13 Exact Moments WWE Booked Killers Like Clowns
When WWE monsters go from crushing to being crushed...by bad creative.
The killer heel who wrecks everyone in his path is certainly nothing new for wrestling. Sadly, neither is the weary trope of turning that unstoppable force into a cuddly teddy bear who's only really there for laughs/comedic relief. WWE has done this endlessly over the years, and they're still at it even though Triple H has replaced his father-in-law Vince McMahon as head of creative.
Eek! The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Killers come in a few different forms. You've got the seemingly unbeatable wrestling machine who looks like he's been built from the ground up in a lab somewhere to win wrestling belts, the giant monster who thrives on sheer brute force and God-given physical strength alone, and then you've got the eh...burly chaps who use pure weight to their advantage.
Almost unbelievably, WWE booking has turned characters like that into pawns in a spooky supernatural universe, monsters who'd rather kiss and make up than crush someone's skull, and heavy set dudes who want to dance like no-one's watching.
One small tweak can turn killers into clowns in the blink of an eye, and such changes are rarely welcomed by the audience at large. Yes, there's merit to the endearing 'big friendly giant' idea, but it's a tired cliche and totally played out by this point.
These are some of the worst offenders. WWE's writing team saw aggressive, snarling behemoths and decided to put a little red bowtie and clown nose on them. 'Y'know what'd be really cool? If *insert killer gimmick here* sought laughs instead of scares'.
It doesn't always work...
13. Vladimir Kozlov Shows His Funny Side (2010)
Cards on the table: The guy writing this loved when Vladimir Kozlov buddied up with Santino Marella and embarked on some less-than-serious hijinks. It showed a different side to Vlad, and it's hardly like he was thriving as a squash match machine who'd forgo flash in favour of hurting opponents and scoring wins anyway.
Even so, it'd be silly to overlook the fact that WWE completely flipped Kozlov from one extreme to the other in a heartbeat when he linked up with Santino in 2010. His face said it all - Koz went from looking for all the world like he'd just sniffed a turd to acting like he'd just enjoyed his first round of pints down at the local aged 18.
Or 17 in some regions, you wrong 'uns!
Seriously though (as if), Vladimir went from dominating brute to fluffy bunny as soon as he began hanging around with Marella. The ever-goofy Santino was precisely the sort of fellow Kozlov would've crushed in his sleep mid-push.
Yet, here he was attending fake tea parties with his new pal and soaking up cheers from an audience who'd previously snoozed through his segments. It was quite the radical change, and it happened quickly.
Overnight, WWE switched from wanting fans to fear/respect Kozlov to...wanting those same folks to laugh along with his merriment. Meanwhile, the big man wore facial expressions that screamed: 'I've just had 2 pints of lager shandy then somehow won a game of pool against my older brother even though I'm usually crap at it'.