10 Times Wrestlers Told You They Were FINISHED

4. Ahmed Johnson (1998)

CM Punk
WWE

Buried by Jim Ross on the way out to the ring for the perceived crime of sporting an earring, everything about Ahmed Johnson's Royal Rumble 1998 performance spoke to a man that was substantially closer to the exit door than the main event of WrestleMania.

Wearing about 15 leg supports, a Robbie Fowler nose strip and the expression of a performer that knew how the next 10 minutes were about to play out, the fire Johnson had been able to breathe into the upper midcard two years earlier had sadly been extinguished by a number of injuries and the industry completely transforming underneath him.

Sluggish on offence and the sell, Ahmed was eliminated just before Stone Cold Steve Austin arrived to take out the entire field, but suffered a one-man burial at the hands of former stablemate Kama. Exiting where 'The Supreme Fighting Machine' entered, Ahmed ate a shove in the chest from the future Godfather, shot him half a look, then shrugged and slumped off to the back. It was his penultimate WWE pay-per-view, with his last falling just one month 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