10 Embarrassing NXT-Era Creative Failures You Totally Forgot About

9. CJ Parker: Eco-Warrior

Becky Lynch
WWE.com

That Juice Robinson has become one of the most compelling gaijin babyfaces in recent New Japan history is shocking, considering where he came from.

Assigned the hippie-ish eco-warrior gimmick in mid-2013, Parker was sent down a dead-end path, with the fans immediately rejecting what was intended to be a babyface character. It failed to get over. Full Sail University rebelled against him, and when they did, WWE had no choice but to turn him heel, yielding only marginally better results.

Regular promos saw Parker would railing on the audience for their supposed crimes against the environment. He was gloriously whiny, but largely garnered go-away heat throughout his tenure, eventually becoming a sign-carrying enhancement talent. Though his rants offered slithers of entertainment, he only ever showed up to get his sh*t pushed in by guys WWE actually wanted to promote.

Dismally, CJ is best remembered for breaking Kevin Owens' nose in the future Universal Champion's TakeOver: R Evolution debut match. He'd leave the company just four months later, have spent his four years with WWE making next to no headway in developmental, before arriving in NJPW fuelled by past failings, ready to prove his former employers wrong.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett

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Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.