10 Worst WWE Moments Of 2008
10. The HOF Run Of Braden Walker
TNA fans would've called Chris Harris one of the most dynamic tag wrestlers on the planet by the end of 2007. His America's Most Wanted unit with James Storm was one of the company's finest, so there was a mini-buzz rippling when Harris inked a WWE deal in January. Would he bring tag excellence to the E, or would he find his footing as a breakout singles star?
Neither. Harris didn't work his first dark match in his new home until March, then he wouldn't show up on TV until 8 July's ECW. The re-dubbed Braden Walker (a name that had money written all over it...) debuted opposite Armando Estrada in a short backstage segment, and it was infamously bad. Walker's gimmick? He told basic 'knock knock' jokes, or one of them at least.
When he said "knock knock" and Armando asked, "Who's there?', Braden replied: "Braden Walker, and I'm gonna knock your brains out". OK then. Not really a punchline, but maybe the one time 'Wildcat' was going literal with the punch part of that word. A catchy tagline wouldn't have mattered anyway, because Walker looked like the most boring singlet and boots wrestler going.
He beat Armando on ECW, then won an even more pointless bout vs. James Curtis on the 5 August edition. Initially, announcers called Braden a key figure in the ongoing ECW recruitment drive, but he was released a mere 2 days after the match with Curtis. So much for that then, eh?
WWE's writers blatantly didn't put more than 20 seconds of thought into Braden's debut or presentation. He was more 1995 Superstars jobber than must-see new name. What a 'Best Of' DVD boxset he had though. Literally 15 minutes of fun.