10 Shocking WWE Babyface Burials You Totally Don't Remember

4. Diesel's WWF Magazine Cover

seth rollins
WWE

It speaks to the wider indifference towards WWE and pro wrestling at the time that the above magazine cover isn't more infamous.

It's been fairly well established that the love affair between Vince McMahon and "Diesel - WWE Champion" began at the 1994 Royal Rumble, almost a full year before Kevin Nash flattened Bob Backlund in Madison Square Garden.

At January's tentpole event, 'Big Daddy Cool' came to life, battering some indistinct (and much shorter) members of the midcard in such a manner that fans were chanting his name as he departed. A similar pattern followed him all year, enhanced by his relationship with Shawn Michaels. Audiences were buzzing for the babyface turn, if only to be permitted to cheer one of the only organically cool characters to emerge on the show in years.

When they finally got it, they...din't get it. The edgier hero was replaced by a grinning and smirking babyface that became less relatable seemingly overnight. Though not quite the beginning of a protracted end, his run felt more than a little doomed after the fact.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 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 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, 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