12 Modern WWE Monsters That Didn't Succeed

In the Rock 'n Wrestling Era, it was Andre the Giant, Big John Studd, and King Kong Bundy. Into the nineties, The Undertaker, Psycho Sid, Yokozuna, and Diesel dominated main events. Undertaker held over well into the Attitude Era and beyond, standing shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Kane and The Big Show. Undoubtedly, the Vincent K. McMahon-era of WWF/E has been haven to a number of memorable goliaths, colossal immortals presented on the merit of immensity and intimidation factor. Since the closing of the Attitude Era, however, WWE has failed to yield many brand new monsters with lasting power. Brock Lesnar and Batista qualify to an extent, but they're also promoted with human qualities. If you're talking 'larger than life' in the sense of going beyond human qualities, you can add Umaga to the list of successes, as well as to a very small degree, The Great Khali (who was obscenely limited as a performer, but a considerable draw for the emerging wrestling market in his native India). Sheamus and Rusev could be considered, but again, they're far more humanized than the looming Yokozuna, or the mythic Andre. Brodus Clay had a chance, but playing the smiling 'Funkasaurus' (popular with kids as it was) was far removed from his previous life as a no-nonsense monster, now restored in his current TNA run as Tyrus. The latest project from the monster-machine is Braun Strowman, who is possibly going to work with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32. The granite-thick Strowman hasn't exactly captivated audiences, outside of a well-executed debut angle in which he obliterated Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose last summer. McMahon is gambling that Strowman can ascend to the pantheon of awesome big men of years past, while a number of fans fear they're getting the second coming of Giant Gonzalez. Time will tell if Strowman can silence the doubters. Until then, here are twelve 'big men' from the post-Attitude era that just didn't work out. Maybe they were pushed, and the audience didn't buy in. Maybe they were quick studies, even by the office standard, and done away with regardless of size. Either way, in McMahon's Land of the Giants, these brutes just didn't make it. QUALIFICATIONS: At least 6'4-6'5 (or pushed as being tall), at least 270-280 lbs, and had to be presented as a threat based on size. It helps more if the character was mostly silent, and let their 'brutality' do the talking.