10 Worst WWE Moments Of 2006

7. Punjabi Prison Plummets

Big Show Paul Heyman ECW 2006
WWE.com

Originally, The Great Khali was supposed to work with The Undertaker at Great American Bash '06, but he wasn’t able to compete. So, instead of moving away from the new Punjabi Prison gimmick bout, WWE slotted Big Show in as a late replacement for no good reason other than he's huge.

Khali did interfere in the match, but it made no sense to have his personalised gimmick bout with 2 other wrestlers, and the occasion suffered for it. No, Khali vs. 'Taker wouldn't have won any Wrestling Observer 'Match Of The Year' awards or played before a bevy of stars, but it would've made more sense due to the Punjabi Prison effectively being Khali's bespoke match type.

There is a slight positive to this "worst moment" though. If one's being completely fair, WWE would've caught an awful lot of flak had they just scrapped an already-advertised gimmick bout from the lineup entirely. They had to deliver something - it's just a pity that Show vs. Undertaker was about as thrilling as it sounds.

If you've ever wanted to see 'The Deadman' swinging on ropes towards Paul Wight like some sort of supernatural, undead version of Tarzan, then this was the pay-per-view for you. The big bamboo-style double cage design made the match harder to watch than it should've been too. Nothing about the Punjabi Prison really worked or felt equal to faves like Hell In A Cell or Elimination Chamber.

Plaudits for trying to give Khali his very own match, but this was a flop; and it was a flop he wasn't even a big part of!

Contributor

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.