15 Biggest BURIALS Wrestlers Never Recovered From

2. Bam Bam Bigelow (By Diesel & Shawn Michaels)

John Cena Wade Barrett
WWE

There wasn't much about 1995 WWE that was good for your health, wealth or happiness if you were a wrestler on the road for the company back then, but just about the worst for all of the above was getting on the wrong side of The Kliq. 

Such was the case for Bam Bam Bigelow, who was ostensibly on the safer side of the creative divide when he turned face on Ted Dibiase's Million Dollar Corporation after a defeat to Lawrence Taylor in the main event of that year's WrestleMania. In storyline, he had brought shame upon the group by losing to a former NFL star, but in reality, he was now fresh off a headline spot that he'd performed excellently in, and was about to be linked on screen with WWE Champion Diesel to complete the reset.

'Big Daddy Cool' and his best friend Shawn Michaels had other plans, and they set about making them at Bam Bam's expense. 'HBK' turned face the night after that very same 'Show Of Shows', with Diesel booked to rescue him from a mauling at the hands of new top heel Sid. In Shawn's kayfabe injury absence, Bigelow was the natural new bestie for the WWE Champion, but within precisely one show of Shawn's return, Bam Bam was facilitator of the 'Dudes With Attitudes' formal reunification. On the May 22nd 1995 Monday Night Raw, the deal was done, and Bigelow may as well have walked from the promotion there and then rater than sticking around for six more ego-bruising months. 

How badly that all served him behind the scenes came out via multiple accounts after he left the company, but it came as little shock. He looked daft enough playing third wheel to their knowingly exclusionary antics when the red light was on. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett