WWE Live is making its way back to Australia in August with a line-up filled with everyone's most loved and hated WWE superstars.
Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney will have the honour of hosting some of the biggest names in WWE, past and present. Randy Orton, John Cena and even Hulk Hogan have all signed up to put on one hell of a show down under.
With the previous WWE Live selling out stadiums, it is no doubt each show will be filled with cheers for these celebrated superstars, as well as boos for those we all love to hate. Speaking of which; standing at 6'7” and weighing a substantial 246 pounds [Ed's note: roughly 111kg], even as one of the most hated superstars in WWE, King Barrett is a force to be reckoned with.
This five-time Intercontinental Champion has been moving from strength to strength since the start of his WWE career in 2010, most recently taking out the aptly named 2015 King of the Ring.
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As a fan of the series since he was just nine-years old, King Barrett watched WWE in his teens before he finally decided to do something about his passion when he was 19. “Just being a fan wasn't enough anymore,” Barrett says.
At the age of 23, Barrett joined a wrestling school and, after graduating, wrestled in the UK for three years before the WWE started to take notice. Since then, he has wrestled some of his favourite wrestlers of all time, including The Hitman and The Undertaker. Despite all of his success, King Barrett still can't believe the life he is leading. “It's pretty crazy,” he says, laughing.
“As a kid you tend to have a lot of dreams. I wanted to be a professional soccer player in the UK... I wanted to be a fighter pilot in the Royal Airforce at one point and I wanted to be a WWE Superstar.
“The soccer thing didn't quite work out for me... I actually applied to be in the Royal Airforce when I was 19 years old but they told me I was too tall. I wouldn't have fit in their planes unfortunately, so they sent me away. And that led me to the one dream that was left.”
Ironically, the thing that held Barrett back from working in the air force could be one of his best attributes as a WWE Superstar – you can never be too tall in WWE. Climbing his way up the ladder, Barrett quickly found himself as one of the most hated superstars in the organisation and he is loving every second of it. “I always kind of thought some of the good guys were a bit pathetic,” he says.
“I'm quite happy to be the bad guy. I love going around the world getting booed, and I'm sure that will be no different in Australia.”
With this tour set to be his first trip to Australia, Barrett isn't holding his breath for the warmest of receptions. “I'll be bringing my full royal outfit with me; I expect all of Australia to bow down before their monarch,” he says, with no sign of sarcasm in his voice.
Whether you love King Barrett or are just hoping to see your favourite superstar put him in his place, the King promises to put on one hell of a show. “I guarantee I'll be bringing my best over to Australia and I'll put on a great performance for all the fans out there,” he says. “And you know you're gonna see the Bull Hammer Elbow.”
If you're a WWE fan, you don't want to miss this!
WWE Tour Dates
Thu 6 Aug - Brisbane Entertainment CentreFri 7 Aug - Rod Laver Arena (Melbourne)
Sat 8 Aug - QANTAS Credit Union Arena (Sydney)
