10 Shocking Times WWE Pulled The Plug On Mega Pushes

7. Nathan Jones

Lacey Evans
WWE.com

Viewed out of context, Nathan Jones' strange WWE tenure could be seen as a series of unfortunate events that ultimately allowed a malfunctioning system to chew up and spit out a fallen star.

In reality, rather than retrospect, it all rather tragically made sense.

Having gained limited exposure with failed startup World Wrestling Allstars, the Australian WWA Champion was plucked from that relative obscurity because he was f*cking massive and potentially malleable.

Promoted heavily as an ex-con coming out to wreak havoc on WWE, a babyface run as Undertaker's apprentice felt immediately off kilter with the sinister segments until it became apparent just how ill-equipped the stacked Aussie was for the main stage.

WrestleMania XIX brought the gimmick into further disrepute - Jones couldn't even be trusted to make a hot tag in his doubles effort with 'The Deadman' against A-Train and The Big Show. Written off on the pre-show, his contribution was reduced to a run-in in which he flubbed a spin-kick.

He disappeared from view as the company attempted a heel repackaging later in the year, but neither he nor the audience bought in anymore. His coolest move was his last - WWE flew him to Perth, Australia for a show on their dime, and he simply elected not to bother catching the return flight.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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