10 Wrestlers You Can’t Believe WWE Ruined

7. 'Dr. Death' Steve Williams

alexa bliss bayley
WWE.com

In which the WWF drastically miscalculated pretty much everything.

'Dr. Death' Steve Williams was drafted into the WWF in order to eventually provide Steve Austin with a credible heel opponent. That he was; William's work in All Japan Pro Wrestling was electric and totally believable. His vicious powerhouse act did much to make the career of Kenta Kobashi. Vince McMahon chased his signature for years for this reason.

The great thing about wrestling, when it's done right, is that it emulates the thrill of sport while having the ability to control the outcome. Your guy gets to win because the predetermined nature of it leaves nothing to chance. So, in the infamous Brawl For All, Vince Russo left the push of this not inconsiderable investment to chance by positioning him in a legit shoot fighting tournament. Williams, still great but past his physical prime, was knocked out in the second round of his own star vehicle by Bart Gunn, whose career was also subsequently sabotaged. Russo did some great stuff in 1998, but it's sobering to remember that, when tasked with the idea of getting a guy over who had proven himself capable of getting over for several years, he contrived to ruin two careers.

And this was Russo at his peak.

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!