10 WWE Nightmares That Thankfully Never Came True

8. Bieber Fever

Ultimate Warrior Steve Austin WrestleMania XV
WWE.com

Revealed by former WWE writer Kevin Eck after his departure from the company, divisive popstar Justin Bieber was at one point pencilled in to join John Cena and The Big Show in a match against The Wyatt Family at SummerSlam 2014.

'The Biggest Party Of The Summer' had a distinctly showbiz theme for a number of years thanks to its repeated presence at Los Angeles' Staples Center, and as inarguably one of the biggest stars in the world, Bieber's appearance would have surely brought forth enormous mainstream attention.

Past the point where anything could logically be planned in time though, the idea collapsed. WWE had by then started making him part of their own 'Universe', when heel Seth Rollins was referred to as the company's 'Justin Bieber' in derisory terms by various babyfaces, which showed paradoxical understanding from the creative team that he'd likely be booed even if presented as a fan favourite.

The potential for disaster in a Bieber appearance was great, and the thankful sidestep away from the sideshow afforded fans one of the most intense SummerSlam main events in company history. Free from the celebrity spinoff, John Cena defended his newly-won WWE Title against Brock Lesnar in a match many consider to be as significant and decisive a win for 'The Beast' as his WrestleMania XXX streak-ender was earlier that year.

Contributor
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