It's a well documented fact that the WWF and WWE have completely missed the mark when it comes to some of the gimmicks and talented wrestlers that have come and gone. Here are just a few examples of when that happened.

Right to Censor:

The very cult like Right to Censor family picture
image source "metalarcade.net"

If there is one thing we can all agree on, it's that none of us want to be told what they can an't say. The Right to Censor gimmick ended before it was allowed to get any real momentum. The stable consisted of their leader Steven Richards, Ivory (who was women's champ), Val Venis, The God Father...GOOD Father, and Bull Buchanan. You're probably thinking "This does not look like a group of wrestlers that could carry the the WWF". You'd be right and wrong all at once. Individually, they aren't consistent main event stars. Together, they could have been hall of fame worthy heels. Steven Richards on the microphone was beyond annoying and got as much heat from the crowd as any heel. He could have led this team and became a world champion just like Seth Rollins did when he had J and J Security. No way he wins his matches clean, but all that would have done is add to the fans tuning in hoping to see someone knock their teeth down their throats.

Everything about Richards character was annoying. The standard hair cut, the high-water hemmed pants showing off the white sox, the cold, dead and cult like eyes when he spoke, the promos were amazing, and then the music was so annoying that even if you liked him you couldn't help but boo when he came to the ring or won a match. Richards more than likely would have had Buchanan in his corner if not him and the Good Father (Buchanan and The Good Father were tag team champions for a little over a month). Those are two really big guys helping you out. To make things better, Richards is great at making anyone he's up against look amazing in the ring. He would have more than likely taken a beating more than he actually gave a beating, but it all would have worked out in the end. So much so that it looks like the WWF had the same idea. In the "No Mercy" video game, Steven Richards was in the main event in the game.

Then there was Ivory. Ivory was exactly what she was supposed to be during this time. She was just a self righteous woman's champ who was everything that strong women hated. She felt like women should be home bare foot and cooking and taking care of their husband. She got the poop beat out of her every night and found a way to win (Ivory was WWF Women's Champion for 152 days before losing it to Chyna).

This team should have owned the WWF at that time. Ok. That was enough of that. Dropping the mic.

Mark Henry's Reign of Pain:

When Mark Henry was champ it was a guarentee that somebody was "'bout to get their @$$ kicked!!!"
image source "attackofthefanboy.com"

Paul Heyman said that Mark Henry using a headlock could be an effective finishing move and he was 100% correct. For crying out loud he was the world's strongest man! His reign as World Champion was dominant and that is exactly what Mark Henry should have been for years. For years he was just used as a stepping stone for people to slam to show how strong they are or to beat to prove how crafty they were to beat a man that strong. No. Just no. Once a man of that size gets his hands on you that should be the end of it. That isn't to say that all of his matches should have been like Goldberg in WCW, but he should have had more than just a few months of total destruction as world champ. No nice guy Mark Henry. Mean, angry, and hate filled.

Most fans would say he would have needed a manager like Paul Heyman or a valet like Lana to do the talking for him in order for this to work. That wouldn't be needed at all. Mark Henry is very articulate and more than capable of cutting his own promos and talk his own trash. The fact that he can talk on his own means that he is backing up his own words and not the words of someone else. Hearing him come out and talking about his "Hall of Pain" should have been as big a tag as Orton with Legend Killer. His reign was cut way too short. But at least he was given the opportunity.


Dolph Ziggler:

Survivor Series 2014. Team Cena was down to John Cena and Dolph Ziggler and BOOM! Cena has been eliminated. It was down to Luke Harper, Kane, and Seth Rollins. It looked like that was it for Team Cena with Ziggler out numbered 3 to 1. Then BOOM, Kane is eliminated with the Zig Zag! BAM, Harper is out with a roll-up. Now the numbers are even. And with Sting evening the odds when Triple H stepped in, Ziggler beat the odds. The weeks to follow, it looked like maybe The WWE was listening to the fans and he would win the Royal Rumble. Ziggler was going to get that push ever WWE fan wanted him to have for years. And we were all wrong. Ziggler ended up in stupid feuds for the next few months and is completely out of the WWE Title race and lost every bit of momentum that he had been building up.

Of the three, this one is easily the most befuddling. There is no reason why the WWE should continue to drop the ball with Ziggler over and over again. The fans absolutely LOVE him. He puts people over in his matches. He has no problem jobbing to people. And, here's the kicker, Ziggler is a two time World Champion. So he has the ability to take the ball and run with it. It's honestly embarrassing that after the many runs he's had and admiration he receives from the fans that Ziggler still isn't "The Man".

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Mark Lynch
Comic Books, movies, and TV. Enjoy the shenanigans and all the awesomeness.