10 Times WWE Failed To Replace Wrestlers

1. Lana (with Summer Rae)

WWE Failed Replacement
WWE.com

The Difficult Second Act of Rusev and Lana's WWE run (before they revealed their real life engagement and had it retconned anyway), a split and feud with Dolph Ziggler and Summer Rae saw the 'Bulgarian Brute' and 'Ravishing Russian' split off in attempt to push both.

It failed on both counts.

Rusev's character looked rudderless when separated from the quiet pillar Lana had always been, especially when he replaced her with Summer Rae. The expectations were unfair on her too - Lana had played the role so impeccably that even as an intentional tribute act, Rae looked stuck in a dead end spot.

Meanwhile, the love square angle never even had a chance to get on the rails before it spun off them. Impossible to track and filled with Vince McMahon's worst impulses (Rusev was forced to make something of a skit with a giant fish one week, Lana was "americanised" with the the help of Dolph Ziggler the next), all four were in a far worse position on the card by the time the long and sorry story concluded.

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. 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