10 Times WWE Blew Their One Big Shot

That one you want? We're not gonna give you that!

The Undertaker Bray Wyatt
WWE.com

Far more than being one of the only success stories of 2020 for WWE, Bayley and Sasha Banks' push (and presumed eventual split) has been necessary salvation for fans that knew they were watching something incredibly special from the pair five years earlier.

Countless fallen stars can be held up as poster-boys/girls of a company suffering unprecedented creative decline, but Banks and Bayley were surely the biggest victims of the lot. Their TakeOver: Brooklyn match in 2015 was ground zero for the company making tangible efforts to fix their self-made problems with women's wrestling. This was evidenced by the monstrous pop 'The Hugger' received when she guested as Sasha partner at Battleground 2016. Banks beamed just before Bayley's music hit in a moment that is raising goosebumps on your writer's arms as he types. Her friend was getting the pop of all pops, as was their classic match all over again. The reaction was an acknowledgement of the solid stock they'd built with the fanbase and the hope of more to come.

Until 2020, that hope was lost. Wretched runs in 2017 and 2018 were partially erased by a Tag Title win in early 2019, but the mismanagement of that led to Banks nearly walking out completely and Bayley ultimately having to turn heel to salvage what remained of her main roster credibility.

WWE nearly lost it. They deserved to, in truth. They've missed these ones too...

10. Hulk Hogan Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin

The Undertaker Bray Wyatt
WWE.com

The problem with Hulk Hogan Vs Stone Cold Steve Austin was and is that it could never be what anybody really wanted. Moreover, was that ever even really clear?

Austin turned down the wrestling clash of eras when Vince McMahon brought back his ex to work alongside his sex in 2002, but The Rock's chemistry with Hogan at WrestleMania X8 suggested this was maybe the right timeline after all.

After 'The Great One' quietly exited for Hollywood again, Hogan became WWE Champion as Austin floundered. The two occurrences were unrelated, but there was a minor window for McMahon to ask the question again during what proved to be the most strained period of relations with his commercial saviour.

Television brought them together once before Stone Cold took his ball and yada yada yada, with Austin rocking up to help Hogan beat Ric Flair in a Raw retread of their typical match. It provided the bones of a backstory, but both were gone by August anyway.

Coincidentally, they both made in-ring returns at the very same pay-per-view several months later. But in 2003, No Way Out may as well have been subtitled "No F*cking Chance". The pair simply weren't in each other's orbit, and 'The Rattlesnake' was forced into retirement just one month later.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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