10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About Rhyno
Slater, Santa, and shame.
Having spent much of 2017 stuck in C-show limbo, Rhyno and tag partner Heath Slater are finally involved in a storyline on one of WWE's mainline shows again, albeit in a minor capacity.
'The Man-Beast' is on a quest to toughen his eccentric partner up, resulting in increased TV time for both. They've featured only in fits and starts, but given their complete lack of direction since losing the SmackDown Tag Team Titles in December 2016, it's a real step forward.
Both have storied wrestling histories, particularly Rhyno, who has been in the business since 1994. Still only 42 years old, his career has taken him everywhere from the sleaze of ECW and Insane Clown Posse's JCW to WWE's milquetoast modern gloss. He's one of the most experienced full-time wrestlers in North America, and while well beyond his peak, the past few years prove he's still a capable performer, with the Slater tag team surging in 2016.
A valued veteran employee he may be, but it's impossible to stay in the business for as long as Rhyno has without attracting some dirt along the way, and his history is full of things WWE would love to delete...
10. Later, Slater
WWE love ditching lower tier storylines on a whim, often having the protagonists work through the first few weeks of a new angle, only to drop it without delivering a proper conclusion. The problem isn't as prevalent as it used to be, but these situations still crop up from time to time, and in December 2016, it was Heath Slater and Rhyno's turn.
The duo had just lost their SmackDown Tag Team Titles to Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton. They then fell in a rematch two nights later, before running through an awkward interview on Talking Smack, with the former 3MB member pointing out that it was Rhyno, not him, who'd been pinned. This prompted the ECW man to walk out on his partner. The duo then demonstrated further dissent the next week, when Heath accidentally eliminated Rhyno from a contendership battle royal, and all signs pointed towards an imminent break-up.
But there was no resolution. The storyline had vanished from TV by the end of December, and Slater and Rhyno were right as rain the following month, teaming as though nothing had ever happened. WWE didn't even trouble themselves to book a make-up segment, and instead asked their audience to conveniently forget about the whole thing.