10 Least Effective Swerve Turns In Wrestling History

9. Jim Duggan

Goldberg Turn
WWE

Bro.

Bro.

What is the opposite of American?

Canadian, bro!

That was the internal monologue running through Vince Russo's mind as he decided to subvert the Jim Duggan character in his customary, nonsensical way. At Fall Brawl 2000, Team Canada's Lance Storm fought General E. Rection in a match that might have been good by WCW 2000 standards, had we seen much of it; instead, like a hormonal teenager, the director cut constantly to a bouncing Major Gunns when not trained on the verbal sparring between Storm and "ringside enforcer" Duggan. This dispute would have telegraphed the swerve turn, had Russo not already booked one on a fortnightly basis. Duggan struck Storm with the 4x4 to no reaction - everybody knew it was coming, he might as well have shouted "Hoooo!" - and explained his newfound Canadian allegiance on the following Nitro by claiming that the fans cared more about Goldberg than him. Mate, you were Hacksaw Jim Duggan in the year 2000.

At this point, the swerves were so commonplace that they did not warrant the designation of "swerve". It would have been more unpredictable had Russo booked a competitive match with a clean finish.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!