Biggest downgrades ever

[westlondonmist]

Maybe a fall from grace rather than downgrade but King Kong Bundy WrestleMania. At 2 he was the monster heel against Hogan, injuring his ribs in the process, at 3 he was in a 6 man tag against Hillbilly Jim and some minis. 

[The Reverend]

6 hours ago, westlondonmist said:

Maybe a fall from grace rather than downgrade but King Kong Bundy WrestleMania. At 2 he was the monster heel against Hogan, injuring his ribs in the process, at 3 he was in a 6 man tag against Hillbilly Jim and some minis. 

This is one of those that slightly annoy me, and is always used as the ultimate in sliding off the scale 

Although yes, it was definitely a comedown for Bundy from the previous year it wasn't quite him completely hitting the skids. In November 87 and January 88 he's main eventing against Hogan for the title on back-to-back SNME's.

WMIII may have been a drop in Bundy's standing, but the big question is who else he could've matched against - defintely not a singles encounter with Hillbilly Jim (the horror!) and by that time Bundy was not quite as good in the ring (the later matches didn't matter too much as Hogan just needed a big, lumbering bulk to do his usual schtick with)

I'm not sure how much he got paid for his WMIII match, but for a quick, simple and low effort match I bet it was worth it. Slightly embarassing for him? Maybe, but Bundy was done as being a big star after that cage match the previous year, and as he ended up with those two SNME matches it didn't do him too much harm. 

[westlondonmist]

43 minutes ago, The Reverend said:

This is one of those that slightly annoy me, and is always used as the ultimate in sliding off the scale 

Although yes, it was definitely a comedown for Bundy from the previous year it wasn't quite him completely hitting the skids. In November 87 and January 88 he's main eventing against Hogan for the title on back-to-back SNME's.

WMIII may have been a drop in Bundy's standing, but the big question is who else he could've matched against - defintely not a singles encounter with Hillbilly Jim (the horror!) and by that time Bundy was not quite as good in the ring (the later matches didn't matter too much as Hogan just needed a big, lumbering bulk to do his usual schtick with)

I'm not sure how much he got paid for his WMIII match, but for a quick, simple and low effort match I bet it was worth it. Slightly embarassing for him? Maybe, but Bundy was done as being a big star after that cage match the previous year, and as he ended up with those two SNME matches it didn't do him too much harm. 

I'm sure he did get paid well for it all but it's amazing really. I also get thst wrestling was different then and how and why Hogan's opponents were chosen. I suppose you could look at it as the feud was more Hogan vs Heenan and Bundy was just the guy to take the fall. Also it was essentially him being fodder to Hogan and useful due to size but what was there to post that. 

[Carbomb]

I still think Bundy could've been at the top a bit longer - he was only thirty in 1987, he can't have been that done, surely? And he was always a much underrated promo. 

[wandshogun09]

If we’re talking Bundy and downgrades, I’ve said it before but he lost all his monster aura for me when he came back in the mid 90s with eyebrows.

Beast Bundy from the 80s. The best version. With Heenan, challenging Hogan, bullying midgets, no eyebrows. 

Shit Bundy from 1994/95. Part of a rotten Million Dollar Corporation with a checked out Adidas Ted, doing nothing of note and was gone again in less than a year. Went from looking legitimately terrifying in the above 80s pic, to a giant egg/ugly baby who didn’t seem intimidating at all. I’m blaming the eyebrows. 

[BarryOVega]

21 hours ago, westlondonmist said:

I know Mayhem isn't held in high regard, although I had fun with it. I think it was the basis to make a good game (not played in donkey's though). It was followed with Backstage Assault which was fucking awful. 

The collision detection actually worked on Backstage Assault though, if it’d worked on Mayhem it’d have been a decent game, it had a great roster and everyone’s themes, which was a massive bonus in ‘99

[The Gaffer]

On 5/20/2026 at 11:11 AM, RedTwoster said:

WWE Smackdown from 2003 to 2004 post-roster shuffle was one hell of a downgrade.

In 2003 they had Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, John Cena, The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Chris Benoit, Big Show and Team Angle/WGTT leading the cards.

In 2004, you had JBL (who I admittedly kind of liked), Rene Dupree, Heidenreich, Mordecai, Kenzo Suzuki, Luther Reigns, Mark Jindrak, Orlando Jordan and many more duds absolutely stinking up their programming. It was a bleak time to watch Sky One on a Saturday morning.

2004 Smackdown is so dark as well - which is the worst thing possible for lovely, fun wrestling remorselessly, constantly being.

I remember reading WWE's publicised earning/metric reports you could just swipe from their corporate website (remember that?) and they intentionally touted Smackdown as having 'urban appeal' (Read: Large Hispanic audience, Guerrero and Rey consistently spotlighted etc) in the early days of the brand split, but from 2004 - 2005 they seemed to intentionally take that into the realm of sort of late 80s/early 90s heavy gimmicking, only without the charisma of that era's stars to pull it off, a time period that didn't ask for it, and a proper downbeat energy. 

Off the top of my head:

- Heidenreich becoming a schizotypal poet who uses chloroform to knock people out, culminating in that Michael Cole all time low scene. 

- Matt Morgan having a stuttering gimmick.

- Muhammad Hassan as an ugly on air reflection of Patriot Act paranoia. 

- Jillian Hall having a growth on her face. 

- Angle, Booker T and Big Show all becoming more paranoid, dreary versions of their own characters .

- Paul Bearer being murdered on air by being drowned in cement. 

- Carlito's buddy Jesus stabbing John Cena. 

- The rest of the undercard being full of interchangeable, cynical, 'smash mouth' combinations of Hardcore Holly, Luther Reigns etc. 

As @LaGoosh alluded to as well, Attitude Era gets the low-brow press, but the Ruthless Aggression era is peaked unchallenged mad bastard sandbox. It's the "We have to run this angle because Vince finds it gratifying" era. 

[LaGoosh]

5 minutes ago, The Gaffer said:

Angle, Booker T and Big Show all becoming more paranoid, dreary versions of their own characters

Angle becoming obsessed with raping Booker T's wife was certainly a choice.

[RedTwoster]

41 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

Angle becoming obsessed with raping Booker T's wife was certainly a choice.

And there was that promo where he used the word ‘bestiality’ in that context, making it even worse. A promo, if you watch it back, that sounds like it could have been delivered word-for-word from one of Vince McMahon’s text messages. How coincidental. 

[TheScarlettChad]

Vince alledgedly didn't know the difference between Beastial and Beastality. And when he was told there is a difference, he said "No there's not." That whole Kurt as a sex pest thing was odd. One that is forgotten is him, walking into the showers of Joy Giovanni I think? In his tight green speedos, and playing with his nipples. He didn't know it was her, but he assumed it was the other manager for JBL that he was sex pesting on. 

[Dai]

Have to take the opposite point of view on Bundy. Does he really look legitimately terrifying in the 80s, or like a giant man baby? Never thought of him as a Bruiser Brody level of scary looking. With or without eye brows, its the same for me!

[Chico Torres]

It’s an upgrade from his original look

[SoloJones]

2 hours ago, Chico Torres said:

It’s an upgrade from his original look

A regular Tony Blackburn there.

[TheScarlettChad]

He reminds me of Kevin James 

[Carbomb]

3 hours ago, LaGoosh said:

Angle becoming obsessed with raping Booker T's wife was certainly a choice.

 

2 hours ago, RedTwoster said:

And there was that promo where he used the word ‘bestiality’ in that context, making it even worse. A promo, if you watch it back, that sounds like it could have been delivered word-for-word from one of Vince McMahon’s text messages. How coincidental. 

Let us not forget the added layer of racism referring to "jungle sex".