10 Times WWE Put Its Talent In Impossible Positions

Edge, Randy Orton and even The Rock have all been handed an uphill battle by WWE creative.

Edge Randy Orton Backlash
WWE.com

We've all seen over the years how WWE has a propensity to throw a talent into a situation and let them sink or swim.

More often than not - and usually down to boneheaded WWE logic and idiotic creative - a wrestler has been put in a situation that seems unsalvageable.

As an example, you have this dominant, decimating, intimidating, eerie Big Red Machine, so what's the best thing to do with him? Well, how 'bout we do a story where a drunk Kane had killed his girlfriend in a car accident, then Triple H attends this girl's funeral and has sex with her corpse? *Le sigh*

Anyways, the wrestling business has forever had the "turn chicken sh*t into chicken salad" phrase at its centre, and many a talent has indeed took something awful and turned it into gold. Not that Katie Vick situation, mind, but nevertheless.

There are certain situations that not even the greatest of wrestling storytellers and performers have managed to spin into a positive, though, and at times such situations have completely sunk a talent without trace.

Here, then, are ten such examples of WWE putting its talents in positions where they were destined to always come up short.

10. You Want Daniel Bryan? Well, Here's Rey Mysterio

Edge Randy Orton Backlash
WWE

The 2014 Royal Rumble PPV sticks out in the memory for a couple of major reasons.

One of those reasons is that this would be CM Punk's final ever appearance (as of now...) in a WWE ring. After being anticlimactically dumped out of the Rumble match by Kane, the Second City Saint opted to quit WWE the very next day.

The other major talking point of the 2014 edition of WWE's annual January event, of course, was Daniel Bryan. Or, specifically, the lack of Daniel Bryan in the 30-man over-the-top contest that closed out this PPV.

Bryan had put on a barnburner of a bout against Bray Wyatt earlier in the night - with D-Bry coming up short in that contest - but those in Pittsburgh's Consol Energy Center and watching at home were all holding out hope that the American Dragon would enter and win the Rumble match, cementing himself a spot in the WrestleMania XXX main event.

As the Royal Rumble served up competitor after competitor, the question was when exactly would the Yes! Man make his grand arrival. By the time 29 men had entered the bout, it was clear that Daniel Bryan was to emerge as #30 to get the classic underdog victory... only he didn't.

Instead, it was another proverbial underdog, Rey Mysterio Jr., who was in that #30 spot.

The fact that Mysterio - one of the all-time great babyface performers - was booed out of the building tells you all you need to know about how impossible a task the Master of the 619 was handed.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.