10 Worst WWE Gimmicks Of 2017

5. "The Greatest [At Being...In Love?]" Mike Kanellis

Jason Jordan Vegetables
WWE.com

There's a decent act on paper here. Or was.

There's something sickening about a sap in love - and while Mike Kanellis' googly-eyed admiration of wife Maria wasn't quite the stomach-churning stuff of a sofa-jumping Tom Cruise, there was much scope for a suitably irritating midcard heel in the summer months. Their entrance theme was a cloying, overblown ear worm, and the choice decision to have Mike take his wife's surname was sure to trigger the anti-SJW pocket of the fandom.

That trigger was never pulled; Kanellis was removed from television almost as soon as he debuted, which confirmed to the audience that he was not worth the investment. The heat generated from Maria's interference was also doused; Mike went full 50/50 booking via pointless, almost parodic win-trading with Sami Zayn in his debut programme. It was astonishing, even by WWE standards: this act was chosen to bypass NXT?

It later emerged that Mike was struggling with a painkiller addiction, which might explain his free fall - but Maria's decision to fall pregnant so soon into the run indicted her faith in WWE's ability to restore the act.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!