10 PPV Main Events WWE Sacrificed For Part-Time World Champions

7. Ricochet (C) Vs. Drew McIntyre - WrestleMania 36

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The main event of Night Two of WrestleMania 36 was three finishers performed by the loser, four finishers performed by the winner and lasted less than five minutes.

The greatest asset Brock Lesnar provides during his largely absentee championship reigns is that while you'll occasionally get a clunker against larger, slower opponents or a lack of chemistry with an opponent that started with promise, when he IS there and is enthusiastic about his challenger, he usually provides a fantastic David vs. Goliath narrative. Usually.

The likes of Finn Bálor, AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan have all proven that as a general rule, Brock tends to work better against the smaller guys. Armed with this observation, one could be forgiven for thinking that the immensely talented Ricochet would be afforded the same opportunity for a classic against The Beast Incarnate at Super Showdown in February, especially after assisting McIntyre himself in Lesnar's elimination from the Royal Rumble match.

He was eaten alive in 90 seconds and hasn't been the same since.

Horrendous actual booking aside, there was a chance to frame this contest as a match of Ricochet's quest for validation and legitimacy as a main event threat versus Drew McIntyre's road to redemption and attempt to fulfill his prophecy as "The Chosen One" as foretold by Vince McMahon himself in 2010.

At least this year's 'Mania only sacrificed ONE of their main events to a part-time champion in a sub-five minute match, right?

Contributor
Contributor

Troy has been a WWE (and wrestling-at-large) fan for over thirty years and a long-suffering but recently rewarded fan of both the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles since 1994 and 1996 respectively. After toiling in retail for the better part of a decade, he has eliminated his student loan debt and is finally pursuing his passions.