10 Big WWE Pushes That Were Stopped Dead (And Why)

Rikishi's main event push in late 2000 was an unmitigated disaster. Unlike others on this list, its failure wasn't down to poor behavior, backstage politics or injury. It simply boiled down to one undeniable and unmissable flaw, awful casting.

Since the debut of the character, Rikish had become one of the most popular superstars on the roster. You only need to watch Too Cool's antics at the Royal Rumble in early 2000 to see how much fans were warming to the gyrating, fun loving Samoan.

When it was revealed that he was the man who ran over Stone Cold Steve Austin on the night of Survivor Series 1999, fans just couldn't accept the sudden shift from smiling babyface to heinous villain.

The run wasn't helped by Rikishi's lack of charisma in the role and poor justification in the storyline. Wrestling is built on a foundation of exaggerated reality but the idea that a man would commit attempted murder so that another could succeed was too much to take.

Few will forget the infamous "I did it for The Rock..." promo but much of what followed had very little significance on the WWE Championship scene. Poor booking, an ill fitting gimmick and a reluctance to lose the weight officials had ordered him to meant that Rikishi never got that World Title reign.

After an unfortunate injury, Rikishi returned a year later forever tarnished and acting as if nothing had happened.