Prove WWE wrong!

[Aotearoa (Bushwacker)]

So my friends and I were having a "debate"...basically we were discussing talent that has been let go by WWE. Some thought WWE got it wrong and saw potential in particular stars etc. Names like Shelton Benjamin for example got raised among others. Each time a name was raised the general feeling was that WWE got it right or WWE got it wrong.
My feeling is that the best way to definitively prove that WWE got it wrong and released somebody prematurely would be for the wrestler to go on and have major success in another promotion that he didn't have in WWE. So I am not talking about "that wrestler should not have been released because I liked them", or "I saw potential in that wrestler" but rather a wrestler got released and then went on to do amazing things with a rival promotion outside WWE.
I am not talking about wrestlers that asked for their release i.e. Kurt Angle, Chavo etc. but wrestlers that WWE 'Future Endeavoured"

Who was released from WWE but went on to have bigger success elsewhere?
How did the WWE get it wrong?
Which wrestler that got released would you most like to have stayed?

 

[Steve-O-Matt]

Well that raises the question if these guys who got shown the door would have been successful in the WWE... It all depends on the person, personally I think being canned gave lots of wrestlers the courage to keep doing what they're doing and try as best they can at a different company. Some will be inspired to claw their way back up, others will just flounder and give up. We've seen this happen loads of times.

 

[Aotearoa (Bushwacker)]

Sorry, I couldn't edit my original post, and this may be the a different way of asking the same questions but.....

Who was released from WWE but went on to have bigger success elsewhere?
Who should WWE regret letting go of?
How have WWE been proved wrong in their decision?
Suspending reality and not factoring in salary, which wrestler/s are better off having been released?
Who on the current roster do you think should be released? Why?
Who on the current roster could have greater success elsewhere?

 

[Bone For Tuna]

Well Chyna is doing pretty well for herself these days from what I know...

Seriously though, I would go with Colt Cabana. Yeah he is a comedy wrestler, but he is among the best comedy wrestlers of this generation. He can have great serious matches too when he is pushed in to it. He is entertaining as hell and could have been used for so much more than just actually wrestling. They could have had him as a guest commentator, or have him as a backstage interviewer or something if they weren't overly pleased with what they saw in the ring. With his experience he could have been used to teach the younger guys a few things and he is so well connected if I were in charge I would have used him as an indy scout. Instead of all this, they let him go without really even seeing what he has to offer. He then went back to the independents where he has wrestled all around the globe in the last few years and on top of that he has his own pretty entertaining and somewhat successful podcast.

Some might argue he hasn't really achieved anything outside the WWE but to hell with those people. He gets to travel the world, doing what he loves and getting paid decent money to do it AND he gets to do it on his own time.

 

[thebromm]

MISTERRRRRRR KENNEDDDYYYYYYY!

Who was released from WWE but went on to have bigger success elsewhere?

Ken Anderson, after his unceremonious departure froom WWE went on to TNA where he had 2 largely uneventful reigns as World Champion.


Who should WWE regret letting go of?

I don't really think WWE regrets letting go of anyone. Remember, at least in WWE's mind, they are the be all end all in the world of professional wrestling.


How have WWE been proved wrong in their decision?

It's a hard question it really is. In the 90's WCW was a viable option for a talent to go. Today TNA is the best option. Not saying anything bad about TNA but as a company they are young and not really in competition with WWE. At least not right now. Its almost impossible to provide proof that they were wrong.


Who on the current roster do you think should be released? Why?

A lot of guys actually. The first names that come to mind are Brodus Clay and Great Khali. Brodus isn't boring but he absolutely sucks in the ring. As for Khali, he absolutely sucks at everything.


Who on the current roster could have greater success elsewhere?

Jack Swagger. He's not currently being used by WWE. Whether he will in the future or not remains to be seen. Say what you want about the lisp, but thats just nitpicking. He's not bad on the mic and with his amateur background he has the skill in the ring. He'd be best served in a place like Ring of Honor. In my opinion.

 

[Charismatic Enigma]

Who was released from WWE but went on to have bigger success elsewhere?
Well, honestly the only guys that come to mind are Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. Because these days even if someone ascends in the ranks of TNA faster, TNA is by default a distant second to WWE, and ROH is an even more distant third, so having success in those promotions is "big fish in a little pond".

Who should WWE regret letting go of?
Tough call on this one. Excluding guys that left voluntarily like John Morisson, MVP, Jeff Hardy, Kurt Angle, Kaval, etc. I've got several names that come to mind that I think had great potential, Shelton Benjamin, Paul Burchill, Colt Cabana, Lucky Cannon (his last work in FCW was vastly improving), Chris Masters.

How have WWE been proved wrong in their decision?
Really in the current wrestling industry, the only guy that is a good answer for this is Colt Cabana. Because he has hustled so hard to make a name for himself, that many WWE fans are very aware of who he is thanks to his podcast and association with Punk.

Who on the current roster do you think should be released? Why?
Big Show, Hornswoggle, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Great Khali. Same reason for all of them, their characters are boring, stale, uninteresting, and I generally view nearly everything they do as fast forward/bathroom break worthy.

Who on the current roster could have greater success elsewhere?
As stated previously, unless it's outside of wrestling than none of them really. Maybe Cena if he could transition to Hollywood ala The Rock.

 

[info62]

Who was released from WWE but went on to have bigger success elsewhere? & How did the WWE get it wrong?

If we're including women, I think it's Tara/Victoria. She was not used well at all by WWE especially at the end of her run there. They didn't even allow her on TV. In TNA she's the champion and despite that I'm not happy with her being saddled with Jessie, I think her TNA run has overall been great.

Also my memory is failing me and she may have actually asked for her release. I know they let her give a retirement speech on SmackDown (which they didn't even have the decency to show the entirety of)

Who should WWE regret letting go of?

Just to throw a new name out there, I will say Charlie Haas. He was getting really good crowd reactions during the very beginning of his singles push following the breakup of WGTT. From what I remember he was released very shortly after that.

They could have kept the gimmick imitation thing going for a while, imo it was actually very entertaining. Once that got old he could have dropped it and hopefully would have retained the crowd reaction.

Again I don't remember the exact details of his release, so if something crazy happened and I'm forgetting it then shame on me

 

[starkmoto]

123 kid - syxx pac eventful title reign as cruiserweight champ in wcw

hall and nash as someone else mentioned

hogan - nwo and title runs

lex luger - title runs

savage - title runs

adam bomb/ wrath - title runs

krush/ brain adams - title runs

mr perfect/ curt hennig - influential in a stable

rick rude - influential in a stable

big boss man - influential in a stable

christian cage - title runs

taz - prominent announce position

dudley boys - big time title runs

barbarian and haku - title run

british bulldog - title run

bret hart, obviously they got it wrong on him - title run

ted dibiase - influential in a stable

IRS - influential in a stable

Roddy Piper - influential feud in the main event

 

[Diet Soda]

Who was released from WWE but went on to have bigger success elsewhere?

Once you leave the biggest company in your industry, it's going to be hard to do anything other than take a step backwards. Sure, guys like Angle, the Dudleys, Jeff Hardy, and so on have been relatively more successful in TNA, but it's a case of being a the same sized fish in a smaller pond. And even if WWE does let someone worthwhile off the hook, there are always plenty more waiting to be moulded into the next big superstar.

As Charismatic Engima says above, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall (Hogan too, incidentally) are good examples of boosting their careers through leaving WWF for the competition. But, hindsight is 20-20, and a case could be made (albeit with inferences) that Diesel and Razor leaving WWF to become the Outsiders in WCW was the catalyst to the Attitude Era and the Monday Night Wars, which as we all know ultimately ended in them all coming back again.

It's hard to prove the biggest fish wrong.

 

[josh210]

Samoa joe,kazarian,chirstopher daniels

 

[Kizzani]

I believe the question was who was released and was a bigger hit somewhere else. Now here is where I see problems with the question. Because becoming bigger than they were is one thing and to maintain the stardom is another.

One of my favorites Mr. Anderson ( Mr. Kennedy) was a title picture player in the WWE and is more of a odd fixture in TNA. His title runs were just weird and oddly uneventful ( but this falls on the crappy writers)

Others have been tossed in to the staring role and still flopped like Matt Hardy, and RVD. RVD is a wrestling pothead he will always have fans but you notice he is now a TV champ the smalls title on the docket. But he still gets a pop, I don't see this a upgrade. Luke Gallows is another he is being tossed into a main story line however this doesn't make his great or even better.

Jeff Hardy,Kurt Angle, are really the only two I see the wwe has let go and have become something special elsewhere. You can talk about anyone else in wrestling programs that have made it to TV, but until they are public and fans outside searching for them online can see them they are still small fish in a small pond. Sorry Shelton Benjamin.

Now my favorite part who on the WWE Roster I would love to get rid of and why.

All the Divas- (this includes Vicky) Without bra and panties match or over sexual swimsuit contest they have no point. Sure people will say I am wrong blah blah. I again ask one question. If they are not just tits and ass how come 90% of them have boob jobs? Seriously if boob jobs help you wrestling why doesn't heath Slater get one? ( if not get rid of them make them mangers)

Alex Reily- Once Miz was taken away this guy became a nothing, give him a chance to go to TNA and become mediocre. They could spike his hair and he can join Robbie ****** and Robbie Steroids.

Brodus Clay- Another fat bastard that loves to dance for little kid...Creepy

Christian- He is being used to do nothing, his world title run was interesting but he is no longer being used right ( don't blame his injury) Let him go back to where he was on top in TNA him and Jeff could feud again.

The following are getting ca without explanation more than they are boring and a waste of space:

Otunga
McIntyre
Zeke Jackson
Kahli
Hornswaggle
Swagger
Jinder
The Usos
JTG
Mason ryan
Tensai
Trent Beretta
Yoshi
Regal
Ryder

Finally Randy Orton- He is a cry baby, he is a addict and it is only a matter of time before he pops again and ends up being best friends with Matt Hardy.

 

[Bone For Tuna]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned Brock Lesnar. I know he asked for his release, but Vinnie Mac thought he had Lesnar backed in to a corner by making him sign a no-compete clause when he released him from his contract back in the day. After Lesnar failed to make an impact in the NFL I think some people might have been thinking he was stupid for turning his back on the WWE. What did Lesnar do? He went on to be the UFC Heavyweight Champion and the biggest draw in the history of the company. I think Lesnar got the last laugh on that one. In the end, everybody ended up making up and Lesnar got a huge check to let Vince have Cena pin him.

Vince should have just paid Lesnar whatever he wanted to stay though.