10 Wrestling Storylines That Wasted Incredible Premises

5. Kurt Angle's Illegitimate Son

HHH Adam Cole Shayna Baszler
WWE

The premise:

The idea that it was too obviously not real to get over doesn't work since A) EC3 obviously wasn't Dixie Carter's nephew, but the act was so strong that it didn't matter and B) it's f*cking wrestling.

This storyline had enormous potential. Had they actually told it; the idea of Jason Jordan as a sly little sh*t eking out wins and playing dumb to his new dad to avoid punishment was in theory the perfect vehicle for Angle's trademark, piss funny obliviousness. Just imagine Angle confronting Jordan after a contentious win, appearing to look stern, only to ruffle Jordan's head with an "Attaboy!" because it was just the vacant quality Angle has about him at times. Mint.

Also mint: the idea of Angle deliberately playing dumb in cahoots with Jordan later in the arc, which in theory was another great vehicle for Angle's equally wonderful insincerity.

The waste:

None of this really happened even before Jordan's in-ring career was brought to an abrupt and sad halt; he mostly played a bland babyface who wanted to do his dad proud, which apparently involved hucking vegetables at Elias.

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!