10 Wrestlers Who Destroyed Their Careers On Live TV
2. Al Snow
Al Snow's in-ring work had been lauded by those that had caught him in ECW and Japan in the mid-1990s, with a run as a heel in Smokey Mountain Wrestling suggesting he also had the charisma to be considered one of the best all-rounders in the game. It'd be unfair to suggest this was a total destruction of his career - but there was a painful history behind his push never matching his potential.
His disastrous WWE debut informed a near-decade of Vince McMahon flatly refusing to take him seriously as one.
Working as a Hayabusa/Power Ranger hybrid in a mask he only added to his ensemble when he got in the ring, Snow's debut against jobber Brian Walsh is a profound failure of both person and persona. Snow slips and slides all over the shop attempting his daring high spots, undermining the supposed technique and skill of a confused and unfinished character. Walsh actually gets periods of dominance before being polished off by Snow, who then removes his mask again to less reaction than he had during his entrance.
The audience had seen enough of that, and so too had Vince McMahon - Snow was pulled from the upcoming Survivor Series 1995 card and briefly repackaged as mysterious ninja Shinobi and later a New Rocker alongside a listless Marty Jannetty. ECW came to his aid with the "Head" reinvention in 1998, but the ceiling McMahon imposed on that only highlighted how damaging that first impression had been.