15 Biggest BURIALS Wrestlers Never Recovered From
1. Chris Masters (by Triple H)
When Triple H challenged The Undertaker a WrestleMania match in 2011 with the not-that-obscured-insinuation that nobody else on the roster was on the 'Deadman's level, it was as much his own celebration of a job well done as a declaration of John Laurinaitis' piss-poor effort in Talent Relations.
'The Game' had just about finished his burial duties by the time he took the job and reimagined the process in WWE, and to him, this was a case of all those misdemeanours serving the greater good - his next career move. The "Reign Of Terror" 2002-2005 stranglehold on the Raw roster gets the most press and deservedly so, but DX were bastards of a different, neon green stripe when they reunited as clown-crushing babyfaces in 2006.
Heel midcarders lined up to effortlessly squashed, but so too did the poor defenceless jobbers of the day. Chris Masters has feuded with Michaels back in 2005, but never had it been clearer what the power-players thought of 'The Masterpiece' in an ugly backstage gag segment designed - of all things - to plug Eric Bischoff's autobiography. As nothing more than a passing jobbing talent in the scene (until it became clear exactly why he was chosen), Masters revealed that he too intended to write a book. Hunter retorted, “What are you gonna call it? How to lose 50 pounds in four weeks?”.
This was WWE's hypocrisy and nepotism in action. Masters was noticeably, undeniably smaller than he'd been before. But this was because he'd failed a wellness test. Triple H knew this, but also knew that he was beyond reproach or reply in saying it, ramifications for Masters be damned. The game has always been rigged.
As the year wrapped up, so too did the push of the Spirit Squad; an act heavily focussed-upon until they came face-to-face with Hunter and Shawn. The five were squashed into a storage box and sent packing to developmental to start all over again. If only Triple H had gone with them then instead of sticking around as one of WWE's primary main event concerns another half a decade.