The second-half of the 2000s saw the arrival of Hornswoggle, a mini wrestler dressed in leprechaun garb that was closely associated with the great, double-tough Finlay. Why management thought the Irish badass needed such a childish mascot is irrelevant. What is not is the fact that, somewhere along the line, the Hornswoggle character became kid-friendly and featured on television entirely too much. In 2008, he entered the Royal Rumble match for the first time. History books indicate that he lasted 26-plus minutes but in reality, he ducked underneath the ropes and headed underneath the ring to safety, never to return. Not only was it completely unrealistic that he could compete in such a match without being obliterated, but he actually managed to eliminate The Miz, hurting the credibility of one of WWE's brightest young stars at that point. Three years later, he again entered the match, one of 40 Superstars to compete in the biggest Royal Rumble ever. After nine minutes, some of which was spent assisting John Cena in what some consider the most painful period of time in WWE history, he was done away with by fellow Irishman Sheamus. Those two instances represented everything wrong with WWE's creative process. Irreparable damage was done to Superstars courtesy of their interactions with the comedic character, who would never really became anything more than a sideshow act.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
