10 Failed WWE Pushes One Tweak Away From Excellence

6. R-Truth

Ryback WWE
WWE.com

Why it failed: Perhaps R-Truth was still broken by a boring babyface run, but fans had little need for a comedy heel near the main event after CM Punk dropped a Pipe Bomb just weeks removed from Truth's first and only pay-per-view singles main event.

As a man that enjoyed smoking in arenas, f*cking around with fans and their drinks and absolutely snapping at the sight of John Cena, Truth was a remarkable revelation. Ignoring a largely inconsequential team with The Miz later that year, his tenure as a villain served more as a one-note joke than a several month run.

One Tweak: Have a little bit of faith, eh?

R-Truth didn't give up on making himself the biggest pr*ck on the show, WWE simply gave up on caring about him. History has proven that man behind the rap Ron Killings is in fact something of a Sports Entertainment savant. What seems crass and crap gets over with his deft comedic touch. The seven second dance break and 24/7 Champion reigns have been recent testaments to that - it's somewhat unfortunate it wasn't a little clearer back when it could have meant so much.

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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