10 Times Wrestlers Dodged Career-Killing Bullets

Things were almost so very different for Chris Jericho!
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[@awkc63]

Fun fact, the CWC was designed for Zack Sabre Jr. They wanted to sign him first, but eventually, they finally heard no. When they couldn't get ZSJ, they went after Ibushi... Same thing... So TJ Perkins got it... He was the bronze medal for WWE.

[@chrismonks592]

@awkc63 I've seen zack sabre jr at rev pro. Great wrestler. Not sure if he'd do great in wwe though. Not quite got the charisma. Better of in new Japan where technical skill is more important

[@awkc63]

@@chrismonks592 He never wanted to be. Neither did Kota... But WWE tried

[@chrismonks592]

@@awkc63 Fair play to them for realising they wouldn't be used well in wwe. I'd like to see zsj in aew. I think he would do well. Wwe don't like to admit they can't always get everyone they want. Osprey turned them down and they tried to make out they didn't want him but he didn't want to go to them

[@vegetamegadisk]

Imo Gran Metalik should’ve won. He was damn near perfect the whole tournament.!

[@mikegeiler2347]

People starting to tell WWE “no” from 2015-18 was really important for wrestling as a whole

[@chrisw5654]

When are you going to cover the failed WhatCulture Pro Wrestling promotion?

[@Richothecat]

It makes me laugh how they (particularly Adam Wilburn) try blame WWE creating NXT UK for the reason what culture went under, when really they over paid certain stars and couldn't afford to continue

[@akunwanneprosper7016]

Lol, probably why some of the crew hates wwe and went for aew instead 😂 😂 😂 ​@@Richothecat

[@Richothecat]

@@akunwanneprosper7016 Yep but the funny part is if they continued when aew existed aew would hurt them too

[@danmitchell1091]

I think they are very DEFIANT about not doing a video about that 😂

[@ParticleLarry]

How long is this channel going to last ,2 million subscribers and barely gets 50,000 views for a video nowadays

[@andycain4351]

I'm not sure why but the name 'Chilly McFreeze' really makes me laugh 😂

[@TheWesterlyWarlock]

With all the stories of how bad names were pitched to talents smart enough to realize they were cheesy and not going to work, I often wonder if the truly awful stuff we saw was because the talents weren't smart enough to realize it was a rib. Like, maybe if Terry Taylor had come up with a better name, he wouldn't have had to live down that stupid Red Rooster gimmick forever...

[@brianbenoit6883]

I just keep picturing Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze in Batman and Robin.

[@BryanMccomb-sg7qw]

There needs to be a wrestler called chilly mcfreeze

[@Linkonpark100]

This was 90's WWE.

[@JohnDoe-le7ml]

Chilly McFreeze is some shit that you order from Dairy Queen.

[@BBall0027]

About Jericho's concern of being The Goon, his dad, Ted Irvine, was an NHL player in the 60's and 70's (hence why Chris was born in Manhasset, NY, as Ted was a member of the New York Rangers at the time), so that, as well as hockey being a popular stereotype of Canadians in the U.S., probably played into it. Edit: I originally referred to Ted Irvine as a "journeyman", but I checked Ted's NHL stats, and I feel like that's doing him a disservice. He spent 5 1/2 of his 11 NHL seasons with the Rangers, too much time with one team to be a true journeyman.

[@Fullvinyl]

I was a big hockey fan as a teenager (and still am today), and I stopped watching wrestling altogether for years after the "Goon" gimmick started. It's still one of the worst things I've ever seen in wrestling, and I'm not even Canadian.

[@multiyapples]

I’m glad Mankind worked out instead of Mason the Mutilator.

[@RikouHogashi]

Well Done Mick!

[@marcohavokkhaos]

Then Mankind the Mutilator, which could have worked. WWE always drops off the last name

[@jogosdiversos9757]

Like they did with Kane "The Undertaker"

[@RikouHogashi]

@@jogosdiversos9757 and thus we just got Kane as the "brother" of Undertaker instead

[@MIKELIN8]

You forget that FTR had been tweeting (for quite some time) that their 'dream' was to wrestle against The Young Bucks...while under WWE contract. That is never factored in to explain why Vince was torturing them.

[@cjhenline]

Damn. Wrestlers being wrestlers and building hype for potential dream matches on social media? Guess we should punish them for not knowing their place 🙄 Vince was absolutely out of his mind.

[@ThatDevilForrest]

That and they were shown on, I believe TNA's pay-per-view in the crowd. One of them was sitting front row and got outed under his real name. Pissed Vince off, so they got the bad gimmicks.

[@GLJosh]

Abigail vs Demon Balor still sounded like a solid match, AJ vs Demon Balor was incredible.

[@marcohavokkhaos]

AJ vs Balor saved the show. Good thing that terrible crossdresser vs demon match didn't happen.

[@dhenderson1810]

So Hulk Hogan burying AJ Styles at every opportunity wasn't the reason AJ Styles left TNA?

[@RikouHogashi]

It's all about the money in the end

[@tomseville2345]

That time he told people before the PPV that Bobby Roode wasn't winning the title at BFG 2011, as to not take away from his match/angle with Sting?

[@marcohavokkhaos]

Nah, Hogan was already gone and still had issues

[@marcohavokkhaos]

​@@tomseville2345Roode turned heel instead, after Storm won the belt. Which made no sense, Angle was already hurt.

[@WWChampion16]

RVD was almost Glacier in WCW.

[@gr8daynegb]

Gimmick might have been doomed to be outdated, but someone of rvds move set was what people would be expecting more than what they got from the guy that actually played glacier

[@tmage23]

RVD vs Kanyon would have been a lot more compelling than what they did with Ray Lloyd as Glacier

[@aericwolf]

KO made getting routinely humiliated by Braun Strowman work. He would have made the League work, too. That's just what he does.

[@dylanogg347]

"Ice Dagger" was also on the cards for Austin.

[@spoonyluv19]

Kota as a rumble entry would be pretty sweet

[@tankdiggs8974]

I believe he is hurt and still signed to AEW

[@giovannichavez3217]

“Styles would go on to say “No” to that sad 😢 contract extension..”

[@davidmacdonald1855]

So many wrestlers either get very lucky or they get their careers derailed by horrible names/gimmicks. These promotions have all these writers and creatives etc. it makes you wonder why so many ideas can be so brutal.

[@RomaroBrandon]

If AJ Styles stayed in TNA I doubt it would have been as bad as Garreth claims. A year later they merged with Global Force Wrestling which might have lasted longer if AJ Styles was there as it's champion instead Alberto El Patron. Plus he would most likely have a few more reigns as Impact and TNA World Champion, a few dream matches with The Good Brothers against Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks in 2021, apart of Wrestle House in 2020, and a backstage producer role once he decides to retire. Also I always thought Kevin Owens in the League of Nations made sense and if booked properly they could have been a dominant faction holding all the gold.

[@cliffordjackson3]

FACTS.

[@michaelneilson1736]

I honestly liked the LON

[@tankdiggs8974]

with all due respect, his NJPW has been huge for building his momentum. If he never left for Japan I doubt anything much would happened in TNA

[@LilDemonkulous]

Garrett? You mean Geff Garrett?

[@LujanSol0]

League of Nations wasn't booked properly though. They could have been but you know what happened.

[@thevampirates2310]

i can't seem to find a video of it anywhere but didn't Chris Jericho wear a Hockey Jersey a few times early in his WWF career?

[@manuelruiz4230]

Yes. I want to say either his 2000 or 2001 run. My friend has the jersey too.

[@matthewbreen1951]

No mention of the UnderGooker?

[@johndoiron9615]

Booger Red

[@grafspe807]

I have heard that they thought about doing the Mr Perfect gimic with Terrie Taylor instead of Henig . Im not sure if the red rooster thing was going Henigs way or not but things may have been different

[@marcohavokkhaos]

Kota made the right choice. Smart decision

[@TheAceOfTrace]

Ibushi DID appear at NXT post-Cruiserweight Classic. He worked NXT's first show in Los Angeles.

[@d_b_beermann]

That must have been some serious heelwork from Roberts...

[@GeneHackmansGhost]

That one time Phantasio refused to get a win over Matt Damon, guy was truly a magician because he knew if that were to happen, fans wouldn’t have believed it and his career would’ve stalled. He knew no amount of magic can believably work on Matt Damon in that era.

[@nigel_saxon]

Chris Jericho would've made "The Goon" gimmick work.

[@LordDeBahs]

The Goon VS Orange . miasma match . he already earned that title long time ago

[@tomseville2345]

🎵"Who would've thought? That I, FINN! THE PUMP-KIN KING! Would grow so tired of the same old thing?"🎵 🎃🎄🤣🤣

[@DavidYesUCan]

Wow tell me you hate WWE without telling me you hate WWE 😂😂😂

[@garymaidman625]

Ikr, he loves NJPW and AEW and hates WWE. He's one of them.

[@Chillwave6]

nah its just wwe needs specific kind of people sometimes. for example the kota ibushi case was a fair point. there's also other cases here where it makes sense for the people to join. i haven't seen many other videos though so idk how much shots has wcw here taken at them

[@bury_the_elite65294]

Is his real name Gareth Meltzer?

[@Dr_1212]

Goofy wrestling for life

[@lukereker3298]

What Culture buys bots now?

[@gregwelsh2985]

Out of everyone on your roster, why would you try and cut AJ Styles salary? Aside from the fact that he was a loyal TNA guy through and through, he was the greatest wrestler in the world at the time. AJ Styles still is in the top 5 greatest even now at 46 years old. They could have made SO much more money capitalizing on AJ Styles' skill set, and character. Oh, TNA.....if you made sense, nobody would care.

[@ryannewberry3845]

The Goon would've been champion no doubt

[@marcohavokkhaos]

Irvine and Irwin as The Goon, interesting. So glad Sister Abigail match never went through.

[@Aaron-io8vw]

Some context for why Jericho believes he likely would have been given the goon gimmick is his father was a NHL hockey player of the New York Rangers and several other teams.

[@tomseville2345]

And what name did Vince give Terry Gordy (ex-Freebird) upon his WWF signing as a bodyguard for Mankind and Paul Bearer in '96? The damned *Executioner*... 🤣🤣🤦‍♂🤦‍♂

[@greghuffman3061]

you always hear about how dangerous the fans were back in the day here, like that guy who pulled a gun on jake, but has any wrestler died by gun?

[@c.johnweir182]

Well technically the Young Bucks were in WWE for a small period of time and then they left.

[@c.johnweir182]

I have a Young Bucks shirt when they were in WWE for a small period of time.

[@brianbenoit6883]

I don't remember them. Who are they?

[@georgeblangfordjr.1771]

I cannot believe Chris Jericho almost became the the hockey theme gimmick wrestler known as the Goon, just because Chris Jericho is a son of a Hockey Player

[@chrisbuttonshaw2088]

mid-90s WWF was NOT creative.

[@zanethind]

I wish Ibushi signed with WWE and stayed in NXT. Hopefully one day he joins the company since Trips and HBK has been fire. I hope Ibushi becomes a full time star with the WWE one day

[@MaritimeMaverick]

I still laugh to myself at the thought of Stone Cold Steve Austin sitting down with his wife for a cup of tea Obviously he is not his character but if you think of him doing it in character it’s hilarious

[@jerryjanik480]

Either this year Anarchy in the arena match or last year's Anarchy in the arena match against versus the BCC

[@zanethind]

My favourite Elite match is the one that they had with Death Triangle well one of them at least

[@distemic]

You said punk almost fought sister Abigail but didn’t mention it at all

[@DonsStudios]

*pumpkin

[@erikgorn]

As folly would recall on a hot one’s appearance? Someone didn’t read Mankind’s book apparently

[@tomseville2345]

Mick told the Austin "Chilly McFreeze" story there, too; Gareth and WC Wrestling late to the party...

[@tobiaswilliamson00]

Part of the reason AJ Styles was offered a contract with a 60% paycut was because this was 2013 heading into 2014, back when things started to go south for TNA. Keep in mind that not too many people in TNA at that point were also going to receive a paycut like AJ. Styles may have been a company man, but he was a family man of value first and foremost. Having to accept a 60% paycut after all someone like AJ Styles did for that company is BS.

[@trevorfinley2327]

I standby the goon being a good idea that Jericho or a matt riddle could have pulled off if done correctly

[@johndoiron9615]

Stunning Steve Austin was a better name than any of the ice-related ones.

[@BrottenGuy]

Fun Fact (& a dash of irony), about Austin’s “Stone Cold” moniker: STEVE is actually the one, who misunderstood Kuklinski’s “Iceman” nickname. Makes me wonder if Austin was even paying ATTENTION, to that HBO documentary. Because Kuklinski’s name wasn’t NOT given to him because he’s “cold-blooded”, “has life in his veins”, or anything like that. It was, in FACT “temperature-related”. He was titled that because a couple or few of his victims, one very famous one in particular, were found two YEARS after their disappearance, in the exact same clothes they were last seen wearing, but with very little decay & decomposition. He, in fact, FROZE the corpse(s) & dumped them at a later time & place. It was a genius plan, to throw the cops off his trail. They KNEW the body had been frozen almost immediately, after ceasing to live. But, all other evidence is gone. Anyway..:some of those names McMahon & his crew came up with might have actually been but closer to Kuklinksy’s actual moniker. Now, I’m not saying that would have been BETTER, especially in WRESTLING. I’m just saying…Austin took it as “cold-blooded killer”, when it reality…it really DID derive from actual “ice”.

[@brianbenoit6883]

You might need a new COMPUTER because it seems your CAPS LOCK key keeps getting STUCK.

[@JSI82]

I think both Ibushi and Omega are so good they’d have shined in WWE anyway. The Bucks too, at least on NXT.

[@bury_the_elite65294]

The Dumb Bucks would have been a massive failure on WWE. Just like they are at being EVPs, and, frankly, wrestlers. They try to wrestle like Demolition or the Wild Samoans, when they're a pair of little pissants who would get beaten up by a pre-school girl. But hey, Senile Dave & Tony both love them, so that's all that matters, right?

[@tomseville2345]

Imagine if The Elite guys HAD signed with WWE in 2023; they wouldn't have got Punk back THEN, and it HAS been good going THUS FAR, despite injuries...

[@jckorn9148]

So many have admitted that Vince want's their ideas, their own input. If you're just so scared to freaking stand up for yourself, at all, don't expect much.

[@P3TER_Official23]

Shoutout to Jake "The Snake" If I was sh*t at a wrestling event, I would be paranoid ever event going forward and hence couldn't give my absolute best during matches

[@industryvince4587]

Kenny going to wwe over aew would have e made him a bigger star

[@tjizzle8155]

Aj looks funny without that beard

[@tomseville2345]

Sheamus survived the LoN...

[@marcohavokkhaos]

Texas and gun, shocking

[@Foo-oo-oo-oolsGold89]

FTR and Legends just doesnt compute 😂

[@akunwanneprosper7016]

What happened to WCPW?

[@davidpykee]

Sorry the goon ???? 😂😂😂

[@TranceMasterJack]

Spoons. The spoons

[@DFloyd84]

Might have been Vince or Bruce riffing on Chris's dad being New York Rangers player Ted Irvine.

[@timfrederick9305]

Fang Mc Frost and Chilly Mcfreeze was terrible names.Funny but wouldn’t work in a major company.However Otto Von Ruthless should still be considered for future talents

[@jaybee4288]

I’ve always found Revival/FTR incredibly bland. A clown gimmick may have been entertaining but sadly I don’t think they’re naturally funny/enthusiastic enough to have pulled it off anyway so it’s probably for the best. Let them pretend to be tough guys in AEW, they’re happy like that.

[@akunwanneprosper7016]

What about WCPW??

[@ArunPhagura-sk5im]

Baron Corbin almost became Angry Corbin after Happy Corbin but turned it down

[@donaldbenjamin8342]

To me, I don't see FaRT, i mean ftr 😂 as tough. They have always been a joke to me.

[@kdxtreme7479]

Nice

[@chrishollister80]

People really need to stop calling Vince McMahon a genius. So many of his ideas were ignorant and only meant to amuse himself, singularly. If it weren't for guys like Pat Patterson, Jim Ross, Jim Cornette, and a few others, Vince would have made the WWF/E dumb af. Look at what happened when Ross left and Patterson died and Vince was left on his own.

[@bury_the_elite65294]

Well, you stop calling Meltzer a journalist then. Because he's just a pathetic fan-boy, like his boyfriend Tony The Snowman. BTW, how are AEW's ratings going compared to WWE's? [cue crickets chirping]

[@chrishollister80]

@@bury_the_elite65294not sure how you got anything related to AEW from what I said, but sure, I guess. 🫤

[@AFMountaineer2000]

Why would anyone take a 60% pay deduction?

[@TheLerm]

Lets talk about Heatwave!!!

[@stevengrvp]

Yes the ending was great

[@housethegrate6093]

Grilly McCheese

[@marcohavokkhaos]

TNA screwed themselves when they let AJ go. Should have gave him a pay raise, but I guess they couldn't afford anyone anymore.

[@brianbenoit6883]

So how did 'the elite?', FTR, Kota Ibushi dodge bullets by going on to never be heard from again??? Jericho would have been fine...Just look at fake diesel / Isaac Yankem / Kane or Blacktop Bully / Repo Man / Smash. Owens also would have been fine. After all he survived his Mr. U.S.A. gimmick.

[@nowtheworld138]

4:12 oh stop it

[@dylanogg347]

04:45: "Degenerating-X" at that point.

[@BewleyUK9]

Really WhatCulture? This is the guy you willingly employ to do voiceover work on your videos? I know KZbinrs aren't exactly Hollywood actors but at least choose people who don't make us want to stick lit matches into our ears.

[@Scooty_Scooty]

Kenny Omega failed in WWE developmental and the Young Bucks got destroyed by Miz and Morrison in WWE.

[@juanhernandez-nz1nd]

Pumpkin balor😂

[@panthierjohn9008]

The elite career is already dead

[@Jamal-bl7yh]

Not a Wrestler But I Did Dodge a Bullet By not watching all of Lucha Underground continuing my Lengthy MMA run In Bellator MMA 2013-2020 to be exact

[@jbtxiv1892]

AEW never was as ''revolutionary'' as you try to make it look.

[@l-wolverine2211]

Except that the “elite” are all AEW: An Emotional Wrecks, and Jericho is a Goon in AEW

[@jasondouglas152]

All those old stupid gimmick ls have bruce prichard written all over them

[@PennyDreadfulllXIII]

Well for is lame and honestly turning them into a meme would be best.

[@crazycountryboy8941]

hhh ruins EVERYBODY

[@eljermo]

Losing matches in scripted pro wrestling only equals 'burial' to ridiculous marks like the revival and British KZbinrs

[@andycg2]

I turn off every video with this guy as I can't stand the way he says "uh" at the end of every sentence. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but his delivery means I can't watch these videos.

[@faceSSScase3]

None

[@ArunPhagura-sk5im]

Cm Punk almost joined the Shield

[@dhenderson1810]

That wouldn't have been a misstep though.

[@dismothafuka405]

A year before Austin became stone cold there was a movie named stone cold.

[@betterthanumjf]

What they did to ftr is the reason why noone should watch wwe

[@lildevil7786]

the not so elite cant wrestle

[@hazardtriplezero]

first

[@DavidTUTD]

FTR and The Elite dodged a bullet, but then decided to roll around in a minefield, no aura at all (speaking with hindsight)

[@HaHaHaYouFool9439]

Gkad the young buks didnt go to the wwe. They suck and dont put on a good match. I dont understand how they have fans.

[@rulerofall015]

Alternative Title: Times WWE wanted to intentionally destroy careers or kill their momentum😂😂

[@SaintPhoenixx]

It's baffling how Vince didn't bankrupt the WWE. How can someone be so out of touch with reality

[@stingrey1571]

Wwe succeeded in spite of Vince and not because of him.

[@dhenderson1810]

​@@stingrey1571 There would be no WWF to begin with without Vince McMahon, you disrespectful prick.

[@satoshiserena4843]

Once WWE became a public company that would mean it would thrive despite Vince’s awful decisions. Index funds would make WWE Too Big to Fail.

[@craigcarlock8910]

Mick foley is one of the smartest guys in the business he was very smart to say no to Vince

[@KHLB516]

When did Omega and Bucks become stars? They changed business forever? The business losing money and selling 2k tix a clip, how that changing the business?

[@sushanthmanapragada325]

FTR should not have resigned

[@dionmorray5933]

What an anti wwe video, don’t forget the amount of wrestlers who’s careers wouldn’t have been killed by being buried by the elite and bushy wouldn’t be practically paralyzed if he worked in a safe environment.

[@stlfatman]

How is this anti WWE? You do know these people are fans right? Name one wrestler whose career was hurt by the Elite. Go ahead, take your time...

[@fordid42]

Dude, the only careers The Elite are burying are their own, I know they play favorites but it's not actually really worked out so well for them, has it?

[@darrelladams4188]

Foreshadowing:; y2j ., many might say he is the goon currently in AEW

[@yadielenielbellecolon982]

Thank For the Top 10 Video 🧾🙊🤯🤼‍♂️🥰😎🤩😍💐🌟🥇🏆😇🙏🏿🕊️✝️💟☮️🛐♾️🤗👍🏿🛡️👑💖🤍🌟🥇🏆