10 Times WWE Forced It Down Our Throats
9. Vladimir Kozlov
Sometimes, an idea works because of its simplicity. When you send a guy out on Smackdown with no entrance theme, no tron and very simple ring gear, people are bound to take notice because it is different. Have that same guy destroy local talent and lower card jobbers with basic power moves and you have something that approaches light entertainment. Even if not everybody digs it, well, at least it's not Chavo Guerrero.
Let's be honest, there probably wasn't much mileage in Kozlov's routine. Most would have expected Vlad to float around the mid-card for a year or two, possibility flirt with the US/Intercontinental titles, before fading away into obscurity. 'Most' did not include WWE, however, who inexplicably thought they might have a brand new main event heel on their hands and set about shoehorning Kozlov into places he wasn't wanted. He got tired of squashing jobbers and demanded better competition, taking matters into his own hands with attacks on Jeff Hardy and Triple H, leading to a three-way dance at Survivor Series 2008 for the WWE Championship. A storyline injury to Hardy meant that only Kozlov and The Game started the match, and bah gawd, did it stink. It was, without a doubt, one of the most miserable WWE title matches in years, saved only when Edge was thrust into proceedings by Vickie Guerrero, making it a triple threat again.
That really should have been it for Kozlov, but WWE did manage to scare the crap out of us by having him pin the Undertaker on Smackdown with Wrestlemania XXV just around the corner. Surely they weren't going to pit the Moscow Mauler against The Deadman at The Showcase Of The Immortals after his less than stellar dance with Triple H at Survivor Series? Thankfully, Shawn Michaels stopped us having sleepless nights by defeating Kozlov on RAW for the right to take a shot at The Streak. Incredibly, it was the first time Vlad had been pinned one-on-one. Perhaps less incredibly, however, was the fact that not even The Showstopper could make a Kozlov match watchable. A move to the ECW brand and a comedy pairing with Santino came next, before his departure in 2011.