10 Rare Awesome WWE Surprises

9. The Brodus Clay Bait And Switch

Daniel Bryan SummerSlam 2010
WWE

Somebody call my lawyer!

Yes, Brodus Clay's recent, alleged problematic behaviour somewhat undermines a wistful reminiscence on that time he disco-danced his way into our slack-jawed hearts - but what a fabulous, inspired bait-and-switch this was.

For weeks, vignettes aired teasing the arrival of a game-changing monster, and they were produced effectively enough as to obscure the memories of Clay looking sick of his life on NXT and doing little to get over as Alberto Del Rio's bodyguard. The verbiage was so over-the-top that it hid the punchline in plain sight - "I am the fall of humanity!"; "I am a physical juggernaut!" - but, troublingly, this was more or less consistent with every other time WWE debuts a new menace with spooky music and dumb-sh*t hyperbole.

But, on the January 9, 2012 RAW, the gag revealed itself: Clay was now the 'Funkasaurus', as Vince McMahon, true to form, stumbled on the Walk The Dinosaur craze some decades after everybody else. Clay danced, terribly, and that was the gag. He got over with this endearingly bad act, improvised crowd shut-downs, and the sheer audacity of the bit. The gag ran its course, and Clay's presence gradually receded.

For the best, that.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!