15 WWE Pushes That IMMEDIATELY Backfired

15. Nathan Jones (2003)

EEK! See? Right, that's enough of that.

Impressive physical specimen Nathan Jones was a Vince McMahon dream on paper. He had muscles on top of muscles, was close to 7ft tall, and he was completely fresh. That's where the upsides ended. Jones made his in-person debut on the 10 April 2003 SmackDown, beat Bill DeMott, and was quickly stuck in the role of protege to The Undertaker. It was a dream gig that'd quickly turn to a nightmare.

'Taker and Nath were feuding with Big Show and A-Train heading into WrestleMania XIX, but WWE realised how rough Jones was in-ring and pulled him from the match before it happened. They turned the affair into a handicap bout instead, which didn’t make much sense or make the heels look particularly threatening. At least they had the sense to let the raw newcomer run in to help his mentor on the night, eh?

That was the last fans would see of Nathan for a while. WWE sent him down to OVW after 'Mania for seasoning. Erm...shouldn't that have happened first? Apparently not. The company couldn’t deny Nathan’s look, but he was nowhere near ready for such a lofty spot. In fact, his attempted push created one of the most forgettable matches from ‘Taker’s streak. Yes, even more forgettable than 'The Deadman' beating King Kong Bundy in 1995.

WWE's rush job came back to bite them immediately. They tried to be bold, but that wasn't the best plan during such a crucial period of the year, or with a legendary name such as Undertaker. Back to Boggo Road, Mr. Jones. So to speak.