Chair Shots: Wade Barrett's Barrage should begin at WWE SummerSlam

One of the things I failed to mention in my Monday Night Raw review this week was a vignette for the return of NXT Season 1 winner Wade Barrett that aired on the program.

The vignette featured the British Superstar now sporting a beard going back to his roots as a bare-knuckle fighter. Check it out below if you missed it. I'll wait.



At the Smackdown tapings on Tuesday, Barrett made his in-ring return in a dark match, defeating Zack Ryder. The former leader of the Nexus and the Corre is also scheduled for the Smackdown brand's current tour of Japan, which begins today.

When will Barrett make this return to WWE-TV? That is the question. If the company is serious about pushing Barrett strong upon his return (rumors are they wanted him to win Money in the Bank earlier this year) and eventually challenge for the World Championship, then his return should come at SummerSlam, the second-biggest pay-per-view of the year.

And I have the perfect angle and opponent for the Bare-Knuckle Brawler.

Before Barrett was injured in February the night after the Elimination Chamber, he had been embroiled in a months-long feud with the Viper Randy Orton. Of course, Orton was on the shelf at the time with a concussion, and there was never a conclusion to their feud.

Last week, Orton made his return to WWE television after a 60-day suspension. It shouldn't surprise anyone that the Viper has been pushed heavily upon his return, having a pair of no contests with championship contenders Big Show and Alberto Del Rio and squashing Heath Slater in his return match and Jack Swagger at the most recent Smackdown tapings.

Orton, however, is currently not booked for SummerSlam. He mentioned on Twitter that he doesn't appear in the SummerSlam promotional videos because he's likely not going to be on the show. Yeah, right. Orton is one of the biggest draws on the roster. He might not be announced for a match beforehand, but you better believe he'll be there.

With only a week of WWE programming left to build an angle, and most of the top players already booked, this makes logical sense for the Apex Predator.

Upon Barrett's return, he should cut a promo about what he's been doing the past few months while rehabbing from his injury, talking about going back to his underground fighting roots to become more ruthless than ever. To prove his point, he would issue and open challenge to any WWE Superstar in the back.

"I hear voices in my head ..." and an impromptu match ensues.

Of course, I believe Barrett has to go over here. Losing to Orton in his return match would kill his momentum before it gets started. And as long as he uses some dastardly tactics to do it, it shouldn't hurt Orton at all because he's built up plenty of goodwill over the years, not unlike Chris Jericho.

Plus, with Orton one strike away from termination, WWE might want to use his star power to help build up others right now in the event of a worst-case scenario. Putting over a returning Barrett, then likely putting over Sheamus as World Champion and Dolph Ziggler (as seemed to be the plan before he was suspended) should be in the cards for the next few pay-per-views for the Viper.

Meanwhile, WWE should focus on building up Wade Barrett as the next challenger to Sheamus. That doesn't necessarily mean putting the World Championship on the burly Brit, but these two had some awesomely stiff matches last fall on Smackdown when Sheamus was turning babyface, and I think a feud between the two European tough guys could draw a lot of money.