10 WWE Wrestlers Who Were Nothing After A Great Entrance
Looking at the lights.
WWE is, even at its worst, expert in its live television production.
It's a gift to storylines that cleaning up in post, or wrestlers who need the magic of television to summon the magic within. But it can wildly backfire when there appears to be more creative expression from the producers working on entrances than wrestlers are permitted to exhibit during matches.
No wrestler is "nothing". Far from it. Every single bump is a bump most human beings wouldn't want to endure. Routine knocks taken every week by wrestlers are the sort that would be the biggest talking point of your week if they happened to you. Imagine falling off a ladder during a simple household task and hurting your back and arm. Imagine the recovery, or how many people you'd share the story with. This sort of thing is a functional expectation for these super-humans - and it's why every one of them should be rewarded with a bit of decent booking once in a while.
With one exception, every wrestler in this list had/has so much more to offer after the bell than before it. Some just weren't allowed.
A reflection of a company following a robust presentation process accepted as the norm for decades because it's been ferociously successful. But herein lies the tragedy - the roster has never been so diverse, yet One (Vince McMahon's) Size Fits All is more dominant than ever.
10. JBL
The entire 2004 John Layfield repackage required the immense level of effort WWE put into it, but no new theme and giant limousine could mask that he was still Bradshaw with a haircut when the bell rang.
Morphing into an outstanding promo ahead of his WWE Championship defences between 2004 and 2005, it was never about not wanting to watch somebody hopefully take that f*cking thing from this complete f*cking a*shole, but more how much of a slog it was to watch happen once he'd left the backseat of that enormous car. That he got over at all is ultimately to WWE's credit, though it begs the question why similar financial and creative investment isn't made in those that can offer so much more than he ever could between the ropes.
Layfield was a smart enough performer to know his strengths, though. He knew how important the (literal) bells and whistles were though, as evidenced during his p*ssed up commentary of ECW One Night Stand 2005. He bantered off nearly all of the show, save for one entrance that temporarily silenced his shtick...