On the November 13, 2006 episode of Raw in Manchester, Barrett appeared as a member of security.
Barrett competed on the first season of NXT, with Chris Jericho as his storyline mentor. His first appearance for NXT was on the inaugural episode on February 23, when he acted as Jericho's ring announcer. Barrett made his in-ring debut on the following episode of NXT, defeating Daniel Bryan. On the April 13 episode of NXT, Barrett won the "talk the talk" challenge and was awarded his own custom made entrance theme. On May 11, Barrett was ranked in first place in the Pros Poll. On the June 1, 2010 episode of NXT, Barrett won the overall competition and a WWE contract, by defeating Justin Gabriel and David Otunga in the season finale.
On the June 7, 2010 edition of Raw, Barrett was at the forefront of an attack by the NXT rookies, as they interfered in the main event match between John Cena and CM Punk, attacking both competitors, the Straight Edge Society, the announce team, the timekeeper and the ring announcer, Justin Roberts, before they destroyed the ring area and surrounding equipment. Cena in particular was heavily targeted by the rookies, who hit him with their finishing moves. On the June 14, 2010 edition of Raw, Barrett and the other rookies (minus Daniel Bryan) demanded full-time contracts from Raw General Manager Bret Hart, who instead fired Barrett and had the rookies removed from the building. Later in the show, the rookies attacked Hart and gave him until the Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view to decide on their contracts. At Fatal 4-Way, the rookies interfered in the main event for the WWE Championship, costing Cena the match and the championship in the process to Sheamus. The following night on Raw, Vince McMahon fired Hart and announced that a new 'anonymous' General Manager had been hired and the six rookies received WWE contracts (Barrett's contract was reinstated after he was originally fired the previous week). The group of rookies continued their path of disrupting main events, as they attacked both Cena and McMahon, who had been acting as the referee on the June 21, 2010 edition of Raw. On the July 5, 2010 edition of Raw, the group was named The Nexus. That same week, Barrett was absent from Raw. Barrett returned the following week.
On the July 12, 2010 edition of Raw, the Nexus (who were without Darren Young due to being injured in an attack by Cena the previous week) competed in their first match together and defeated Cena in a 6–on–1 handicap match after Gabriel hit Cena with the 450° splash. The following week, Barrett made his singles match debut on Raw by defeating Mark Henry. The Nexus continued to feud with Cena and the Raw roster, resulting in a seven-on-seven elimination tag team match at SummerSlam. Barrett was the final member of the Nexus, but submitted to Cena, causing the Nexus to lose the match. After Young was exiled from the group for losing a match to Cena the night after SummerSlam and Skip Sheffield was injured at a live event in Hawaii two nights later, the Nexus faced Cena, Edge, Randy Orton, Sheamus and Jericho in a five-on-five elimination match on the August 30, 2010 edition of Raw, which Barrett won by pinning Orton.
Barrett received his guaranteed championship match from winning NXT at Night of Champions, where he was unsuccessful in a six-pack challenge match for the WWE Championship, despite eliminating Cena. The feud between Cena and the Nexus continued at Hell in a Cell on October 3, when Barrett defeated Cena to force Cena to become a member of the Nexus. The following night on Raw, Barrett, with the help of the rest of the Nexus, won a battle royal to determine the number one contender to the WWE Championship, when Cena eliminated himself on Barrett's orders. Barrett received his championship match against Randy Orton at the Bragging Rights pay-per-view. After ordering Cena to help him win, Cena interfered in the match causing Barrett to win via disqualification, which meant that Orton retained the championship. The following night, Barrett was granted a rematch at the Survivor Series pay-per-view, and allowed to choose a guest referee. He chose Cena, stating that if Barrett won the match and the WWE Title, Cena would be allowed to leave the Nexus; however if Barrett failed to win the title, Cena would be fired. At Survivor Series, Barrett was unsuccessful in winning the WWE Championship from Orton after Cena pushed him into an RKO by Orton. Cena was fired as per the match stipulation after Survivor Series. Due to Cena's interference, Barrett received a rematch for the championship the following night on Raw, but was attacked by the fired Cena, "costing" him the match, leading to The Miz to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Orton. After Cena attacked several members of the Nexus over the next few weeks, they demanded that Barrett re-instate him, or be exiled from the group. On the December 13, 2010 edition of Raw, Barrett agreed and rehired Cena on the condition Cena faces Barrett in a chairs match at the TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view, which Cena won after dropping twenty-three steel chairs on Barrett.
Barrett made his first appearance since the TLC pay-per-view on the January 3, 2011 edition of Raw, where he confronted CM Punk, who had taken over the leadership of the Nexus in his absence. Punk gave Barrett the opportunity to regain the leadership, stating that if he won a triple threat steel cage match involving Orton and Sheamus to determine the number one contender for The Miz's WWE Championship, Punk would not only give up the leadership, but work for Barrett's Nexus. However, during the match, Punk came down to ringside, attacked Barrett as he was about to win and took off Barrett's Nexus armband, symbolically removing him from the Nexus, resulting in Barrett losing the match. At the television tapings of the January 10, 2011 edition of SmackDown the next day, Barrett made his first SmackDown appearance since October 1, this time by attacking Big Show. The following week, he was joined by Ezekiel Jackson and his former Nexus stablemates Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater, who had left the group the previous Monday, and the group named themselves The Corre. Barrett later qualified for the Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship, but came up short after being the first man eliminated by Big Show.
At the television tapings of the March 25, 2011 edition of SmackDown, Barrett defeated Kofi Kingston to win the Intercontinental Championship. At WrestleMania XXVII, The Corre were defeated in an eight-man tag team match by the team of Kingston, Big Show, Kane and Santino Marella. Barrett went on to successfully defend his championship against Kingston on the April 22, 2011 edition of SmackDown. On the May 6, 2011 edition of SmackDown, Barrett, Gabriel and Slater attacked Jackson, removing him from the group. On the May 13, 2011 edition of SmackDown, Barrett then challenged Jackson to a match for the Intercontinental Championship at the Over the Limit pay-per-view and Jackson accepted. At the event, Gabriel and Slater attacked Jackson during the match, resulting in a disqualification, but Barrett retained the title as a title cannot change hands via disqualification. He then defended his Intercontinental Title against Jackson again on the June 3, 2011 edition of SmackDown. During this match, Jackson threw Barrett out of the ring, resulting in a countout, but once again, Barrett retained the title as a title cannot change hands via countout. Barrett then instructed The Corre to attack Jackson, but abandoned Gabriel and Slater, whom Jackson fended off. The following week, The Corre dissolved after Barrett, fleeing from Jackson, walked out on Gabriel and Slater in a six-man tag team match against Jackson and The Usos, causing them to lose the match. At Capitol Punishment, Barrett lost the Intercontinental Championship to Jackson, and failed to win his rematch for the title on the June 24 episode of SmackDown. On the July 1 episode of SmackDown, Barrett was announced to be one of the participants for the SmackDown Money in the Bank match at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, facing Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Kane, Sin Cara, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes and Sheamus. The match was won by Daniel Bryan, sparking a rivalry between the two. At SummerSlam, Barrett defeated Bryan in a singles match. He then had a short feud with Sheamus, where he lost on three occasions.
On the October 21 episode of SmackDown, Barrett dismissed his past alliances as a "legion of parasites" and claimed that the only person he needed for success was himself. He vowed that the "Barrett Barrage" was only just beginning. Barrett followed this announcement by beating Daniel Bryan. The next week, he began a winning streak, defeating John Morrison, Trent Barreta, Sheamus, and Randy Orton in singles competition. In November, he began feuding with Orton, and both were announced as opposing team captains for Survivor Series. Barrett's winning streak was broken on the November 14 episode of Raw, when he was defeated by Orton via disqualification after Team Barrett attacked Orton. Team Barrett defeated Team Orton at Survivor Series, with Barrett and Cody Rhodes being the sole survivors of the match. On the November 25 episode of SmackDown, Barrett competed in a fatal four-way match against Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Daniel Bryan to determine the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, which Bryan won.
Barrett continued his feud with Orton by attacking and distracting him during matches. On the December 9 episode of SmackDown, Barrett and Orton were put into two Beat the Clock matches, with the winner choosing the stipulation for their match at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs. Barrett defeated Ezekiel Jackson in 7:53, but Orton beat Dolph Ziggler in 7:51 and chose a tables match. At TLC, Orton defeated Barrett after hitting the RKO in mid-air, with Barrett landing through the table. On the December 23 episode of SmackDown, they brawled backstage, ending when Orton hit Barrett with the RKO onto a car. This led to a Falls Count Anywhere match the next week, where Barrett pushed Orton down a set of stairs before exiting through the door. Orton suffered a herniated disc as a result, taking him off television for a number of weeks. After Orton returned from injury in late January 2012, he eliminated Barrett from the 2012 Royal Rumble match. On the February 3 edition of SmackDown, Orton defeated Barrett in a no disqualifications match to end the feud.
At Elimination Chamber, Barrett failed to capture the World Heavyweight Championship after being eliminated by Santino Marella. The following night on Raw, Barrett suffered a partially dislocated elbow after Big Show threw Dolph Ziggler at him during a battle royal, and was taken off television.
In August 2012, WWE aired vignettes promoting Barrett's return, showing Barrett fighting at an underground fight club in an attempt to "reignite the flame". Barrett, with an entirely new look, made his return on the September 7 SmackDown, defeating Yoshi Tatsu. He then went on a winning streak, defeating wrestlers including Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd, and Zack Ryder, among others. His first loss came on the October 8 episode of Raw, when he lost a non-title match to World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus via disqualification after Big Show interfered. Barrett suffered his first pinfall loss on the October 19 episode of SmackDown, in a lumberjack match against Sheamus. At Survivor Series, Barrett was part of the winning team of Dolph Ziggler against the team of Mick Foley, where he eliminated Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston before being eliminated by The Miz.
The following night on Raw, Barrett defeated Kingston in a non-title match to earn a match for the Intercontinental Championship. Barrett, still number one contender for the Intercontinental Championship, received a shot at the United States Championship on the December 3 Raw against champion Antonio Cesaro, Kofi Kingston, and R-Truth in a fatal four-way match, but was unsuccessful. Barrett failed to win the Intercontinental Championship from Kingston at the TLC pay-per-view. Two weeks later, on the December 31 Raw, Barrett defeated Kingston to win the Intercontinental Championship for the second time in his career. Barrett made his first successful title defense four days later on SmackDown, defeating Kingston in a rematch. Barrett entered the 2013 Royal Rumble match and was eliminated by the debuting Bo Dallas, but Barrett later returned to eliminate Dallas as well. This started a feud between the duo, with Barrett challenging Dallas to a non-title match the next night on Raw, and Dallas pulling off an upset victory. During the month of February, Barrett and Dallas continued to feud with the two attacking each other backstage. On the March 21 taping of NXT, Wade Barrett defeated Bo Dallas for another successful title defense.
During the WrestleMania 29 pre-show, Barrett lost the Intercontinental Championship to The Miz, however, he would regain the title in a rematch the following night on Raw. On the May 20 Raw, Barrett and Fandango were defeated by Chris Jericho and The Miz in a tag team match after Fandango left the match to dance at ringside and Miz submitted Barrett with the figure-four leglock. Barrett then lost an Intercontinental Championship match to The Miz by disqualification, after Fandango interfered, leading to Barrett attacking both Miz and Fandango post-match. On the next episode of Raw, Barrett was defeated by Fandango in a non-title match after The Miz, who was special guest referee, gave Barrett a Skull Crushing Finale. In June, Fandango suffered a legitimate concussion, removing him from the feud between Barrett and Miz.
At Payback, Barrett lost the Intercontinental Championship to Curtis Axel in a triple threat match, also involving The Miz. Barrett received his rematch for the title on the following episode of SmackDown, but was again defeated by Axel. On July 14 at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Barrett competed in the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, but was unsuccessful as the match was ultimately won by Damien Sandow. Barrett finally ended his long losing streak on the July 31 Main Event, when he defeated R-Truth. On the August 5 Raw, Barrett was to shave Daniel Bryan's beard at the orders of Vince McMahon as part of Bryan's "corporate makeover", but Bryan attacked and shaved Barrett instead. That same week on SmackDown, Barrett lost to Bryan, but on the next Raw, Barrett defeated Bryan after special guest referee Brad Maddox made a fast count on Bryan. Four days later on SmackDown, Barrett was again defeated by Bryan in a no disqualification match.
After an absence from WWE television, he returned on the December 2, 2013 episode of Raw as Bad News Barrett, a persona he had previously assumed on The JBL and Cole Show, but was still called Wade on occasion by commentators and backstage interviewers.
He made his in-ring return on the April 7, 2014 Raw, defeating Rey Mysterio in Mysterio's last WWE appearance until 2018. On the April 14 episode of Raw, Barrett defeated Dolph Ziggler in round one of the number one contender's tournament for an Intercontinental Championship match at Extreme Rules and on the April 21 Raw, Barrett defeated Sheamus to advance to the finals of the tournament. He defeated Rob Van Dam on the April 28 Raw in the final round of the tournament, earning a match at Extreme Rules for the Intercontinental Championship against Big E. At Extreme Rules, he became the Intercontinental Champion for the fourth time in his career when he defeated Big E. He then defeated Van Dam at Payback to retain his Intercontinental Championship. On the June 9 Raw, he competed in a WWE World Heavyweight Championship qualifying match for the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, but failed after a Brogue Kick by Sheamus. However, Triple H put him in the Money in the Bank ladder match for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract on the June 23 Raw. The following night at the SmackDown tapings, Barrett separated his shoulder after he was thrown into the barricade by Jack Swagger, so he was pulled from the pay-per-view. Barrett's injury required surgery, ruling him out for months, thus WWE made the move to vacate the Intercontinental Championship on June 30.
Barrett returned onscreen in November at the pre-show of Survivor Series. On the December 29, 2014 episode of Raw, Barrett returned to action and defeated Cesaro. On the January 5, 2015 episode of Raw, Barrett defeated Dolph Ziggler in a 2-out-of-3 falls match to capture his fifth Intercontinental Championship. At Fastlane, Barrett retained his title against Dean Ambrose after Ambrose got himself disqualified. Ambrose then stole the Intercontinental Title, but he would not be the only one to do so for the following weeks, as various wrestlers gained possession of Barrett's title belt, including R-Truth, Luke Harper, Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, and Stardust. Of these people, Barrett was pinned in non-title matches against R-Truth, Ziggler, Bryan, and Ambrose within a month before and after Fastlane. Thus, a ladder match for the Intercontinental Title was made for WrestleMania 31, with Barrett defending against Ambrose, Harper, R-Truth, Ziggler, Stardust, and Bryan, who ultimately won the match. Barrett was scheduled to face Bryan for the championship in a rematch at Extreme Rules, however Bryan was not medically cleared to compete. Barrett instead faced Neville in a losing effort on the pre-show.
On the April 28, 2015 episode of Raw, Barrett would compete in the 2015 King of the Ring tournament, where he defeated Dolph Ziggler in the first round. The following night on the WWE Network, Barrett would defeat R-Truth in the semi-finals before defeating fellow Englishman Neville in the final to become the twentieth winner of the tournament. Under the moniker King Barrett, he would go on to deliberately get himself counted-out to Neville at Payback. King Barrett participated in the Elimination Chamber match for the vacant Intercontinental Championship, but was the first eliminated by R-Truth. At the Money in the Bank pre-show, Barrett lost to Truth. After his victory, Truth began referring to himself as "King What's Up" and wore a cape and crown to mock Barrett. The renewed feud accumulated to Battleground, which saw Barrett defeat Truth.
Barrett then formed a partnership named "The Lords of Darkness" with Stardust, leading to a tag team match at SummerSlam, where they were defeated by Neville and actor Stephen Amell, when Neville pinned Barrett for the win. The night after SummerSlam, Stardust turned on Barrett for costing him the match, thus disbanding their tag team. After a short hiatus, Barrett returned on September 28 episode of Raw, attacking Neville and Stardust.
On the October 5 episode of Raw, Barrett helped Sheamus defeat Neville, after Barrett, who was on commentary during the match, distracted Neville long enough for Sheamus to take advantage. Barrett and Sheamus would then form a tag team, defeating Neville and Cesaro in tag team matches on both Raw and SmackDown. At Survivor Series, Barrett took part in a 5-on-5 traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match, alongside Sheamus and The New Day, with this team being defeated by Ryback, The Usos and The Lucha Dragons. The following night on Raw, Barrett would help Rusev and Sheamus against Roman Reigns.
On the November 30 episode of Raw, after interfering in Sheamus' WWE World Heavyweight Championship title defense against Reigns, Sheamus announced the formation of The League of Nations stable alongside Barrett, Rusev and Alberto Del Rio. On the January 14 episode of SmackDown, Barrett helped Del Rio to win United States Championship.
On the March 7, 2016 episode of Raw, Barrett, along with Sheamus and Rusev, competed against Dolph Ziggler in a 3-on-1 handicap elimination match, where Barrett was the only member of his team to be eliminated. At Roadblock, Barrett and Sheamus unsuccessfully challenged The New Day for the WWE Tag Team Championship. On the March 14 edition of Raw, Barrett and the entire League of Nations attacked the New Day, after Alberto Del Rio lost to Big E and Xavier Woods in a Tag Team Title match. After the attack, Sheamus issued a challenge to The New Day for a 4-on-3 match at WrestleMania 32. On the March 17 episode of SmackDown, Barrett suffered a loss against Kofi Kingston. At WrestleMania, Barrett and his stablemates defeated The New Day. On the April 4 episode of Raw, Barrett and Sheamus challenged the New Day for the tag titles, but lost. After the match, the League of Nations blamed Barrett for being the "weak link" and attacked him, ejecting him from the group. This was his last appearance for WWE. On May 6, 2016, WWE announced that Barrett had been released.
On the August 26, 2020 episode of NXT, Barrett returned to WWE as a color commentator for the brand. On October 6, 2022, WWE announced that they had shuffled their commentary and interview teams, with Barrett moving to SmackDown to be the color commentator alongside Michael Cole. On August 7, 2023, WWE made more changes on their commentary teams as Barrett moved to Raw as color commentator. On the January 29, 2024 episode of Raw, Barrett would be replaced on the commentary team by Pat McAfee, with Barrett moving back to the SmackDown commentary team alongside Corey Graves.