10 Biggest Downgrades In WWE History

10. Karrion Kross To Discount Gladiator

It's become arguably WWE's most depressingly long-running theme in recent times - and seriously think of the ground that covers - but even with the knowledge of Vince McMahon's penchant for completely dismantling and unnecessarily diluting a winning NXT formula, fans were understandably under the impression that it would take a monumental piece of mishandling to screw up a dominant black and gold powerhouse tailer-made for the "main roster".

Or as Vinnie Mac saw it; challenge accepted.

Gone were the bells and whistles and atmospheric presentation that helped build Karrion Kross into the indomitable NXT force he'd become over the course of his 18-month undefeated run as part of Triple H's baby. In his place was a stripped back, vanilla brute, shuffled straight into the mid-card with a tacky gladiator aesthetic that was evidently an attempt to shamelessly market the former NXT Champion as Monday Night Raw's resident coliseum fighter.

The shift fell flat on its arse from the get-go and it was even rumoured that Vinnie Mac was set to change-up Kross' character once again before he was unceremoniously let go in November.