10 Worst WWE Moments Of 2009
"Piggy James" was a disgrace, Donald Trump plummeted WWE stock and more 2009 nightmares.
The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXV will forever be regarded as one of the greatest WWE matches of all time. No question. It was a highlight of 2009, sure, but it was also a banner moment for company output historically. Both veterans put on a classic show that night, one so good that people still talk about it like the bell just sounded to signal 'Taker's win 5 minutes ago.
There was a breathlessness to 'Taker vs. HBK that's unmatched, but their genius wasn't the only thing leaving people short of breath in '09. Indeed, WWE got 'Mania's main event slot badly wrong, made a mockery of the entire women's division, and forced fans to slog through some uninspired build heading into the biggest pay-per-view of the year.
Away from the bright lights of WrestleMania, injuries and personal issues had a negative impact on an already weary roster. Physical pain stopped the writers from penning a brilliant chapter of the tag-team wrestling book, whilst one star's majesty faded due to a potentially deadly combination of substance abuse, battle wounds and contractual problems.
Then, there was Donald Trump. Not quite President, Trump was a media mogul who accidentally helped WWE's stock market value plummet due to an ill-advised (and frankly unwanted) storyline on Raw. If all of that isn't enough, then the flagship began obsessing over celebrity guest hosts, so-called comedy matches and more too.
Over on SmackDown, backstage bullying made air in one of the cruellest stories to ever beam in front of cameras. Everyone involved in that saga should honestly be ashamed of themselves.
Their calculated cruelty blighted 2009.
10. Kizarny’s Debut Flops
Imagine a character called 'Powderz' debuted on WWE today. The general premise? He was prone to rolling out of the ring after taking a move, or to avoid punishment before it happened. In other words, he'd 'take a powder' and get out of dodge. Hardly sounds thrilling, does it? That kind of backstage/internal wrestling terminology has no place within the context of the show unless it's carefully placed.
Kizarny, WWE's latest creation back in late-2008 into early-2009, was clumsy. He showed up in a bunch of vignettes before a proper in-person debut on the 2 January 2009 SmackDown. There, Kizarny beat MVP in a match few cared about. It was on the longer side for what was supposed to be an impactful debut, it was boring, and it just didn't really play before any noticeable interest from the live crowd.
The character's name played on insider 'carny' lingo, but even that was far too niche to really register with a casual audience. That's why Kizarny's debut match tanked (or part of the reason, at least), and WWE didn't hang around to see what'd happen next - the dude playing this new guise was gone by March. So much for that. Experiment over.
It was failing from the moment he stepped foot through the curtain.
Kizarny's erratic movements, bizarre facial expressions and quirky gimmick didn't jive with his plodding ring style at all. WWE started 2009 off on a duff note with this character. It wasn't the worst idea on paper to have Kiz go over an established name like Porter, but fan apathy couldn't have been more obvious had everyone held up signs saying: 'We Don't Care About This Guy'.