10 Wrestlers Who Stopped Trying (But WWE Pushed Anyway)

4. Kane - 2014-2015

No Try Zone
WWE

Kane occupied a boring and very depressing role on WWE TV as Corporate Kane in the death throes of the Authority era. Well, two boring and very depressing roles. He was also Demon Kane.

Kane was simply there to ruin things under the flimsy pretence of developing the narrative. When Daniel Bryan needed one last refuel on the Road to WrestleMania XXX, Kane was there. When Roman Reigns needed a monster to overcome at the 2015 Royal Rumble, to make him appear less tedious, Kane was there. When Seth Rollins needed a young, up and coming stud to feud with later that year, Kane was there. He’d already been there for a decade and a half. He didn’t really have to do anything, and thus, his work was as unimaginative as the booking. Shapeless and tired, Kane hardly projected himself like the monster of old.

The only person vaguely interested in an in-ring Kane performance was CM Punk, who was so physically destroyed that he considered it a night off.

That was Kane’s latter day role: a safe pair of hands. To perform it, all he had to, and all he did do, was wrestle a by-the-numbers version of his already hopelessly dated match.

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!