10 Worst Wrestling Publicity Stunts

In the aftermath of the steroid trial, most of WWF's bloated roster departed the company, many of them for bloated Turner contracts. By 1995, the company had less drawing ability than a two-year old with a pack of crayons. Champion Diesel had ran out of fuel, Bret Hart had been dragged back through time to feud with Bob Backlund, and The Undertaker was digging his way out of utter plodders with lumbering bores such as King Kong Bundy and Yokozuna.

Going into WrestleMania XI, the company needed something - anything - to get lips flapping. In the most typically Vince McMahon move ever, the chairman indulged his fetish for both legitimate athletes and faded celebrity by drafting in former Giants' linebacker Lawrence Taylor for the show. But not just in a throwaway 'special event' battle royal. Oh no: the big lad was parachuted into the main event.

LT didn't just headline the show opposite Bam Bam Bigelow, but he only went and bloody won! Though Taylor was praised for surpassing expectations by not being utter tripe, the stunt quite rightly drew criticism for delegitimising wrestling in such a high profile manner. As much as it garnered the mainstream media's attention, most of it was deprecating.

In the end, the show drew just 340,000 buys - the worst in WrestleMania history.

Still, if you thought Taylor was desperate, it's worth noting WWF tried for OJ Simpson the following year...