7 Greatest Backfires In Wrestling History
Accidental strokes of good fortune...
Wrestling is a tough form of entertainment to try and steer. While legitimate sports see profit based on hot markets and superstar performances, and television shows are allowed to put a priority on artistic decisions, wrestling is different. It needs to be meticulously planned, but at the same time, it has to be flexible. Changes in fan interest have to be reflected on television.
Given how complicated that can be, it's not surprising that things sometimes don't go as planned. Matches that are meant to grab the crowd can fall flat, while superstars whom a company feels can be major moneymakers end up as flops.
Still, sometimes backfires actually work out for the best. Nobody can predict the future, so when something major flops, it could create an opportunity for something better to come along. Perhaps a star who was groomed for a main-event position got hurt, opening the door for a more talented wrestler to ascend to the top of a company - or maybe a storyline that had to be axed would have clearly been a massive failure. You can't count on luck, but every so often, it saves the day.
Here are the 7 greatest backfires in wrestling history...
7. Bret And Shawn Lead The "Clean" WWE
For most of the 1980s, WWE's locker room was filled with rampant steroid use. Dr. George Zahorian, a ringside physician for the company, was instrumental in getting drugs for the talent (and Vince McMahon). When steroid regulations tightened, Zahorian was busted, but he rolled over on McMahon, leading to a federal trial for the WWE chairman.
McMahon was ultimately acquitted, but as the heat came down, he decided to clean up the company. In 1991, independent steroid testing was implemented for the first time. The crackdown on drugs actually helped push many of the established stars out of the company, and it was the younger, smaller, more athletic men who were chosen to take their places. Two of them - Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels - would go on to become among WWE's all-time greatest champions.
The drug culture in WWE and the subsequent steroid trial was very nearly a disaster for McMahon and the company, but it also led to the breakout of two future legends.