WWE Gimmicks That FAILED The HARDEST Every Year (1985-2025)
14. Lord Tensai (2012)
File this one under, 'X Times WWE Threw Wrestlers To The Wolves'.
The former Albert, A-Train and Giant Bernard (over in Japan) was brought back in early-2012 and hyped beyond belief. Vignettes aired on TV warning of a samurai threat who'd dominate the competition, then word spread that it'd be a repackage job for Matt Bloom. It...did not go well.
Tensai's debut couldn't have gone much worse, to tell the truth. A rowdy crowd trolled him with chants of, "Albert! Albert! Albert!" during the Raw after WrestleMania XXVIII, and it was clear to everyone watching that the rejig was awkward and could never last. WWE lost interest in pushing it almost overnight.
The big guy did beat John Cena in an 'Extreme Rules' match weeks after his introduction, but that was where the good times stopped rolling for Tensai. He dropped the Lord bit of his name, WWE gave up on the flashier aspects of his entrance, then Bloom lost a rematch to Cena in early-June and slid right down the card as expected.
A losing streak followed, then Santino Marella began referring to Tensai as "Fat Albert". That turned the gimmick into a comedy character, so he was rethought as Brodus Clay's buddy 'Sweet T'. You really had to see it to believe it. Tensai went from beating top stars and being treated like a possible PPV main eventer to staring at the bright lights for everybody on episodes of Superstars and Main Event less than a full year after his debut.
It was a flop.