Stu Bennett, more famously known as former WWE superstar Wade Barrett, made his first public appearance at a special live edition of the Gorilla Position podcast. Also on the event was Finn Balor, who gave some encouraging news about the status of his shoulder injury.
Barrett left the WWE on May 6 after he requested an early release from his contract. His deal was up in June but he decided not to sign an extension. He said in several interviews that he is going take a hiatus from wrestling and focus on his acting career.
It should be noted that Barrett starred in two WWE Films in 2016 titled "Eliminators"and "Vengeance." He made his first public appearance over the weekend at the special live anniversary edition of the Gorilla Position podcast in the UK.
According to The Sun, the 36-year-old wrestler made the surprise appearance by dressing up as Shinsuke Nakamura. He was in complete King of Strong Style attire along with his entrance theme. He also delivered one of his "Bad News" promos that popped the crowd
It was his first public appearance since getting kicked out of the League of Nations stable by Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus, and Rusev. Barrett was joined in the podcast by injured WWE superstar Finn Balor. He gave the fans in attendance an update about his shoulder.
"The shoulder is feeling good. The target and goal the whole time since the accident happened has been WrestleMania, and that hasn't changed. There's a possibility I may be ready a week or two before that, but as of now the target is WrestleMania," Balor said.
The first-ever WWE universal champion suffered a torn labrum back in SummerSlam. He underwent surgery to repair the injury and he was ruled out for four to six months. He is already being rumored to a surprise entrant for the Royal Rumble.
The Demon King is among the favorites to win the Rumble match, per WWE Leaks. Balor winning the Rumble is the perfect story since he never lost the Universal title. If he wins the Rumble, he could challenge Kevin Owens and reclaim his championship at WrestleMania 33.
However, the WWE has to be careful in handling Balor's injury since they don't want him to be rushed. He is one of the hottest acts in the company before his injury and he certainly makes WrestleMania 33 more interesting.