10 Times WWE Failed To Replace A Major Star
8. Big Show With The Great Khali
Big Show is still active in WWE today, but he’d just about had enough of the business in 2006. The former WWE Champion was beaten-up from his time on the road, and after a run on WWE’s ECW brand, Show decided to take some time-off to heal his wounds in December. The World’s Largest Athlete served his notice during this time, and by February 2007, Show had left the company to pursue other options.
The Great Khali was brought in just prior to Show’s departure, but he was designed as the former Giant’s long-term replacement. He debuted in October 2006, and went on to become one of the most maligned superstars in WWE history. A big, lumbering oaf with a moveset consisting of a chop, a clawhold, and a big boot, Khali moved like a snail stuck in a glacier, but still enjoyed a sizeable push, and was crowned World Heavyweight Champion in July 2007.
A slimmed-down Big Show returned to the company in 2008, and fought Khali in a horrendous match at Backlash later in the year. For all the criticism Show has faced over the years, he was lightyears ahead of Khali as a worker, even at his worst.
Vince McMahon probably saw this as a like-for-like replacement - but he was soon proved wrong.