10 Wrestlers You Never Thought Would Get Over On TV

4. Eugene

Orange Cassidy
wwe

If ever there were a wrestling promotion - nay, entity of literally any kind - not to be trusted with a sensitive depiction of a, intellectually disabled man, it was the wrestling promotion that used the R-word as some fan-friendly banter with which to ridicule Kane purely because it shared an alliterative quality with the word 'Red'.

This was going to the most palpable emblem yet of WWE's very WWE-ness.

And yet, some-f*cking-how, the Eugene character wasn't quite a total bad taste disgrace. This take is of course heavily, heavily caveated with "by the standards of WWE, the most problematic and ugly arm of modern pop culture entertainment".

It worked for a while because Eugene was perceived as a punchline by arrogant ar*eholes foiled by his ingenuity. This manifested in several, different segments of episodic television, most notably a "musical chairs" skuit that framed Jonathan Coachman as a completely hapless prick. Eugene also worked a fantastic mini-series with Kurt Angle, who knew how to sell for - and had the willingness to show ass for - his opponent.

Triple H, obviously, didn't, and had handily defeated him previously, in what was a dire micro illustration of the performer he had become - but, even if inconsistently, WWE actually sort of got it.

A bit.

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!