7 Most Infuriating Last Minute WWE PPV Changes
5. Johnny Nitro Replaces Chris Benoit - Vengeance: Night Of Champions 2007
Including this entry could be argued as grossly insensitive - deeming it "infuriating" might be an indictment of my petty selfishness as a wrestling fan.
Chris Benoit failed to show up on the eve of Vengeance: Night of Champions, replaced in his match against CM Punk by the less than stellar Johnny Nitro. At the time, nobody knew the horrific circumstances precluding Benoit's appearance, and fans were naturally disappointed to be denied what had been set to be a classic.
Fans had been expecting a barnstorming affair with a tantalising mesh of styles, but Nitro in 2007 was a shadow of the performer he'd soon become. Worse still, the substitution was depressingly on the nose. Nitro dominated with a range of iffy-looking submissions, which only served to shine a glaring light on what could have been. He actually won the title, cleanly, at Punk's expense - despite being inferior in storylines.
In fairness to WWE, there weren't many options at their disposal. Their best option may have been Umaga, who in the next match suffered an ignominious disqualification loss at the hands of comedy jobber Santino Marella - a result which flattered neither man.
WWE should have altered the running order and booked him to use his storyline frustration to demand a crack at the ECW World Heavyweight title. This would have been a better use of his immense, still-mourned talents and a more palatable replacement for the Punk vs. Benoit clash.