10 Failed Concepts WWE Needs To Revise And Revisit

4. The Lion's Den

Lion S Den II
WWE.com

More curio than failure, the Lion's Den gimmick of the Attitude Era was an underrated vehicle for Ken Shamrock that left the landscape as quietly as the man himself.

In an age in which content content content generates apathy apathy apathy, it's difficult to process so much of what happens on flagship programming. Constable Corbin and Finn Bálor are still feuding.

Those matches didn't matter, because the deadening expanse of content is largely meaningless by virtue of existing. The over-saturation of the gimmick bout is as to blame, admittedly - but perhaps an easy answer is to look farther afield.

Exhumed as a gimmick match for submission specialists with the ability to fly within enclosed spaces - an AJ Styles, maybe - the Lion's Den is a fun relic ripe for repurpose in the post-MMA age.

Many lapsed fans cite the Attitude Era as the last unmissable period of WWE. "Bringing back" a safer element of it might represent an easy, sponsor-friendly lure to a more talented but lesser known talent roster.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!