10 WWE Joke Pushes That Stopped Being Funny

1. Adam Rose

JBL Michael Cole
WWE.com

Adam Rose's NXT debut was - and this cannot be understated - absolutely f*cking fantastic.

The picture above these words represents something of a who's who of WWE's main roster post-2014, with Elias, Braun Strowman, Becky Lynch and former Vaudevillain Simon Gotch amongst the hidden hangers-on in his army of 'Rosebuds'. Cast alongside their enigmatic leader, the travelling posse augmented an act that was fully formed from the first few seconds.

Formerly known as Leo Krueger, Rose represented a hard reset for Ray Lappan, with the joyous rockstar gimmick getting over so well in NXT that his main roster call-up beckoned just two months after the 'Exotic Express' first rocked up at Full Sail University.

There was content to be mined from the enigmatic Aldous Snow-alike, but WWE instead only saw merit in the silliness and gimmickry of the entourage. A feud with the giant bunny that hopped along with the group consigned him to the permanent gag pile - a fact later acknowledged in a listless heel turn and brief alignment alongside a 'Social Outcasts' stable with present day Raw no-marks Heath Slater, Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel.

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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett