10 Compensations Wrestlers Accepted As Payback

6. Bam Bam Bigelow - A Main Event Run

CM Punk Vince McMahon
WWE.com

It was the best and worst of times for Bam Bam Bigelow either side of a loss to Lawrence Taylor at 1995's celebrity-heavy WrestleMania XI.

'The Beast From The East' was entering in some strong promo performances to help sell his contest against the former NFL star, but the plan was always for him to lay down for 'LT' at the 'Show Of Shows' itself. As thanks for that, Bigelow was promised more than just a healthy pay-per-view payday - he was getting a monster babyface push.

All seemed broadly on course after the event, but Bigelow getting booted from the Million Dollar Corporation wasn't really rescued by the mere visual of him shaking hands with WWE Champion Diesel. Especially after 'Big Daddy Cool' rapidly reunited with Shawn Michaels just a few weeks later.

Bigelow was suddenly the third wheel in his own push, and a dire King Of The Ring main event against Sid and Tatanka sealed his fate. With no further push to speak of, he was gone of his own volition by the end of the year.

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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett