Main Event Pushes That Shouldn't Have Happened.
 

Ok, after reading STD's thread about favorite RR Title matches, I got to thinking about how bad some of those matches were. Not so much because of the people involved, but also because the terrible build and storylines involving them. 2003 for example, saw HHH defend the title against Scott Steiner. Another example was Hardcore Holly going against Lesnar. I mean, did either of those guys really ever have a chance? Did either even deserve a chance at a main event push? I know there have been other guys in the past who were given main event pushes that went absolutely nowhere, so I want your thoughts on this TPWW. Who are some guys in the WWE, past or present who have been given main event pushes that should have never really had the chance.

Main Event Pushes that Shouldn't Have Been:

Hardcore Holly
Scott Steiner (disputeable)
Mark Henry
Vladimir Kozlov
Mabel
"The One" Billy Gunn
The Great Khali
Test (disputeable)
Jeff Jarrett
David Arquette
Bubba Ray Dudley
Jack Swagger (disputeable)

To be fair, everybody jizzed their pants when Steiner debuted. Steiner just dropped the ball. Oh, and add Mabel to the list, as much as I love Viscera.

Yeah, I forgot about him. Him and Billy Gunn were really the only KotR winners who did nothing. Regal doesn't count as much because he fucked himself over there.

Can't really put Steiner in that list because he was the man in WCW, so his initial push to the main event was the right thing, he was just a muscled cripple by the time he was in WWE.

You've got the ones I'd name off the top of my head though. Road Warrior Animal from the back end of WCW?

To me, Steiner is like Test. Both guys COULD have done good, but they both kind of just dropped the ball. I suppose Test could be added to the list, but did he ever even get a main event push aside from an ECW Title match against Bobby Lashley that he walked out on?

Steiner was in the main event of WCW for about a year and a half though and rightly so. Roid rages on the mic were gold.

WWE
"The One" Billy Gunn
"Great" Khali
JBL
Ken Shamrock

Shamrock should have been up there longer for me. Was my face guy during that period.

Fuck. How did I forget Khali? Good eye there DttS.

DTTS I'm going to punch you for saying JBL. Highest workrate in WWE history.

No, he really didn't. His run on ECW was as close as he got.

I always liked Test. He just didn't get over enough to warrant a main event push.

That's what I figured too. He could have been a main event guy, but to me, it felt like he just didn't give a shit.

Shut the hell up.

JBL carried Smackdown for months on his massive and entertaining hat.

OH, A-Train. He may be awesome now, but he wasn't during his push on Smackdown.

Well, I thought he main evented a PPV. Maybe I imagined it.

I guess you have to say Swagger was a bit of a flop.

Test? When did he get a legit ME push outside of ECW?

That's a good list.

Steiner really wasn't main event material IMO. He got a main event push in the last 6 months of WCW's run because there wasn't a whole lot of talent left that wasn't totally stale, and because the bookers were too afraid to say "no" when Steiner demanded to be pushed.

Jack Swagger's push is kinda weird. He cut some awesome promo's and seemed to be getting over, but for some reason the WWE cut his push.

If you wanna count WCW than add Ronnie Garvin and Ron Simmons. Neither were very over and both dropped their belts pretty quick.

It was a bit longer than 6 months, and he got a massive reactions when he debuted at MSG when he killed Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore. Steiner fucked up his own push in the WWE by having awful matches that killed the crowd, and being it's the WWE and you can get away from not being the best wrestler, it had to be bad. Steiner failed miserably living up to expectations.

more like SNORE-RATE!

Hahaha give me your address!!!!!

Going to say this...don't try to stop me.

Jeff Jarrett.

Didn't deserve to win the TNA World Title.

Lol well he help create the company, but he's WCW run. Yeah. Not good.

I disagree with Test & Billy Gunn..... they deserved a shot

Dolph Ziggler

Dolph needs to drop Vickie before I can decide either way. Willl his heat stay? Probably, but not to the level that it is.

Feel Dolph's main-event push is deserved more than most of the guys on the list, frankly.

I don't see this as a main event push for Dolph. I'm okay with them doing throw away title matches on the Rumble. It lets them try out upper midcarders in the main event without worrying about losing much interest, because the Rumble match is what draws.

That said, I hope Dolph comes out well after this match and continues his rise. I expect him to have a good program into Mania and to hold the title by SummerSlam, and I'll be happy with it I'm sure. But I couldn't buy him walking out with the title at the Rumble.

NWA/WCW:
Ronnie Garvin
The Barbarian - I seem to recall this guy actually got a few world title shots when he first came to WCW
Jimmy Valiant - They pushed this old has been to the moon in the mid 80's as The Boogie Woogie Man


ECW:
Justin Credible - shoulda never won the belt as he is awful
The Bruise Brothers - Ron and Don Harris
Terry Gordy - He was awful by the time he came to ECW in '96


AWA:
Otto Wanz - This guy was actually AWA World Champ at one time

LEX LUGER

Fuck I wish they would have pushed Test.

Lex sucked in the ring but was a draw and was mega-over at one time.

:y:

Arquette....

I don't think Shamrock deserves to be mentioned. He was over from almost the moment he debuted, and seemed to just be a victim of being in an already crowded mid and upper mid card.

My pick for this list is Jeff Jarrett in WCW. He went over there and almost instantly inserted into the main event despite not even being close to such in WWE.

Rey Mysterio, at the time he won the belt, should not have been a main eventer. I get why it was done, I get that he was and has been legit over enough to do it, but the way they went about it was sad. It's like the moment Eddie passed, WWE made it their mission to put the belt on him, and once they did, they made it look like a fluke. The way they booked it the second time around was much, much better.

Lol, goes without saying.

I was not mad at Mark Henrys push. He never got the title so it didnt make me hate him...