10 Ridiculous Wrestling Booking Decisions Nobody Can Explain

8. Oiling The Brass Ring

Cesaro Mania XXX
WWE.com

Cesaro infamously drew the ire of Vince McMahon on the Network edition of Steve Austin's podcast.

"He's no connecting yet, but we hope he will. He doesn't quite have the charisma, he doesn't quite have the verbal skills as well, and maybe because he's Swiss, I don't know, with that European style. He lacks "it"."

Cesaro had connected with the audience, by going on an absolute tear in the months leading up to WrestleMania XXX, at which he was rewarded in the shape of the André The Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy. The fans in the New Orleans Superdome went apesh*t, because this was a star-making moment awarded to a guy they had anointed as a star. It seemed, in parallel with the belated Daniel Bryan coronation, that the company had finally strained to repair broken fan relations.

WWE swiftly severed this bond by allying Cesaro with heel mouthpiece Paul Heyman on the same night he callously bragged about shattering the Undertaker's Streak - the greatest institution in the entire company. Cesaro's turn never once felt like a betrayal - more a really bizarre and mistimed retcon of an on-fire babyface character.

The one silver lining never materialised, either: Beast Vs. Superman didn't happen because Heyman and Cesaro amicably went their separate ways a scant three months later.

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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!