Wade Barrett will be a permanent fixture on the NXT broadcast team.
Sports Illustrated reports Barrett signed a one-year contract with WWE, which includes an option to extend the deal.
Barrett joined the NXT commentary team on August 26 and it was reported shortly after that he was negotiating a full-time deal with the company. On August 31, Mauro Ranallo announced he would not be returning to his NXT commentary duties.
Vic Joseph has replaced Mauro has the lead play-by-play announcer for NXT while Barrett joins Beth Phoenix at the analyst position.
“Our aim is to be different, a little more unique than the other WWE programming,” said Barrett. “We don’t want to be a carbon copy of what you hear on Raw or SmackDown. I’ve known Beth for years, and she is incredibly talented, and I am just getting to know Vic. I’m excited to learn from and work with both of them, and I’m really excited to develop this into a really tight unit. This isn’t a developmental brand. I’ve followed the careers of The Undisputed Era, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, and Rhea Ripley for a long time. There are so many up-and-comers, and NXT is a destination where you can see people turn into stars. Bronson Reed is a powerhouse and reminds me of a young Mark Henry. Coming from England, I might be a bit biased, but I can’t wait to see Ridge Holland’s rise into a megastar. He has all the potential in the world. I’m also especially excited to call Shotzi Blackheart on a weekly basis. She is going to be a massive star. The opening match-up tonight between Shotzi and Io Shirai will be fantastic, so make sure to get there nice and early to watch.”
Barrett signed a developmental deal with WWE in October 2007 and was part of the first season of NXT. He and WWE parted ways in May 2016 before reuniting this year.
Fightful will have live coverage of NXT beginning at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
