Wade Barrett Praises WWE’s Creative for Gunther, Wouldn’t Step Back in the Ring to Face the Ring General

During a recent chat with Sam Roberts on the Notsam Wrestling podcast, Wade Barrett was asked about the Gunther retirement list, with Roberts noting that the people Gunther is retiring are his contemporaries. However, Barrett shut down that he would not want to get back into the ring against the former World Heavyweight Champion.

Barrett also praised how WWE’s creative team has handled Gunther over the last six months. Below are some highlights:

Wade Barrett on Not Wanting To Get Back in the Ring Against Gunther

“No, especially not to get in the room with Gunther. You take this off, and he chops the hell out of me. Like, what are you doing, Sam? You can take that spot. I don’t want that. I want to come back and I want them to You [snorts] know what? They’re going to hitch the wagon to me, and you thought the return of Cody Rhodes was big and finishing his story. Well, just imagine when Wade Barrett steps up from the desk, tears off the blazer, and you want that cut short by getting chopped to death by the ring general. What are you thinking about, Sam? What are you doing here?”

His Thoughts on the Work Gunther Has Been Putting In

“Yeah. What I think is really creative about how Gunther’s career has gone over the past kind of six to nine months is that it’s really hard when you’ve had world championships to keep building on that. You’ve kind of hit the peak, right? And okay, cool. You’re now a two-time world champion. What do you go from here? Three-time world champion, four time 10 time world champion. Okay, yeah. And you’ll build a historical legacy, but it’s hard to keep him in that position without giving him the title. I think he’s become even bigger without being involved in the world championship picture over the past few months, by the fact that he’s got this storyline and he’s involved with all these legends and killing their careers.

“I think it’s really creative, and I think it, you know, hats off to the guys behind the scenes that come up with that sort of stuff and push him in that direction. And that goes back to what I was saying earlier about, you know, management today, when they got a guy with momentum. It’s not a case of, ‘Oh, Gunther, you’ve had two world championship brains. Now fall down back down the pack, it’s someone else’s turn.’ No. So, no, we’re going to keep building him while somebody else is involved in that world championship picture. And that’s just a level of complexity with the creative team that just to me wasn’t there 15 years ago. And that’s part of how this company is continuing to improve and create a better product all around, I think.

On Gunther Staying Busy Before Eventually Returning to the Title Picture

“He ain’t going away. He’s coming back at some point. You don’t know when that’s going to be because he’s busying himself with other things right now, but eventually, he’s ready to go back in the world title scene as soon as the opportunity arises. It’s keeping him hot, keeping him simmering right there and right at the top of the card despite the fact that he’s not involved in that picture.”

Gunther faces Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 42: Saturday on April 18. The premium live event takes place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will air live on the ESPN App in the U.S. and on Netflix internationally.

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Notsam Wrestling, with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.