WWE's 12 Fails Of Christmas

9. Wade Barrett Takes A Back Seat - Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2010

Paul Heyman December to Dismember Facepalm
WWE.com

Similar to another midcarder's firm dismissal from the main event in 2009 (more on that later), this destruction of Wade Barrett by John Cena at TLC 2010 was humbling and humiliating for the Brit star who had rocked the entire company for much of the calendar year.

A weak brawl booked with half an eye on comedy, the final battle between the two fierce rivals featured demeaning spots such as Cena knocking Barrett about on an office chair and throwing water in his face, with Wade having little opportunity to even gain a foothold in the contest.

At the finish, Cena decisively flattened Wade with an AA through 6 chairs before literally burying him underneath hundreds more from the TLC staging area in a horrible damp squib of an ending to the show, the year, and any burning embers of domination by The Nexus.

There have been many words written about the litany of failures in the rapid ascent and descent of the group, but as a coda to the whole mess WWE made of the angle, this match proved a tragically fitting climax.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett