WWE’s 10 Worst Choke Artists

You're not 'The Boss' of me now, and you're not so big

By Michael Hamflett /

'Don't choke, don't choke, don't choke, don't choke...oh man I knew I was gonna choke!' - Otto Mann, The Simpsons

Advertisement

Dependably dozy school bus driver Otto was scripted to live down to his own expectations in the bowling-inspired 'Team Homer' episode of the hit show, mostly because it suited his character's failings for comedic effect. A conclusive victory for the heroes in the end also softened the blow of his own personal frustration.

Away from Springfield, Sasha Banks lost the Raw Women's Title on this week's edition of the flagship show having only took ownership of it eight days earlier at SummerSlam. It marked the first time she'd lost it on a Monday Night, but more worryingly not the first time she'd lost it in her maiden defence.

Like The Simpsons, professional wrestling is a predetermined form of entertainment. Through creative manipulation and imaginative planning and execution, it has the power to present favoured characters as huge winners, and tactically mask the true nature of a loss to nurture the integrity of a performer during a trough between the peaks.

How, then, has Banks - a fabulously talented all-rounder - managed to amass such an atrocious and damaging record?

This streak is beginning to matter, and even carries the potential to fatally wound her future trajectory within the organisation at such a young age. Banks, regrettably, can now be considered a choker. And as evidenced by several other offenders from days gone by, this is an incredibly tough label to shake.

10. Enzo & Cass

Astutely woven into their eventual break up, it was becoming an inconvenient truth that Enzo and Big Cass were simply not able to win when it really mattered.

Advertisement

Their 2016 summer months on the main roster saw some clandestine victories alongside John Cena, and they were routinely capable of similar low level success on NXT, but in the title opportunities they did receive, the pair always faltered.

As members of the developmental brand and main roster, the erudite duo ran into an issue that had previously impacted several other over acts - they were too over to win.

Monstrously popular no matter how well they faired against The Revival, The Vaudevillians or Blake and Murphy, Cass and Enzo's appeal was more to do with what they said before the match than how they performed in it following all the verbal sparring.

When the seven-footer turned heel on Amoé earlier this year, he persistently citied his diminutive mate's big mouth constantly getting them in trouble. He had no idea how right he was.

Paradoxically, modern day WWE doesn't reward such enterprise with titles or glory - those so-called prizes are saved for those without valued audience connection. It's with some irony then that both can almost certainly expect to see gold as long as they remain apart.

Advertisement