3. The Wild Card Dooms Sycho Sid - Survivor Series 1995
In 1995, WWE was suffering from a decided lack of star power. Mabel someone deemed to be a main event heel while main event matches pitting heavyweight champion Diesel against "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith had tanked both financially and critically. Meanwhile, floating around the midcard was Sycho Sid, a big man with a strong character and a presence about him that screamed "star." While his devotion to softball left him somewhat unreliable throughout a portion of the year, he was still an incredibly valuable asset to the company. That is why it is all the more interesting that WWE opted to use him as ineffectively as possible late in 1995 as they did. Rather than allowing him to hang around the main event scene, as they would a year later when they realized the star they had, they saddled him in Ted DiBiase's Corporation and stuck him in the mess that was the company's midcard. At the Survivor Series, the company booked the first-ever Wildcard elimination tag match, pairing heels with babyfaces and friends with enemies. It was an intriguing way to freshen up the Survivor Series tag match concept and one that drummed up a great deal of interest from fans. In that match, Sid teamed with Shawn Michaels, Ahmed Johnson and the British Bulldog to take on Dean Douglas, Owen Hart, Yokozuna and Razor Ramon. By the end of the contest, Sid was the only member of the victorious team to have been eliminate, the victim of an errant Sweet Chin Music by Michaels. Sure, he retaliated with a powerbomb but, with that booked into the match already, was it necessary for him to be eliminated at all? Could he not have dropped his rival with the vicious, bone-crushing powerbomb and walked out, being counted out rather than being the only person on his team pinned? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdNX-2XUngc At December's In Your House, Sid would team with the 1-2-3 Kid in a losing effort against Razor Ramon and Marty Jannetty. By the time that outcome was reached, he was of no use to the company for nearly six months. When he returned in the summer of 1996, Vince McMahon and company recognized the error of their ways and pushed Sid as a legitimate main event star,
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.
