The Best Wrestler There Wasn't

[Bowlesy_1991]

We all know that WWE creative can changed the character of a wrestler over night. Sometimes it's for the good, for example R-Truth who I think is the best thing currently on WWE. However sometimes it's for the worst, and it can completely derail a wrestler's career. Other things can also happen, for example wrestlers can pick up injuries, they can fall out with management, they can get caught taking drugs (you guys know who they are), they can become tired with the travelling requirements, etc. etc. What I want to know is who do you think, could have had the potential to become one of the very best wrestlers in the business, but were brought down due to one of the reasons above or for another one. My choice. Sean O'Haire. This guy had it all, he was imposing, he had an awesome move set, he was scary to look at, he was charismatic and he had awesome vignettes for his Devil's Advocate character (if you haven't seen them, search them on youtube). This guy was sure to make it on his own. So what did creative do? They stuck him in an awful program with Roddy Piper and this fresh new character was done away with. To further the derailment, O'Haire was involved in a motorcycle accident and shortly after released. So do you guys agree with my pick, or is their someone else who you feel was destined for super-stardom, but never made it?

 

[bigandpissed]

I personally feel like mike awesome could have been so much more. When i first saw him in ECW, I immediately thought he could be champion in wcw or wwe. That was one of the best big wrestlers i've ever seen and he did some wicked (and creative) powerbombs. He had the right look and ample ring ability to be the champ. Unfortunately WCW and WWE seemed hell bent on burying him.

 

[The Future Rises]

For me it's a tie between four guys, MVP, Mr.Kennedy, Muhammed Hassan, and Curt Hennig.

First off I'm gonna start with Curt Hennig, he had a perfect gimmick, a perfect look, perfect mic skills, and amazing talent. But his big push suddenly stopped when he had an injury sometime in the early 1990's, and he was forced to be Ric Flair's.. what was it? assistant? let me just call him Flair's A-RI with all do respect to both him and Alex Riley I think his relationship with Miz and Cole was based off Perfect's relationship with Flair and Heenan. So when he recovers they turn him into a babyface, he had a decent run as a face teaming with Macho Man to take on Flair and Razor Ramon, But he never got his ME push cause of all the guys who were overshadowing him, and rumor is he was supposed to win the 1990 royal rumble, but never did cause of Hulk Hogan and his game of politics, so he never was a ME player.

And when you look it Muhammad Hassan he was one of the most despised wrestlers in WWE history, he was a heat magnet, he had talent, he had a great look, but it all got ruined when for some reason(I'm blaming Michael Hayes for this) he was given a terrorist angle, and with the worst timing possible for it, he eventually got written off TV and then got released.

Then you had MVP, the guy could talk, the guy could wrestle, and he was over with the crowd by the time of his feud-partnership with Matt Hardy, which bring me to the entertaining programs he had with Kane and Hardy, he was destined for, though eventually he became a babyface and it ruined his career, and he eventually became the guy who put over the younger talent like The Miz and Jack Swagger.

Then you had Mr.Kennedy..Kennedy.., he was the most entertaining part of Smackdown! back at around 2006-2007, he was placed in a feud with The Undertaker similar to MVP and his feud with Kane, and he actually beat The Undertaker once thanks to MVP, and the WWE were so high on him that you just knew that hes gonna make it big, unfortunately Randy Orton ruined that for him and ruined Kofi Kingston too a year later, so it's a shame how he ended up and considering he's in TNA now I don't even know how he's doing there but that company went downhill ever since Hulk Hogan came in.

Honorable Mentions : Heidenreich, Sean O'Haire, Carlito.

Now I would mention Drew McIntyre and Chris Masters, but their careers aren't over yet, so here's to hoping they improve their mic and in ring skills and make it big one day.

 

[Turnz05]

Andrew Test Martin for me. In 1999 he was part of the Corporate Team and then, involved with The Union as well as the wedding angle with Stephanie and Triple H. This could have catapulted him to Main Event status but for some reason he was more involved with Tag, Intercontinental and generally secondary storylines. For me, he was entertaining to watch and could have held a WWE Title or at least competed consistently at the top of the card.

Also I totally agree with the aforementioned 'Flash in the pan' Muhammed Hussan. He had the mic skills, heat and general overal wrestling prowess to generate cash and interest viewers.

 

[HBKeith]

For me it would have been Nick Dinsmore. He was/is a super talented in ring technician, but never got a chance to showcase that in the WWE b/c of his Eugene gimmick. He could have been another Benoit/Angle type of wrestler if given a chance to succeed.

 

[ECWDanSelby]

Andrew Test Martin for me. In 1999 he was part of the Corporate Team and then, involved with The Union as well as the wedding angle with Stephanie and Triple H. This could have catapulted him to Main Event status but for some reason he was more involved with Tag, Intercontinental and generally secondary storylines. For me, he was entertaining to watch and could have held a WWE Title or at least competed consistently at the top of the card.

Also I totally agree with the aforementioned 'Flash in the pan' Muhammed Hussan. He had the mic skills, heat and general overal wrestling prowess to generate cash and interest viewers.

With all due respect to Test, I forgot just how many opportunities this guy had.

I've been re-watching some Attitude Era PPV's. The guy's on nearly every single PPV at a time when WWE had almost everyone to choose from.

The guy was included in many main event storylines, but for me, and many others, I just don't think he took the opportunity.

He was never engaging enough with the crowd and was always weak on the mic. He was a good wrestler, though, and very agile for a man of his size.

Selby

 

[Sleep Time]

I would have to say Harley Race, very old, very talented never got that "Push". Greatest mat wrestler of his time, except Hogan was the big thing at the time, so Race got fuck all worth of belts in the WWF.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I would have to say Harley Race, very old, very talented never got that "Push". Greatest mat wrestler of his time, except Hogan was the big thing at the time, so Race got fuck all worth of belts in the WWF.

Race was one of the most successful NWA World Champions of all time dude. He held the belt 8 times and is in the WWE, WCW and professional wrestling halls of fame. He is rightly regarded as a legend in the business, so you can't argue that he never made it. Almost anyone who ever met the guy holds him in high regard and respects what he has done in the business.

By the time he joined the WWF he was a veteran, but still became King Of The Ring, which is much more than most wrestlers get. Look at someone like Lex Luger or Jake Roberts, they won nothing in the WWE. At that point in his career, Race didnt need the WWF title, and Vince clearly had his own superstars that he wanted to push.

Race was a legend but just because he never won the WWF title in the later days of his career, you cant hold that against him

 

[Jsaturn14]

This is an easy one for me: Magnum T.A. If it wasn't for that damn car accident that put him out of commission this guy would have been one of THE biggest stars wrestling had ever seen. The guy had the looks, the athleticism, the charisma, he really was the total package. The guy was poised to be the next NWA champ before that accident, and then who knows what could have happened after that. My guess is that WWE would have taken notice of him, and snapped him up, and then who knows where his career would have gone. I guess that is the point of this thread though So yeah, my pick is definitely Magnum T.A.

 

[wrestler36]

If you watch the earlier '93 stuff, Doink as a heel was absolutely brilliant. He was sinister, cut amazing promos and had the wrestling ability to back it up. Once they turned him face and added Dink, he became very bland

 

[Rockyfolifebo!!!]

Mr. Kennedy was a good one, Sean O'Haire. All these are good I'll bring out a couple of 'em.

Darren Drozdov(Droz or Puke)- This guy was like 6'7, 270. His gimmick was terrible. But had he not been permanently injured back in '99, i garendamntee he would have been the WWF/E champion. Plus, his in ring work was solid.

Test- Must i go on? He had the look. He had pretty decent in ring skills, the ladies loved him. And he was over with the crowd overall. Plus, he won pretty much all of the mid-card titles. It's a shame that he died. It's also a shame that he spent most all his career as a heel. He would have been a massive over face. If you don't believe me, look up Royal Rumble 2000, and check out the pop this guy gets as soon as his music hits.

Bad Ass Billy Gunn- he had it ALL!!! The look, the skill, mic skill, potential, overness. But I think what ultimately held him back was DX. Don't get me wrong, I'm a bigger D-Generation X fan then the next guy, but had Billy Gunn been alined with HHH, he would have gone on to feud for the WWF title with The Rock, 'Taker, Austin, Mankind, and even HHH himself. Oh and no disre- to The Game, I met him. He's a hellofa talented/ nice guy.

 

[brochester8]

I do agree with O'Haire I always like his characters in WCW and WWE and though that Demonic character was awesome and hated it when he got hurt and release. He had an awesome moveset and was a very believable character. But now we'll never know.

 

[HBKeith]

Darren Drozdov(Droz or Puke)- This guy was like 6'7, 270. His gimmick was terrible. But had he not been permanently injured back in '99, i garendamntee he would have been the WWF/E champion. Plus, his in ring work was solid.

.

I forgot about Droz. Great pull man. I agree, he would have been a champ eventually. I liked when they put him LOD. Thought it was pretty cool. Man, I wish he wouldn't have been injured. He was young when it happened I think. He might only be like 40 or so now. Not sure he was 6'7, Maybe more like 6'2 or 6'3.

 

[steinerscrewdriver]

This is an easy one for me: Magnum T.A. If it wasn't for that damn car accident that put him out of commission this guy would have been one of THE biggest stars wrestling had ever seen. The guy had the looks, the athleticism, the charisma, he really was the total package. The guy was poised to be the next NWA champ before that accident, and then who knows what could have happened after that. My guess is that WWE would have taken notice of him, and snapped him up, and then who knows where his career would have gone. I guess that is the point of this thread though So yeah, my pick is definitely Magnum T.A.

Agree 100%, Magnum T.A's car accident is easily one of the biggest what if's in wrestling. He easily could have been the main event foil to the horsemen and then we may not have Sting. I honestly believe wrestling history would be much different if that car accident never occured. The way we view and remember certain guys could be wayyyy different. But alas, it was not meant to be and from what ive heard Magnum is a successful businessman.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Scott Norton - Imagine Mark Henry with ability. This guy had a unique look, he wasn't the 'steroid' cookie cutter monster like a Warrior, Sid or even Hogan - at first glance, you might even have believed him to be on the fat side but he was solid muscle. He was capable of Goldberg style promos, which may have sufficed but could just have easily been overcome with a mouthpiece like Heyman. In fact, that is exactly how I would have booked him; as a Heyman led unstoppable monster - he'd have predated Brock Lesnar by a decade.

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[STEELE2469]

I am going to say Gangrel when he brought in The Brood, or Papa Shango, could have made a great group of evil Gangrel, Shango, Undertaker, Kane ???

 

[noly]

Scott Norton - Imagine Mark Henry with ability. This guy had a unique look, he wasn't the 'steroid' cookie cutter monster like a Warrior, Sid or even Hogan - at first glance, you might even have believed him to be on the fat side but he was solid muscle. He was capable of Goldberg style promos, which may have sufficed but could just have easily been overcome with a mouthpiece like Heyman. In fact, that is exactly how I would have booked him; as a Heyman led unstoppable monster - he'd have predated Brock Lesnar by a decade.

[YOUTUBE]BH7VX-Hv_wU&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]
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I am going to disagree with you on this one. Scott Norton is/was something of a star in Japan. He very respected there, so I will say he has gotten some due push/respect.

For me, it's Rick Martel. The Model had the wrestling ablity, the look, charisma to make it to the main event scene or at least win a IC title or two.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

I am going to disagree with you on this one. Scott Norton is/was something of a star in Japan. He very respected there, so I will say he has gotten some due push/respect.

For me, it's Rick Martel. The Model had the wrestling ablity, the look, charisma to make it to the main event scene or at least win a IC title or two.

Yes, he did spend a significant amount of time in the Orient but he was never pushed to the top there either, he had more renown as a tag team performer.

Rick Martel was AWA World Champion for over a year and a half, so automatically had a far greater push than Flash. It was unfortunate for him (and many others) that he went from this into the land of Hulkamania, were his smaller stature meant that he was never going to get the push his career to date might have implied.

 

[AmerikanWolves619]

Excellent tread!! I have to agree and say Muhammed Hussan and Shawn Davair. Both were great heels, had tremendous in-ring talent (heck, Shawn defeated legendary HBK Shawn Micheals clean on RAW!!!), amazing mic skills, rocking gimick and looks, and monster heat from the crowd. Bad timing with the terrorist storyline with the Undertaker. They both (as a duo or individually) could have been huge draw for the WWE.

 

[AmerikanWolves619]

I do want to add one more person to this list...FIT FINLAY! Here is a man with a great gimmick, true technical mat skill, mic skill were superb, the force behind WWE Women's wrestling (Trish Stratus, Lita, Victoria...when we all looked forward to see these women put on a great show and storyline), put over ALOT of the young talent today, he really had it all when he was a heel or a face but for some reason, the WWE would not put him up in a real 1 on 1 ME. I for one always looked forward to any match/storyline he was involved in.

 

[Kwang]

Ken Shamrock - He may of been an Intercontinental champion but I believe had he been in the WWE for a longer time then he would be WWE champion.

 

[PagingMr.ass]

My vote is for Razor Ramon, he's arguably the most famous wrestler to never hold a world heavy weight title. I always felt Razor jumping ship to WCW hurt him the most. Sure we was involved with the major story lines for years but never got to be the face of the company because he was competing with flair, hogan, sting, nash, savage, luger, giant, etc. He once won WWIII but if i remember correctly they stripped him of his title shot in some story line. If he would have stayed with WWF with in a year the two biggest names Bret Hart and HBK were both gone, he would have been in a prime spot to become the top heel and could have had great feuds with stone cold, the rock, undertaker. The razor character seemed taylor made for the attitude era but he left right as it was starting. I believe if he stayed he would have been champ. I also think all the freedom he was given backstage in wcw is what spiraled his personal problems out of control.

Honorable mention-
*"The Alpha Male" Marcus Cor Von
*Tanka Michinokou (not world champ but could have been a great intercontinental Ricky Steamboat-ish kind of guy)
*Badass Billy Gunn
*Bobby Lashley
*Buff Bagwell (could have really helped the invasion line but they cut him after one match)

 

[emcsq29]

Billy Jack Haynes was a good one -- didn't get to see enough of him. I'm sure some will disagree, but I always thought he had the talent and look to get pretty far in the business, but wasn't fantastic on the mic -- but not many were during the time he was "in his prime" . . .

Another I always thought would be great was Koko Ware. He had great moves and the best drop kick ever, and was pretty good cutting a promo. He was in his element as a tag-team wrestler, but one of the best performances of his career was against Ric Flair (somewhere around '85 -- Great American Bash, I think). Flair really sold it, and Koko looked fantastic, like he could actually beat him. I remember thinking that was the starting point of major things to come for him. Then he went to WWF and they made him into that idiotic "Bird Man" and basically ruined him. He was all about Frankie, and dancing, and making me throw up.

 

[dilfp]

Arn Anderson by and far. He held multiple tag titles, and I believe all of the midbelts in NWA/WCW, but I can only remember him having 1 world title match on nitro and that was just used as a filler to intro the NWO. One of the most sound mat wrestlers that I can think of, and, lets face the facts, he was the main reason that Ric Flair had 16 world title reigns.

Also, Paul Burchill very agile, a good size, and always bordered on the "about to have charisma" line.

 

[byrnside]

I'm going to use this as an opportunity to continue what The Brain recently started and go with Bam Bam Bigelow. Arguably one of the best big men of all time. The guy was pushing 400 pounds and could do a moonsault. He could dive over the top rope, and most importantly he made Lawrence Taylor look pretty decent. Back in the day he was frequently doing cartwheels and forward rolls to avoid opponents ie- Survivor Series against Andre the Giant. He was a vicious heel and a believable face. I was always surprised he never held the Intercontinental title in the WWE.