10 Most Shocking WWE WrestleMania Role Reversals

9. King Kong Bundy - WrestleMania 2 & III

BRET HART MANIA REVERSAL
WWE

WWE's booking pattern didn't really call for permanent main event heels in the mid-1980s, but King Kong Bundy's rapid descent following the biggest payday of his career wasn't as apparent until he appeared in front of one of the industry's biggest ever crowds against two of the industry's littlest wrestlers.

In a bloody, blue-bar cage special, Bundy went move-for-big man move with Hulk Hogan at the near-peak of his pomp. Near-peak because that came one year later when 'The Hulkster' went nose-to-nipple with Andre The Giant. WrestleMania III (allegedly) sold 93,173 tickets on the strength of the match, and the crowd was fed an undercard that offered the company's best technical match of the decade featuring Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat. And last year's main eventer flattening little people.

Bundy's banter battle alongside Lord Littlebrook and Little Tokyo against Hillbilly Jim, Haiti Kid and Little Beaver only went 3:25, but it was long enough to see the indifference splashed across Bundy's face. It was his penultimate WrestleMania appearance - but it was eight long years before his Undertaker match in 1995 erased some memories of this pointless p*ss-about.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. 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