The following is an excerpt from a new interview with WWE Superstar Wade Barrett:
Question: How have [John] Cena and [Randy] Orton – two of the biggest star in the business – been to work with?
Wade Barrett: They’re two very different people. I’d say Cena is probably a lot more approachable than Randy. He’s probably somebody I was able to connect with a lot sooner than I did with Randy. I think their on-air personas are very similar to what they’re like in real life in that respect. Randy’s a lot colder. But both guys have been great to work with. It’s been an incredible experience working with them and I’ve learned a lot just from working with them. They are two of the very best in the industry I wouldn’t say just now but of all time. For someone like me coming in with obviously my lack of experience at the top level, it’s been great to work with the best from the word go. Obviously the better the guy I’m working with the more I’m going to learn, so I’ve been very lucky in that respect.
Question: Speaking of learning from guys, Chris Jericho was your on-screen pro on NXT. Was there any real mentoring going on with Jericho and you behind the scenes?
Wade Barrett: Yeah, definitely. I’d say to this day he’s probably my first point of contact if I’ve got any questions or stuff that I want to know about in the company or if I want critiques on anything that I’m doing. I’ve got a few people I would go to, including William Regal and Goldust as well – he’s been very helpful. But I’d say Chris Jericho is my No. 1 sort of influence and mentor to this day.
Question: Have you or any of the other guys from NXT who are in The Nexus sensed any resentment in the locker room from guys who have been around for years and not received the super push that you’re getting?
Wade Barrett: Yeah, one hundred percent. I think we felt it a little more when we first came up for NXT. I think people saw that we were young guys, we’re in good shape and we’ve got a lot of potential. I think a lot of guys before they knew us were certainly worried about us being there, and probably some guys didn’t want us around. But I think over time with our attitudes and our hard work we’ve won a lot of people over. In general now it’s pretty harmonious in the locker room. There’s always going to be one or two guys who feel that they should be getting the push that you’re getting or should be getting the spot that you’ve got, but to be honest with you, they’re definitely in the minority. It’s something that WWE has pretty much stamped out in this day and age. I believe from reading books and hearing stories of the past the politicking and things like that were commonplace, but in general nowadays from what I understand it’s probably the most harmonious locker room it’s ever been.
Check out the complete interview online at BaltimoreSun.com.
