10 Wrestling Storylines That Wasted Incredible Premises

8. The Straight Edge Society

HHH Adam Cole Shayna Baszler
WWE.com

The premise:

A tremendous and perfectly in-character take on the justified-in-his-own mind heel trope, CM Punk's Straight Edge Society didn't even have to implicate the rest of the roster as druggies in the PG era. Punk, an exceptional promo, spoke in metaphor and subtext throughout his ill-fated 2009 programme with the Undertaker by comparing his parlour tricks to the ills of hallucinogenics.

The Straight Edge society symbolised the perfect contrast to earnest hero John Cena, which ultimately should have led to a grand - and vital - WrestleMania main event worked between full-timers. The top babyface and the top heel, as an exasperated Punk once ruefully said to explain his intended 2011 departure.

The waste:

Sinister psychological warfare was no match for a big mighty man.

Before its immense potential had even begun to unfold, a masked Punk was reduced to a witless bully when programmed with the Big Show - "You're not funny and nobody likes you" - and his unmasking, and stint with the mask, was sold as a punchline not unlike Kurt Angle in 2002 and Vince McMahon in 2007.

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!