In early 2020, the WWE Network rolled out a series dedicated to the Ruthless Aggression Era. The show highlighted how nostalgia and hindsight can shed a positive light on things. Though much of the era following Attitude was derided at the time, it is easier to look back now at the rise of stars like John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Batista through rose-colored glasses.
There were a number of rivalries from the Ruthless Era period that are best left forgotten, however. This article takes a look back at 10 particularly bad ones that WWE is in no hurry to remind us of.
10 Triple H Vs. Eugene
Eugene was a fun enough novelty act, as he fully embraced his mentally impaired gimmick to be unique, if borderline offensive at times. The character was interesting enough to warrant a push which ultimately led him all the way to a program with Triple H.
There’s merit to an inveterate main event guy working an up-and-comer to give him the rub and maybe teach him a thing or two in the ring. However, when The Game faced Eugene it felt like an oddball pairing from the start, pairing one of the company’s most serious and decorated acts with what had largely been a comedy gimmick. In theory, the two sides might have balanced each other out and simultaneously added some levity to Triple H and some credibility to Eugene. In practice, the rivalry was awkward before Helmsley put away the newer star in decisive fashion.
9 CM Punk Vs. Big Daddy V
CM Punk rose to the top of ECW, and WWE needed heels to challenge him. The idea of casting Punk as the plucky underdog against a super heavyweight wasn’t necessarily bad. Big Daddy V wasn’t the ideal candidate for the role, though.
Big Daddy V had already worn out his credibility quite thoroughly in the roles of Mabel and Viscera. He didn’t even have much time away for even casual fans to conceivably forget about him before being repackaged as Big Daddy V. The feud with Punk highlighted how the big man’s body had deteriorated and there wasn’t much The Straight Edge Superstar could do with him. Both wrestlers looked bad in the end—V for his dwindling capabilities in the ring, and Punk for nonetheless struggling to muster offense against his much bigger opponent.
8 Shelton Benjamin Vs. Kerwin White
When a veteran performer gets a major repackaging, it can be a sign of big things to come and a major push. When Chavo Guerrero Jr. transformed into a golf playing caricature of a wealthy white man it was strange, potentially offensive, and did nothing to further his status in the company.
White feuded with Shelton Benjamin in a thoroughly mid-card feud with uncomfortable racial undertones. Perhaps worst of all, they traded wins in a way that didn’t elevate either guy, but rather seemed to more firmly plant both performers in the middle of the shuffle. Mercifully, WWE would drop the White gimmick after a few months after the tragic passing of Chavo’s uncle Eddie.
7 Torrie Wilson Vs. Dawn Marie
The premise of a wrestling program between two people who aren’t really trained wrestlers has some limitations out of the gate. The Ruthless Aggression Era had some legitimate female wrestlers in their prime, like Trish Stratus, Lita, and Molly Holly, but also saw WWE keep one foot in the world of booking attractive women against each other for a cheap pop.
Torrie Wilson vs. Dawn Marie was the epitome of that lackluster dynamic, made worse by WWE forcing a storyline line in which Marie seduced Wilson’s father. Things escalated further when the old man died on account of over exertion. The pay off? A predictably terrible climactic match between these two at Royal Rumble 2003.
6 The Undertaker Vs. Heidenreich
The Ruthless Aggression Era saw The Undertaker move in and out of the main event picture. While featured on top, he had some excellent outings, including strong matches with Batista and Brock Lesnar. Removed from the title picture, though, this patch of The Dead Man’s WWE tenure was uneven to say the least, including a bad feud with Heidenreich.
With an impressive wrestling body and a crazed look, it’s understandable why WWE would try to push Heidenreich. However, he never came across as a believable threat challenging The Phenom, and didn’t have the skill to put on very good matches in the process.
5 Steve Austin Vs. Jonathan Coachman
Fall 2005 saw Steve Austin enter a feud with commentator Jonathan Coachman. The story was built around Stone Cold standing up for Jim Ross and his place at the broadcast table.
There was an extent to which the Austin-Coachman issue offered The Rattlesnake a feud that would involve limited physicality, and thus made sense, but it felt like a huge step down and misuse of an icon. Accounts vary as to whether Austin backed out of the match due to injury or creative differences. Regardless, Batista wound up taking Austin’s place in the blow off match at Taboo Tuesday.
4 The Boogeyman Vs. JBL
The Boogeyman had a strange run in WWE. As an over the top, mystical character, he felt anachronistic in the mid-2000s. He was too late to fit in with characters like the original Undertaker or Papa Shango. He was well ahead of gimmicks like Bray Wyatt and "Woken" Matt Hardy that would redefine the rules of the WWE Universe.
In an in-between space, The Boogeyman was largely an island, dropping in on big name heels for rivalries that almost felt like they were outside the WWE canon. Boogeyman got the best of Booker T in a WrestleMania match. He even defeated former WWE Champion JBL, including a particularly absurdist moment when he bit a giant mole off of manager Jillian Hall’s face.
3 Torrie Wilson And Sable Vs. Miss Jackie And Stacy Keibler
For a period of years, WWE made it a tradition to partner with Playboy magazine to feature a female Superstar in a photo spread. Correspondingly, WWE would feature that woman in a WrestleMania match. While the plan made some business sense, it was mostly quite bad from a wrestling perspective, as the women who posed nude rarely corresponded to the more talented women who deserved a match at the biggest show of the year.
The most egregious result of this set up may have been a WrestleMania XX clash that positioned Playboy beneficiaries Torrie Wilson and Sable against Miss Jackie and Stacy Keibler. The feud was silly and the match was all about sex appeal with virtually nothing positive to report about the wrestling itself.
2 Hornswoggle Vs. The Great Khali
In angle that was all over the place, Vince McMahon was temporarily convinced that Hornswoggle was his long lost son. Rather than the leprechaun gaining McMahon’s favor, he instead became a target, most absurdly finding himself booked in a Survivor Series 2007 program with The Great Khali.
The booking succeeded to the extent of generating curiosity about a completely nonsensical match up. There was no way of successfully resolving the story, though, as there was no way for Hornswoggle to win and no way for anyone to feel good about the giant squashing the little person. Finlay made an anticlimactic run in to cut off the three minute match, and WWE moved on.
1 Santino Marella Vs. Umaga
Umaga was well built as a monster heel, but after John Cena defeated him at the Royal Rumble 2007, it was difficult to judge where he’d go next. He found a spot as a dominant Intercontinental Champion until he ran into a debuting Santino Marella.
Before Marella found his footing as a comedic performer, WWE tried to sell him as an underdog hero. He took the title off of Umaga and went on to a widely panned run as champion. Umaga would ultimately take the title back three months later so these two could both move on to more sensible storylines for their respective characters and talents.