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Big ideas for 'Mania

Image: Barrett: gunning for Big Show

Wade Barrett wants to tackle the Big Show at WrestleMania, while he also has designs on winning the WWE title.

Corre member wants to face World's Largest Athlete on April 3

It has been an incredible 12 months for WWE Superstar Wade Barrett. A year ago the Lancashire-born grappler was completely unknown as he began the WWE's new television show NXT. Since Barrett won the competition, he has become the leader of the Nexus, headlined five pay-per-views, joined the Corre and is now set to perform on the grandest stage of them all - Wrestlemania XXVII. Barrett and his fellow Corre members are currently feuding with The Big Show on SmackDown and he told skysports.com's Richard Parr that he'd like to settle the score with the giant at WrestleMania. Barrett also revealed he still keeps in touch with his former NXT mentor Chris Jericho, that Triple H has never beaten him and that he plans on being the first English WWE Champion...

skysports.com: Wrestlemania XXVII is set to be your debut on the grandest stage of them all. Can you confirm you will be on the card on April 3?
WADE BARRETT: It's not officially set-up but in some capacity, I'm definitely going to be performing on the show. I'm obviously in a group called the Corre at the moment and we've sort of made a name for ourselves by attacking people at random and ganging up on people. Even if I don't have a full match scheduled, I'm still hopeful of getting something ironed out. I'm sure we'll be involved somewhere, even if we're attacking people in the main event or something like that. In fact, I guarantee you I'll get myself involved. skysports.com: So you can't confirm any rumours of the Corre against The Big Show and Kane, and possibly Diesel?
WB: I can't confirm anything, nothing is set in stone yet. I've been feuding with the Big Show for some time now so I'd love to do something with him. I think I've got a score to settle with him and hopefully that will be at WrestleMania. But if not, I'll be involved in some capacity. skysports.com: At last year's WrestleMania, along with the other WWE NXT rookies, you stood in front of the 70,000-strong crowd to watch the dark match Battle Royale. What was that like? Did it make you more motivated to make sure you were on the card the following year?
WB: I think that was the main reason why management got us to do that. To step out onto the stage and watch so we could soak in the atmosphere and taste it. So next year we'd have that motivation to get ourselves into a position where we should be on the card. I think over the last year we have really done that. If you look at the guys who were involved on the NXT season one show back then - myself, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater and Daniel Bryan - I think all four of us are hopeful we'll get on the WrestleMania card this year. I'm pretty sure that's going to happen. skysports.com: 2010 was obviously an amazing year for you. You began the year on NXT and by the end of it you were in a main-event match against John Cena at the TLC pay-per-view. Could you really take in everything that was happening?
WB: It all moved very quickly, you're right. At the start of 2010 I wasn't even a part of the WWE - I hadn't debuted. I think in February we started the NXT show. By June, I'd won the NXT show, a contract on Raw and in the remaining six months, I main-evented five of six pay-per-views. It was huge for me; it was a real change of pace in my life and very exciting. It was very hard to take it in at times, especially how intense things were from SummerSlam until TLC. There was a lot of pressure on me to make sure I performed on Raw and on the pay-per-views; to make sure we delivered a good product to the fans. But it's something I really enjoyed. It brought out the best in me and I responded pretty well to that pressure. skysports.com: What was your biggest highlight during that period?
WB: It's not easy to pick one because there were so many highlights last year. NXT was definitely a big moment but I think my favourite moment was the Hell in a Cell match I had with John Cena, which is when I beat him and we ended up inducting him into the Nexus. Because of the victory, he became a part of the Nexus and employed by me. It was a huge moment and it really boosted my career. skysports.com: When you first did the Nexus invasion on Raw, did you realise that it would prove to be such a big moment?
WB: I think we realised just by the nature of what we were doing, by attacking John Cena, CM Punk and all of the officials, that it was going to have an impact. But we didn't quite realise it would be as big as it was. I think if you look at that incident it's probably the single biggest event in the WWE in the last five years. It was a huge moment; something that's still going to be talked about in 20 years time. People are going to remember that and be watching it back and talk about how the Nexus took over Raw and attacked everyone in sight. We're obviously thrilled to have been involved in it. And it's something really great to have kick-started our careers once we'd got away from NXT and onto the main stage. It really brought us to the forefront in the WWE Universe's mind. It was huge for us and we were really glad to be a part of it. skysports.com: So what are your goals for 2011 and beyond?
WB: My main focus is to become England's first WWE Champion. There's never been one before, which is something that needs to be corrected very soon. There's been so many great British and English wrestlers in the past and the fact there has never been a World Champion from this country is wrong. It's my main focus to make sure that I am the first. On top of that, I just want to find my place in the WWE. I was on a lot of pay-per-views and I main-evented a lot of pay-per-views. I want to get myself back into that title picture with top guys and hopefully bring that title back to the UK. skysports.com: Are there any established WWE Superstars you turn to for advice?
WB: Yeah definitely. I was lucky enough on NXT to have Chris Jericho as my pro. He's a six-time World Champion and somebody still to this day, even though he's not in the WWE at the moment, who gives me a lot of advice. We're constantly texting and calling each other. It's been great to have a guy like that. I've been a fan of Chris since the mid-90s. He's always been a great performer. To this day, when he's around in the WWE he's one of the very top performers in the world. I've been very lucky to get a lot of advice from him. As soon as I do something right or do something wrong, he'll let me know pretty quickly. I'm hopeful that in some point in the future he'll be back in the WWE. skysports.com: So with Jericho appearing on Dancing with the Stars, have you been texting him with dancing advice?
WB: No, dancing isn't my forte. I'm six foot six, 360 pounds and white, which is a bad combination when it comes to dancing, I think. skysports.com: Triple H told the WWE Universe a few weeks ago that he had nothing else to achieve in the WWE than ending The Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania. There are obviously a lot of new Superstars he has yet to beat. Did that annoy many of the ones listening?
WB: Yes I think so. I think a lot of people heard that and maybe were a bit disgruntled by it. Triple H certainly has beaten everybody there is to beat. He really is one of the best in history. But there really are a lot of young lions coming through at the moment. Triple H has certainly never beaten me. We've never been in the ring together. I would like to do battle with him one day. But obviously he has a lot on his plate with the Undertaker. So maybe we'll wait until that is completed. But definitely somewhere down the line, I would love to take Triple H on.

WrestleMania will be coming your way live on Sunday April 3 at midnight (Monday morning) only on Sky Box Office and on Sky Box Office HD.

The WWE will present seven RAW shows and three SmackDown events in April in venues across the nation, kicking off in Glasgow on April 13, 2011. For further information please visit wwe.com.

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