10 Times WWE Forced It Down Our Throats
3. Bobby Lashley
Lashley was possibly the most un-ECW champ ever. Until a doo-rag-wearing Vince McMahon got his hands on the belt, that is. You can always tell when the McMahons are very, very serious about getting a performer over, because they tend to insert themselves in said performer's angles as if their very presence will make the crowd feverishly root for whatever babyface is drawing their storyline ire. In the best cases, it can work a treat (see Austin, Steve) and in others, you end up with something a bit like Bobby Lashley.
He fit the bill perfectly for WWE. He had a great physique and a legit amateur wrestling background, like Brock Lesnar, except Lesnar never called anyone a bathturd in a squeaky voice. Nor did Lesnar win an ECW title at the infamously dreadful December To Dismember PPV. The failure of that show was not Lashley's fault of course, but the circumstances certainly didn't endear him to the audience. Despite this, he was pushed into the biggest match of Wrestlemania XXIII in terms of mainstream media coverage: The Battle Of The Billionaires. Vince vs Trump, hair vs hair and Lashley vs The Samoan Savage, Umaga. Lashley won, Vince got his head shaved, and the two feuded over the ECW title. By the time Bobby was drafted to RAW, we'd just about had our fill.
WWE wasted very little time in giving Lashley a shot at John Cena's WWE title at the Great American Bash, the leadup to which involved clips of various wrestlers talking about the upcoming match as though it were on a par with Hogan vs Warrior at Wrestlemania VI. Cena needed an FU (pre-PG at this point, folks) off the top turnbuckle to put Lashley down for the three count, making him a big deal despite defeat. But with no real reason to invest in Bobby besides his athleticism, the respectful handshake after the bell between champ and challenger felt like an empty moment. Lashley sustained an injury not long after, leading to his departure from the company, cutting short whatever further plans there were for Vince to push his new Lesnar on us.