Every WWE Gimmick Match And The Wrestlers That Defined Them

20. ...On A Pole Match - Bayley

The Undertaker HIAC
WWE.com

The trademark of Vince Russo, WWE's experiments with the gimmick were equally brainless. The ...On A Pole Match is sh*tty by default. The most damaging version yet of a stip that is invariably unnecessary was far worse than that.

The Bayley character was ruined for years, plural, by the events of June 4, 2017, in which she was portrayed as a laughably ineffective wallflower. Was she too afraid, or too noble, to use the kendo stick? She was too stupid, ultimately. This, to frame it in a way Russo might understand, was Pygmalion Swerved; the match ostracised Bayley as a feature character, and defined the main roster's mistreatment of it.

The ...On A Pole Match is a ladder match without the dramatic danger of the climb, nor the invention the ladder affords. It is awful, and it made everybody think Bayley was awful.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!