. Again, that’s business. I understand why they did it. I’m not casting them for doing that, but to portray it as beneficial to the UK as something benevolent is ludicrous. And as good as the product might, it’s certainly not something that’s helped the UK independent scene.”

In the full interview, Stu Bennett talks about his new film I Am Vengeance: Retaliation which releases on Friday, starring in the film alongside Vinnie Jones, his future in the wrestling industry, Drew McIntyre being the first British WWE Champion, WWE and AEW running shows during the current pandemic, the effect of NXT UK on the British wrestling scene, working with CM Punk on Ultimate Beastmaster and more.

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0:00: Intro
1:52: On starring in his own action franchise in the I Am Vengeance series and being able to show off more of his character
3:55: On working with a bigger cast this time around and seeing his character in a team environment
5:20: On acting opposite Vinnie Jones and growing up a fan of Jones as an athlete and an actor, how their fight scenes went
8:02: On working with Phoebe Robinson-Galvin and Katrina Durden in action sequences
9:40: On Drew McIntyre being the first British WWE Champion
10:40: On if he ever sees himself making a return to wrestling full-time or part-time
12:01: On whether he still follows the current wrestling industry, WWE and AEW running shows during the pandemic
14:50: On NXT UK having a negative effect on the British wrestling scene as a whole
16:13: On working with CM Punk on Netflix’s Ultimate Beastmaster
18:19: Outro

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