10 DUMB WWE Signings (We Didn't Want To Admit Were GENIUS!)

7. The Public Enemy (1999)

Lord Tensai WWE
WWE.com

One month.

That was all Public Enemy duo Johnny Grunge and Rocco Rock managed on the WWF's books in 1999 before being canned and sent tumbling back to ECW. Actually, it was worse. Enemy were sent tumbling to the rapidly shrinking WCW. Good lord, it's a wonder they didn't call it quits as a tag-team right there and then.

Seriously, Grunge and Rocco in the WWF did achieve something remarkable. Public Enemy's run laid the foundations for The Dudley Boyz. No, really. APA bragged about running Enemy out of the company in a heartbeat, and then bragged they could do the exact same thing to another famous ECW tag. Enter The Dudley clan, who had a ready-made storyline to work with.

This was accidental genius, but it still counts. Fans were already accustomed to the table-breaking ECW style when Public Enemy rolled through, then Bubba-Ray and D-Von heightened the whole extreme experience by showing they belonged on the roster long-term.

It's funny how things work out sometimes.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.