10 WWE Experiments Which Failed To Win Over Fans

By Jamie Kennedy /

4. Curtis Axel As A 'Paul Heyman Guy'

Paul Heyman is one of the greatest talkers in pro wrestling history. Following the return of Brock Lesnar in 2012, Heyman was by his side, delivering excellent promos. This didn't go unnoticed in the company, who started to believe that the former ECW head honcho had somewhat of a 'Midas Touch'. In other words, he could turn anything the promotion handed him into gold. So staunchly did WWE believe in Heyman that they handed him Curtis Axel as an on screen client. Creative's thinking was that if anyone could get Curt Hennig's kid over with the fan, it would be Heyman. Even though he's good, Heyman is no miracle worker, and Axel didn't provide much for him to work with in 2013. Try as he might, Paul's promos were not enough to entice fans to take the former Michael McGillicutty seriously. Around the same time, Ryback was also booked to be one of the manager's 'Paul Heyman Guys'. That experiment also failed, but not quite as badly as Curtis Axel. Despite being handed a reign as Intercontinental Champion, along with one of the best managers in the industry, Axel bombed with fans. It seems WWE have finally given up on the idea of making him a headliner.