10 WWE Storylines That Horribly Backfired

9. A Giant Case Of Insecurity

In 2015, there€™s no character in the WWE less trustworthy than The Big Show, and that includes professional snake impersonator Paul Heyman, backstabber extraordinaire Seth Rollins, and Randy €˜Outta Nowhere€™ Orton. Paul Wight€™s unreliability is nothing to do with his current heel persona, however: it€™s a running gag that he€™s turned heel, then face, then heel, then face again so many times that he€™s practically a human pirouette. Wrestling commentators have counted around two dozen turns since his debut with the then WWF in 1999€ it€™s difficult to tell, because several of these turns were in such a short space of time that they might not have taken place at all. On two occasions, Wight has displayed frankly mindboggling agility for a man of his size and turned twice in one night. Impressive stuff. Joking aside, long-term booking will always have an effect upon how a character is seen by the audience €“ it€™s just not always the one that the office intends. The steady, deliberate portrayal of Brock Lesnar as a freakish human wrecking ball for a few months in 2014 saw to it that he was seen as a fearsome obstacle to overcome when he was handed the top title; the previous year, an accidental by-product of Daniel Bryan€™s continual promotion as a feisty, rebellious can-do underdog in the face of The Man created the Yes Movement and led to his victory at Wrestlemania. In Big Show€™s case, his sixteen-year career is nothing but a track record for turning on his friends at the drop of a hat. Sometimes he€™ll cry first. It€™s the story of a weak man, a leaf in the wind: a giant insecure about his own strength. In 2015, no one really believes in the Big Show as a serious challenge in any situation, regardless of his size and the kayfabled power of his knock out punch €“ possibly the stupidest finishing move in wrestling (it€™s a straightforward punch. Why doesn€™t he forgo the theatrics and just knock everyone out in the opening seconds? He€™d hold the big belt forever). With his gravitation towards strong partnerships and his insistence on being a follower, the man€™s demonstrated so little strength of personality that the only giant on the roster has less credibility with the crowd than most of the jobbers in the company.

Contributor
Contributor

Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.