As wrestling fans, its virtually impossible not to fantasy book matches and storylines as they play out; particularly when it comes to main event feuds and big events like WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and SummerSlam. As such, when a dedicated grapple fan sees that a promoter is playing with the perfect hand, failure to cash in with an amazing storyline can leave a long-lasting scar thats hard to forget. So what makes great storyline turn sour? While there can be many factors involved, the death of most would-be classics usually boils down to one or more of the holy trinity of bad booking: disappointing pay-offs, poor planning or backstage politics. In the last ten years alone, weve seen the Million Dollar Mania fiasco, the whole Illegitimate Son debacle and the cluster that was the Anonymous Raw GM gimmick; all of which are perfect examples of non-existent pay-offs (and the less said about the poorly-timed Who Killed Vince? angle the better). Similarly, promising stables like the The Legacy and The Nexus have all fallen foul to poor planning; while talents like Colt Cabana, Zack Ryder and even Muhammad Hassan have all seen their careers held back by circumstance, egos and backstage politics. And this is all in the last decade! In an industry that spans over 100 years, the list of wasted storylines could go on for a lifetime. To save on time and column inches, heres a list of ten great examples of promoters dropping the ball on what should have been spectacular viewing.
Occasional wrestler, full-time gym rat and lifelong lover of the grapple game. Would probably buy you a shot of Jack at the bar in exchange for witty banter...and preferably more Jack.
@MartynGrant88 for more wrestling-related musings and weight room wisecracks!
