10 Genius Ways Wrestlers Survived WWE Humiliations
How do you offset serious WWE embarrassment? Just ask these men and women!
It's often been said that promoters like Vince McMahon enjoyed breaking pro wrestlers down and rebuilding them in his own image. Countless workers have experienced this strategy over the years - McMahon became known as somebody who wanted his roster to 'come out of their comfort zone' and prove they could be entertaining.
Sports entertaining.
That might've worked for some. The Rock, for example, managed to offset so much dumb sh*t by being effortlessly excellent on the mic during his prime. He could blend comedy with seriousness in the same segment and make it work, but not everybody is Dwayne Johnson.
Some wrestlers have had to suffer through total humiliation before attempting to salvage any remaining pride and try, try again. The fact everyone included here managed that (often in spite of WWE writing) is actually amazing.
They refused to let embarrassment define them, and in fact deployed genius tactics that might've flown under the radar for some fans out there. So, enjoy the lads and lassies who lived WWE shame but came through the other side to become World Champs and/or main roster gems.
10. Goldberg Forces WWE To Book Him Like WCW
Goldberg's 2003-2004 WWE experience was awful.
The company didn't understand how to book the former WCW squash match machine, and that led to career-killing experiments like trying on comedy segments (Goldust's wig for one!) and becoming just another dude on the roster when he was anything but. It was a disaster from beginning to end.
Big Bill was so frustrated that he decided to leave after WrestleMania XX and shake his head when recalling the run during subsequent shoot interviews. In 2016, he returned to WWE with purpose, and was finally used properly. In short, Goldberg had refused to put up with Vinnie Mac's sh*t.
He said 'thanks but no thanks' to WWE until they were willing to book him as a credible headliner who definitely wasn't expected to play for laughs. Goldberg successfully forced McMahon's hand, and made it clear he wouldn't be up for a second dose of silly sports entertainment garbage.