2024 has been quite the year in WWE. The company has seen some of the biggest moments in recent memory occur in the past twelve months, from CM Punk and Drew McIntyre's epic story, to the rise and fall of The Bloodline.
One man who's had a ringside seat for all the action is Wade Barrett. The British star has been part of the commentary team for both Raw and SmackDown this year, but when it comes to picking a highlight, the former Intercontinental champion is in no doubt about his favourite moment of 2024.
"I had some history with Cody Rhodes when I came to the main roster in 2010 with the NXT show," Barrett told DAZN, thanks to AceOdds.
"He was someone who was probably quite low down the card at that point, we ended up hanging out together and he was a similar age. I'm a little bit older than him, but we'd ride together. So, to see the journey he's been on and obviously he left the company around the same time as I did in 2016.
"I think he and I had some very similar frustrations and I think our careers were kind of intertwined in terms of our thoughts on the industry and WWE at that time and getting fed up with things. I took a very different route at that point. I went off and did my own thing with acting and eventually meandered my way back into a commentary position.
"Cody had a very specific game plan in his head. You always remember that list he came up with where he wrote down the number of guys on the independent scene he wanted to wrestle against and went out and started at ground zero, built himself back up to be the number one star on the planet.
"So, to see him go through what he went through earlier in his career, go through those bitter disappointments that I also went through, but to see him figure his way out and become the number one star in the industry and have that come good at WrestleMania, the biggest WrestleMania of all time and see all those fireworks and people in the audience in tears. That will really be difficult to top not just this year but for the next few years."
Rhodes's moment wasn't just a culmination of a two-year story, but vindication for the Superstar who always believed he belonged at the top of the card. Barrett admits these moments are rare, and is why the moment felt extra special for him, for Rhodes and the WWE Universe.
He added: "I felt an emotional connection to Cody that night as did millions of people around the world. But yeah, that sheer happiness and elation of witnessing Cody going out there and doing it, which if you'd have been a betting man in the middle of 2016 and say, hey, this is going to happen in about eight years' time to Cody Rhodes, you would have been laughed at.
"He was treated as a joke on the show at that point with the whole Stardust character, losing opening matches every single night. This guy looked like he was a million miles away from it. To see him bet on himself, as he always says, and actually come good, wow, what a moment. Those moments in any industry are really rare. That was my number one for this year."