10 Times Wrestlers Told You They Were FINISHED

8. Big Cass (2018)

CM Punk
WWE.com

As of 2024, the Big Cass/Big Bill story is one of redemption and success. The man behind the monster endured some difficult times between his WWE release and return to the mainstream via Impact Wrestling and All Elite Wrestling between 2021 and 2022.

Thankfully, the setbacks in his personal life have only served to enhance the major strides forward in his professional one. A joy to behold as a weekly television character, Big Bill's charisma as a heel extends beyond his lofty height - being seven foot tall isn't the only thing you can't teach, and he's got lots of that particular intangible in the locker.

It didn't look that way as his WWE run slumped to a grim conclusion in 2018. After an inexplicable separation from Enzo Amore and frustrating injury layoff soon after, he was thrust back into an awkward spot opposite Daniel Bryan as 'The American Dragon's first major singles opponent following his surprising return from a career-ending head injury.

Hideously bad booking and matchmaking resulted in a couple of bang average pay-per-view matches, including a Money In Bank bout that proved to be the last for Cass. He walked the aisle with a wacky strut and a big grin, totally unbecoming of the character he played on television. Stuff just happened for years in the latter years of the Vince McMahon era, but the need for insufferable perfection resulted in it being easy to spot when a wrestler wasn't playing ball. He was released just two days later.

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