Worst WWF/WWE booking decision ... ever

[Aceorton]

This covers a lot of territory, so really think about it.

What was the worst booking move in the company's history?

And explain why.

[4TheGlory]

Raven in the WWF, I really think he could've been incredibly special in the WWF/E, but he never seemed to be taken very serious. Same could be said for Tommy as well. WWF fans never could take them serious, as they always were jobbers to the stars.

[Insomniac]

EDIT: Nevermind, saw this was WWF/WWE only.

[xombiehiphop]

I don't know if it's the worst but Vince turning out to be The Higher Power was about as anti-climatic as it gets.

And yes, Raven. Completely squandered.

[Bob Schlapowitz]

insomniac34 said:

No explanation needed.

Yeah there is an explanation needed! I don't seem to recall that ever happening in WWF/WWE

[Insomniac]

bobschlapowitz said:

insomniac34 said:

No explanation needed.

Yeah there is an explanation needed! I don't seem to recall that ever happening in WWF/WWE

Hey now, I acknowledged my mistake

[Red Impact]

one word...

Invasion

It was the most anticipated thing to happen of the era and it was a one-sided squash.

[Bob Schlapowitz]

insomniac34 said:

bobschlapowitz said:

Yeah there is an explanation needed! I don't seem to recall that ever happening in WWF/WWE

Hey now, I acknowledged my mistake

Indeed you did. I was too slow. I offer 1000 apologies!

[randomranter]

This one time...........

.........at band camp Survivor Series.......

.........there was this giant egg..........

[Andrew is Good]

The Alliance.

Yes, a lot of WCW talent weren't there. But, Big Show and Chris Jericho were big name WCW talent. Why not have them switch sides. Why not put all the ECW guys together, instead of having Tajiri, Spike and Jerry Lynn not in there. There still could be faces and heels in all 3 factions. Plus how ECW was used was really bad, especially since they got a huge reaction, and that really worked.

Not only that, but how the new ECW was booked too. The ECW name was a draw, but WWE killed it (though RVD and Paul Heyman certainly were not without blood on their hands).

[General Adam]

Boring Lance Storm.

When I think of boring. I don't think of Lance Storm.

I think of Batista.

[gabou142]

Raven in WWE is a big mistake...how can you screw a guy that has Attitude written all over him in the Attitude era...I will never understand!!

[Crappler El 0 M]

I still can't believe they didn't pull the trigger on a Hogan/Flair program for WM8. Also, I still can't believe they didn't do Austin/Hogan during Hogan's return to WWE when Hogan didn't have creative control, and thus put over Rock, Kurt, and Brock.

[randomranter]

hawk405359 said:

one word...

Invasion

It was the most anticipated thing to happen of the era and it was a one-sided squash.

Hey now......it wasn't *totally* one sided. It had its moments. Few, and very far between, but there were some moments here and there.

Now if you want to talk about one sided squashes........DDP vs. Taker/Sara. DDP got about 2 offensive moves in for THE ENTIRE FEUD.

By comparison, enhancement talent gets more moves in than that.

THAT was a one-sided squash.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread........

[Tyfo]

Yeah, not doing Hogan vs. Flair at WrestleMania 8 was just plain stupid.

It was set up and ready to go.....and they didn't do it.

[Aceorton]

Even more than the InVasion, I'm thinking their biggest boner was giving Hogan the title at WM9 -- and it's not just blind Hogan hate driving me to say that.

They had just gone through a transition period where they were getting away from Hogan and the bodybuilder types of the '80s and focusing on smaller, more athletic guys. At a time when they needed to do everything possible to legitimize this "new generation," especially against a monster heel like Yokozuna, they instead panicked at the slumping business (which had been slumping long before Bret Hart became champ) and went back to their old meal ticket, Hogan, who then did ... nothing. For two months. He didn't help attendance figures or merchandise or anything because he wasn't on TV, or at house shows, or anywhere.

Hogan leaves, and the WWF immediately is in the position of having to find a new Hogan, since Hogan the Giant Killer was the only one who had been able to handle Yokozuna. This leads to the awful Luger push, and eventually, when that failed, they put Bret Hart on top. Which is where they had been anyway in early 1993.

That one pointless Hogan episode cost them more than a year of product development at a time when they were already hurting. It also catapulted Hogan right into WCW, where he ended up being part of the re-invention that nearly put the WWF out of business.

[Rockhound]

Putting the championship belt on Rey. Period.

[Janitor From Mars]

Yeah that was a huge waste of time.

[cabbageboy]

I will go with one that no one has mentioned but I'll explain why I think it was horrible. That would be Brock Lesnar beating Rob Van Dam in the 2002 KOTR Finals. This was a mega huge brainfart in my view on several levels:

1. RVD was flat out ready to main event and could have been a big time draw had he won that KOTR. RVD vs. UT or Rock at SS 2002 could have been a big drawing match and cemented Van Dam as a player. Instead he ended up buried by the end of 2002 for a variety of reasons and by the time he did get a serious push in 2006 it was really more of a retro thing than an attempt to draw money.

2. Lesnar didn't deserve the push. Either kayfabe speaking or in reality Lesnar had done nothing to deserve to main event that soon into his run. Not saying he couldn't have been a main event player later, but giving him the push so fast and so hard led to the problems with Brock that developed later on. If they had given him a slower push, maybe he gets better used to the business and would be a star for years to come. Instead he accomplished everything in his first year in WWE, got burnt out, and quit.

[JMA]

It has to be the Invasion.