10 WWE Number One Contenders Nobody Actually Thought Could Win
6. King Mabel
Is there an alternative world out there, a strange parallel universe where King Mabel won the WWF Championship back in 1995? Where the purple behemoth vanquished Diesel and went on to hold the title for months, before dropping it to Bret Hart at Survivor Series? Maybe Mabel becomes a major success, and Viscera never happens?
No, no there is not. The worst King of the Ring in the history of Kings of the Ring was an absolutely unbelievable challenger, an impressive achievement for mid-'90s WWF. Mabel won the '95 KotR and subsequently lost to Diesel in his championship match, although Vince McMahon had already given up on him before that even happened. Mabel was a liability in the ring, injuring a host of competitors in the build-up to the title match. Not injured in storyline either; his sit-down splash wasn't all that gimmicked.
The idea of random big men challenging for the world title had proven to be big business in decades prior, but times had changed. Nobody saw Mabel as a credible threat, and why would they? He was a disappointing tag team wrestler who had suddenly been thrust into the main event. To make matters worse, Mabel needed help to get to the King of the Ring finals, beating Undertaker after interference from Kama and getting a bye to the final, where he defeated Savio Vega in what was the Puerto Rican's fourth match of the night.
Despite all that, Savio Vega would have been a more credible challenger. Think about that for a second.