10 Wrestlers Who Killed Their Own Push

9. Mabel

Mr. KENNEDY
WWE.com

Pushing Mabel was one of biggest mistakes WWE made during a difficult 1995.

Shawn Michaels’ face turn had left the main event scene under-stocked with heels, so Vince McMahon chose to try and make a star of Men On A Mission's largest member. This led to a monstrous push for the near-500lber, and Mabel was crowned King Of The Ring that June, much to the audience’s shock (and boredom).

The push lasted just a few months. Mabel was quickly dropped from the top of the card, and while the reason for his sudden removal was never officially explained, a number of his colleagues have attributed it to his wrestling style. Kevin Nash was particularly critical of him, stating that the big man had injured “six or seven” of his colleagues in the ring, including The Undertaker, who broke his orbital bone after taking a botched leg drop from Mabel.

In fairness, Mabel’s recklessness only hastened the inevitable. The crowd didn’t take to him as a main event heel, and his WWE Championship match with Diesel at SummerSlam ‘95 is widely regarded as one of the worst PPV main events in WWE history.

Still, his decline may not have been so steep, if not for his in-ring mistakes.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.