10 Most Unlikely Main Event Acts In WWE History
5. Hardcore Holly
Until R-Truth and, later, Jinder Mahal came along, no WWE wrestler had ever gone from zero to WWE Title contender as quickly as Hardcore Holly. A noted backstage curmudgeon, Holly had been with WWE for nine years before his first main event push. Before that, his career had been defined by questionable gimmicks (hi there, Sparky Plugg), multiple hardcore title reigns, and a number of listless spot-filler roles on the midcard. Thus, the idea of Holly as a potential WWE Champion was a tough pill to swallow.
The push was prompted by an incident in 2002, when Holly suffered a broken neck while wrestling Brock Lesnar. The injury enforced a 13-month spell on the sidelines, before Holly eventually returned in November 2003 with revenge on his mind.
WWE turned the injury into a storyline, and Holly challenged for Lesnar’s WWE Championship at the 2004 Royal Rumble. Unfortunately, he’d been thrust into the spotlight with little to no build, and while the injury could have been the basis for a solid angle, Hardcore couldn’t get over.
He fell back down the card as soon as he lost to Brock.