10 Things Everybody Gets Wrong About WWE In 1995
8. Diesel Power
Statistics cannot be avoided. Diesel year-long reign as WWE Champion coincided with the company's commercial nadir. Buyrates, live attendances and ratings were all plummeting when he took the title, and almost 12 months with the company's top strap did little to redress the balance. But like Bret Hart before (and after) him, those that did stick around were spoiled with the efforts of one of the most underrated big men in industry history.
Versatile to a fault, Diesel tried and failed to make main event magic with King Mabel, Sid and Davey Boy Smith, but even industry icons and noted in-ring auteurs have struggled with the same task. Furthermore, his involvement in each match holds up to analytical scrutiny.
Taking out half the roster with a plancha in his In Your House 2 brawl with Sid and scaling the turnbuckles to topple Mabel at SummerSlam, 'Big Daddy Cool' was so much more than just leather-clad luggage for Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels. And those contests remain essential viewing to this day. Diesel contributes 50% to match of the night shoo-ins at the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania and Survivor Series in 1995. A quintessential big match player, only superworkers and roster aces can boast such consistency.