10 Forgotten WWE Experiments That Didn't Last

WWE's product can be fairly formulaic, so it's no wonder the company has sought/continues to seek ways to shake things up. Obviously, not everything they've tried over the years has worked though. For example, concepts like the dreaded 'Brawl For All', the SmackDown 'Junior's Division', Raw Underground and the Greatest Royal Rumble didn't manage to stick.

All of those were flops, but they're well known ones. How about some lesser-remembered schemes that just didn't catch fire or get over with fans? It's those that go under the microscopic lens here, because they're fascinating to unpick and pore over. A lot of them speak volumes about the erm...curious psyche of latter day Vince McMahon too.

Get this: The old boss was trying to think of ways to rejig Raw when the flagship was only a few short years old. Monday's biggest revamps didn't wait until the 'Attitude Era', and there was a not-so-subtle bid to return to the 'War Zone' years after that glorious period too. That came amidst clumsily handled repeats that smacked of uninspiring creative meetings crammed with overworked and frankly shattered writers.

Individual stars as well as TV shows have seen some experimentation too. The Undertaker has mucked about with his presentation/move set here or there, and it almost landed him into trouble. Not to worry though, because he could've just given Sheamus a call to sort everything out in the end.

Also, WWE nearly changed the WWF's logo before 'Getting The F Out'. Long before 'Getting The F Out'.

Enjoy.

Even A-Train only had literal train sounds in his entrance music.

In 2021, WWE (during the last vestiges of Vince McMahon's loosening grip on company creative) decided that Braun Strowman's gimmicky "Strowman Express" should be more than just a t-shirt. It needed to present the big powerhouse as an actual locomotive who was steamrolling over opponents like helpless birds on the tracks about to become carrion.

For a spell, Braun's run around the ring and big bumping spot was accompanied by train sounds like horns and a carriage gathering speed. It was oddly comedic for someone who was supposed to be one of the roster's most serious threats, and it was never going to last. If anything, creative struck lucky that they didn't try this when live crowds were in after doors opened up again post-pandemic.

Obviously, those in attendance around ringside wouldn't have necessarily heard the train noises (unless they were pumped over the arena PA), but they'd witness them on television. Then, had that become a recurring spot, they would've surely laughed and mocked Strowman's one way ticket to being a jogging punchline rather than a burly badass.

Compare what McMahon tried here to Bron Breakker's deadly spear move today. It's night and day. Apples and oranges. One was born from an out of touch old man's brain as he clutched at straws, whereas the other is accompanied by a satisfying thump sans cartoonish nonsense.

This might've been fine had Braun been a cartoony/comedy character, but he wasn't. So, it didn't fly with the audience. At least WWE had the sense to scrap it pronto.