10 Times WWE Punished Success

6. Tazz

Tazz Jerry Lawler
WWE.com

You'd have to go some to find a more convincing debut than the one enjoyed by Tazz at the 2000 Royal Rumble. In a little over three minutes, the ECW incomer was booked to be the federation's new hard man. He creamed Olympic hero Kurt Angle and sent Madison Square Garden into raptures with a bevy of stiff suplexes.

Shame he wasn't 6' 5".

The rap sheet on Tazz shortly after his intro was a depressing read. Reports began circulating that he was deemed "too small" to be a credible headliner in the WWF, and all his menace evaporated when the 'Human Suplex Machine' was demoted to the afterthought Hardcore Title division. So much for that.

Everyone knew Tazz wasn't the biggest when he signed with the WWF, but he had an aura about him that needed protecting. The WWF had a different plan. They'd punish him for a fiery, successful debut performance by dropping him down the card to feud with announcers before becoming one himself.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.