10 Wrestlers WWE Pushed At The EXACT Wrong Time

7. Big E

Bob Backlund Royal Rumble
WWE.com

Big E deserved better. So much better.

One of the very few universally-liked acts in all of wrestling, he had the lot.

He was a big, impressive specimen. He could go, having worked many of the best tags in modern WWE history. He was ideal as the beaming face of WWE and its family-friendly mainstream aspirations. He was a preposterously likeable human being who radiated goodness. And he was banter, able to both style WWE's dreadful material and make you earnestly laugh with his own irreverent brand of humour. Far from a one-dimensional happy babyface, he could turn it on and make you feel like he wanted nothing more than to win, too.

He was perfect for the role. He was perfect for the role several years ago.

WWE pushed him in September 2021. The post-SummerSlam run is traditionally a down period for WWE, and, faced with the imminent threat of new NFL season, Big E had to tell people on Twitter that he was cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase on the 13th. He did so, cashing in on a storyline-injured Bobby Lashley in a desperate and sad development that instantly depicted Big E as a better lucky than good type. To compound the bittersweet nature of his title win, he wasn't even afforded the dignity of having the Usos screw him out of his Survivor Series match with Roman Reigns. He lost clean.

WWE blazed it over in front of an open goal.

Again.

 
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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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!