10 Failed WWE Pushes One Tweak Away From Excellence

10. Lex Luger

Why it failed: Because it couldn't really possibly succeed.

Shortly after Hulk Hogan left WWE in June 1993 following a period keeping the company's top title hostage, Vince McMahon was so obsessed with the indifferent numbers former talisman Bret Hart had posted that he believed finding the next 'Hulkster' was the only way to go. Then a heel, Lex Luger didn't really want to be like Hulk Hogan. Then desperate, Vince himself probably didn't want to have to create a new Hulk Hogan. It wasn't even proven that audiences even still wanted Hulk Hogan, but the familiarity hadn't bred so much contempt that the Chairman didn't think it worth a go anyway.

One Tweak: Put him over in his first big title match.

Pardon the simplicity of this, but after spending more money on this push than virtually every other one in company history whilst taking Luger off the house show loop and onto his own personalised bus, why not actually have him win the WWE Championship in his eventual title clash? "Saving it for WrestleMania X" was a gamble too far for the money already spent, as proven by the crowd's indifference towards Lex by the following January's Royal Rumble. USA was eh-okay.