The Most Wasted Potential of All Time

[AwesomeRko]

Having being reading a lot recently about superstras like Hawkins, Kidd,Baretta and Brodus, who people feel have potential which is going to waste. It got me wondering who has had the most potential squandered by the WWE and peoples thoughts on this.

For the record mines would either be:

Goldust- Ok i know he had a decent mid card run during the attitude era but still the guys great on the mic, good in the ring and an intriguing character who knows how to get a good crowd response and who people seem to legitmately care about in spite of his long absence. His run as tag champion along with Booker T years ago was brilliant and produced some of the most interesting segments of the time. Im hoping he will get his match with Cody at mania for the Ic belt but I'm not holding my breath.

Carlito- He was in the upper mid-card for a long while but I would have loved to have seen him pushed and given the title for a bit. He was very charismatic, exciting in the ring and his heel work in his first reign as US champion, particularly the Cena fued was excellent. He was also proven to be able to connect as face given the great crowd response he was getting during his face run towards the end of his time in the company and his ability to adapt his moveset accordingly. I feel given the chance he could have been a very good champion.

London and Kendrick- This is a tag team I know but they could have been used so much better. They were a young exciting and relevant team and really could have been used to rebuild the prestige of the division. You just have to look at the work they have put in in the X-Divion on TNA to realise they had more to offer.

Elijah Burke- I thought he was excellent in his run in ECW leading the New Breed and was one of the only things that made the show watchable. The fact that he done nothing after that always seemed a bit of a waste to me.

D-Lo Brown- He was cool, charismatic and made the European title feel important. Shame how the Droz incident killed what could have been a memoreable career as I believe he would have made a great Ic champ.

Lastly Ken Shamrock, I know he was over and given a good upper mid card run but I really liked him. His character was edgy and came across as lgitimately tough and unforgiving. Would love to have seen him given a run with the WWE title but I suppose the main event scene was so crowded back then with phenomenal talent he was just crowded out.

 

[MoizH28]

Nathan Jones- This guy was a monster they showed promos for him and I think he wrestled one match and then was released? Can someone clear this up for me?

Muhammad Hassan and Divari- These guys knew how to draw heat. Hassan had to be let go due to the London incidents but I would love to see him again. Divari got another run but it was pretty much jobber status. He also left on good terms with Stephanie Mcmahon.

Orlando Jordan- With how much heat JBL and his cabinet were drawing I was hoping for a face turn out of him after his whole 23 second loss to Benoit. I think he and JBL could have had a fun program.

 

[DxArmy]

I agree with everyone you listed but you are missing John Morrison. He had all of the makings that a main event superstar which are charisma, he was talented in the ring, over with the fans when he was pushed. His one exception probably would have been his mic work but if the WWE had devoted time to him improving on the mic he probably would still be here today and be in the main event, or close to it.

 

[ahoyhoy]

I guess the likes of Pillman don't count: there was never a chance to see him peak.

Bam Bam Bigelow. He main evented WM11 but he could have been booked to do so much more. Instead of being stuck in the late WCW quicksand or fueding with Doink The Clown, someone should have noticed that having an athletic and charismatic big man at a leantime of the early-mid nineties and pushed him to the hilt as their main heel.

Many black or asian dudes at a time when racial bias may have hurt them. Hopefully we are past this.

Regal - Been given many stupid gimmicks when he should have just been allowed to be himself.

Konnan - IMO he should be thought of the same way we cherish Eddie. Great technical wrestler, interesting on the mic, got stuck often in cheap stables or as Max bloody Moon.

Arn Anderson - Forever in the shadow, could have been so much more.

 

[sirrick]

TERRY TAYLOR. The man had it all, the in-ring skils and charisma of a Ric Flair, with pure babyface, classic good looks.

Brought in to the 'F and forced to strut around the ring with a frickin' red mohawk on his head and a gimmick named after a bottle of hot sauce.

A total travesty.

 

[UrbanDynasty]

Nathan Jones- This guy was a monster they showed promos for him and I think he wrestled one match and then was released? Can someone clear this up for me?

He wanted out. He couldn't handle the business. Eddy Guerrero mentions him in his book..

As for the OP's question. My pick is Shelton Benjamin. He was one of the best IC champions, had wins over Triple H and numerous others, then put in the program with his "mother" then buried in WWECW.
He was an excellent wrestler, pretty not bad on the mic and imo had the look of a world champion. Not to mention The Worlds Greatest Tag Team.

 

[boozinjedi]

I'm going out on a limb and say that a former WCW and WWE champion as a wasted potential
He even main evented a Wrestlemania.

SID
Vicious,Justice,Psycho...whatever name was used.


Why do I say it,It seemed like every time he was set for a major push as either Heel OR Face....he would get hit by the injury bug.

Brought out by Hogan for joint posedown at Summerslam 91....If that isn't evidence of major push I don't what is!!

 

[skeelo58]

Can I use an angle rather than a character?

If so, I would say the McMahon limo explosion. Man, that angle had a MILLION possible outcomes. Who did it? Why did they do it? It had WWE set up for month after month of investigations to find out who did it. And then that bastard Benoit had to go all crazy and do what he did.

So in a way, my answer is two-fold. 1a) limo explosion 1b) Chris Benoit. Such a shame.

 

[Odisho]

^^^^^I was just about to say that,
Shelton benjamin NO DOUBT, he had it all, ring skills, mic skills wernt perect, athletisism, he could go from a a kurt angle, from his mat style wristling, he could go to a mr.perfect, technicle style of wrestling, to an HBK, with his awseome kicks, to a jeff hardy with his awesome wrestlemania stunts.

Shelton was awesome, shame on WWE for not making him the star he should have become.

 

[AwesomeRko]

Totally agree with Benjamin, Hassan and Daivari and Regal.

Perhaps a more controversial one purely from my own personal liking of him at the time would have been Steve Blackman. I don't think I ever heard him on the mic, but I always enjoyed his matches and the whole martial arts gimmick worked for him. Not sure how much relevance he would have had outside the hardcore division but a fued for the Ic belt may have been interesting.

Stevie Richards and Taz are another two who I feel were never utilised properly by WWE. Both were excellent in ECW and I feel WWE dropped the ball with them a bit, they both could at least have been sustained solid midcarders. Taz in particular after an early push seemed to lose the threatening edge that made his character.

 

[Police Penis Sucking Goat Fucker]

London and Kendrick is a good choice. I loved that team they were exciting to watch and always had great matches. They had a decent run with the tag titles but both didn't really do anything after that. I would have liked to see them more. I liked when Kendrick came The Brian Kendrick.

Kaval- When I found out WWE signed Low Ki and was coming in as Kaval I was so excited. Kaval has always been my favorite indie wrestler and he is just incredible in the ring. Kaval could have had so many great matches and feuds. I was hoping for a Kaval vs. Rey Mysterio feud to happen I feel those two could have amazing matches and Kaval is around the same size as Rey so they work great with each other. I don't get when they signed him why he was sent to FCW then put on NXT with Laycool as his mentors when he has had more wrestling experience than the both of them combined. He was already a very established name so there was no point at all of putting him on NXT. The way WWE treated him is one of the biggest disappointments for me because he is capable of so much. I don't get why the keep The Miz around have him main event WrestleMania but tell Kaval they have nothing for him. I was happy for him that he got out of there because I bet he knew right after he signed he made a big mistake. I personally think that Kaval is a better wrestler than Punk and Bryan. It’s a shame they didn't use him to his potential.

Raven- I've always been a huge Raven fan. He was great in WCW and ECW and then I was happy to see him join WWF when he interfered in the match with Jerry Lawler and Tazz. Raven was never used properly he was a unique character and was always enjoyable to watch. When the whole Invasion angle happened I really thought they should have used him more by having him be one of the leaders on ECW but instead they didn’t really have him do anything when he was one of ECW biggest guys they had. I was disappointed that Raven wasn't used to his potential

Sean O Haire- I always liked the guy for a big guy he wasn't that bad in the ring. I really liked his how cult leader gimmick. They could have done a lot with that gimmick. I wanted him to start his only cult where he would brainwash other wrestlers to join his cult. They could have formed a pretty cool stable. I thought that they could have had a great feud with Undertaker or Kane but instead Sean O Haire was Roddy Piper's cronie

Bam Bam Bigelow-One of my favorite wrestlers of all time. I think that he might be the best big man ever. No guy his size could move like him, he had amazing agility and would do moves of the top rope. To me no one could have played a better monster heel then Bam Bam. He had such a scary look to him with the top his head tattooed with flames and wore ring attire covered in flames. The worst part about Bam Bam is that WWF blew two opportunities with him. I was born right when Bam Bam left for the first time. I feel that could have done a lot more with him. They should have used him as a ultimate monster heel that’s unstoppable and he could have had great matches with Hulk Hogan. I would have much rather see Bam Bam in the spotlight rather than Hulk Hogan. Just imagine how much better of a match Bam Bam and Hulk Hogan could have fought WrestleMania 6 if they kept him around. Then they wasted his potential again when he was brought back in the 90s. I liked when he first came when he was feuding with Tatanka then after that he feuded with Doink joined Money Inc. fought L.T. became a face a left WWF shortly after that. He should have been in main event feuds during his career. He should have feuded with Bret hart, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Diesel, but that’s when the Kliq was around and called the shots. That was a time when WWF was lacking major star power and I feel that Bam Bam could have been a star in WWF. It's a shame that he died I hope that one day he earns his spot in the Hall of Fame.


If they don't do anything with Yoshi Tatsu or Tyson Kidd and just end up fireing the two then you can put them on this list too.

 

[Vendetta487]

I think Vance Archer was a waste of potential. Dude should have been a 4 time WWE Champion by now. That guy was pure awesomeness. They could have dubbed him "The Arch". He should have had a bow and arrow. They should bring him back. I guess he should have made youtube videos.

 

[Police Penis Sucking Goat Fucker]

Can I use an angle rather than a character?

If so, I would say the McMahon limo explosion. Man, that angle had a MILLION possible outcomes. Who did it? Why did they do it? It had WWE set up for month after month of investigations to find out who did it. And then that bastard Benoit had to go all crazy and do what he did.

So in a way, my answer is two-fold. 1a) limo explosion 1b) Chris Benoit. Such a shame.

I just noticed this if you’re going to bring up angles I got two more for you. The son of Vince McMahon, we all new that it was going to be Mr. Kennedy and he was going to get a big push but instead he failed a drug test and Hornswoggle was Mr. McMahon’s son or another similar story when William Regal became King of the Ring you all thought it was leading into a main event feud but then like Kennedy he failed a drug test too

Hey look that's my 100th post

 

[czar76]

Vader. I believe he had the belt for bit could be wrong but if there was ever a gimmick made for WWE it was his. He got pushed hard but they could have built the entire company around him. Not sure why he left. I know he was a major star in Japan so that likely had a bit to do with it.
Agree that Sid was underused as well. He was an open canvas and could have been molded into anything. Not the best worker in the ring but the look alone was enough to get him over.

 

[dimice76]

Totally agree with Benjamin, Hassan and Daivari and Regal.

Perhaps a more controversial one purely from my own personal liking of him at the time would have been Steve Blackman. I don't think I ever heard him on the mic, but I always enjoyed his matches and the whole martial arts gimmick worked for him. Not sure how much relevance he would have had outside the hardcore division but a fued for the Ic belt may have been interesting.

Stevie Richards and Taz are another two who I feel were never utilised properly by WWE. Both were excellent in ECW and I feel WWE dropped the ball with them a bit, they both could at least have been sustained solid midcarders. Taz in particular after an early push seemed to lose the threatening edge that made his character.

Taz was a victim of right place wrong time. If the Radicalz didnt come in when they did, Taz was going to be huge in 2000. However like a week after Taz debuts, Benoit, Malenko, Eddie, and Saturn sign and the focus shifts to them. I remember all the rumors for Taz in 2000. He was suppose to be huge.

 

[AwesomeRko]

In terms of someone who WWE underused another would have to be DDP. He was my favourite in WCW, with tremendous charisma and good in ring ability. Yet upon his arrival in WWE they booked him weakly and unnecessarily tweaked his character altering it from the one that was way over in WCW. Had they simply stuck to a winning formula DDP couldve head at least a few years in the main event in WWE and would have been a great face to counteract HHH'S dominant heel character in a time when they struggled to find people to fill that role.

 

[JDtheDrunk]

I know he has been a two time world champion, but Christian by far has been the biggest waste in WWE history. He has the total package, great in ring work and even better on the mic. He has been so over with the fans since 2004, he really should have been given the spot they eventually handed to John Cena. Sadly, Vince has had it in his head for a long time that Christian wasn't good enough to be the top guy and has had it in for him ever since.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Nathan Jones- This guy was a monster they showed promos for him and I think he wrestled one match and then was released? Can someone clear this up for me?

I was at the show where Jones debuted... and just let me say that he's lucky he debuted on Smackdown and not RAW.

Undertaker was getting a beat down from A-Train and Big Show and Jones was coming in to do the save. It was confusing to watch live, because he came out, there was some in ring action... then Taker, Train and Show all went back to their original positions while Jones left the ring, and then came back out again a few seconds later to do the whole thing over again.

Yes, they had to do a retake because of him. Sorry, but there was no potential to waste with that guy. He's just another one that had a look and two left feet.

When I saw this thread, the guy that immediately came to mind is someone that has yet to be mentioned:

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Yes he had a good career. Was good in the territories. Very good run in the WWF. Nice, brief run at the top in WCW, before fading away into his excesses. It's not his in ring career I'm talking about though as being wasted potential, because as far as that goes, he didn't have much left to be a top guy after WCW.

I'm talking about behind the scenes. Jake probably had one of the best minds for the business ever. He understood the psychology behind the sport better than most, and it was this understanding that got him the career he had. He never had a good body. The workrate fanboys of today would have hated him because he really used very few moves. But when he stepped between those ropes, he understood how to draw you in. He held the crowd in the palm of his hand.

He could have been one of the greatest bookers of all time. He's would have got his start doing it around the mid-90's, and he could still be going today. In fact, he would have built up so much credibility as a booker, that he'd be able today to get ideas greenlit by Vince McMahon that he'd otherwise not even consider. The product today could have been so much better with Jake behind the scenes.

Alas, he's got his demons though. Unfortunate of course for him, but for the rest of us too.

 

[UltimateHitman]

TERRY TAYLOR. The man had it all, the in-ring skils and charisma of a Ric Flair, with pure babyface, classic good looks.

Brought in to the 'F and forced to strut around the ring with a frickin' red mohawk on his head and a gimmick named after a bottle of hot sauce.

A total travesty.

You know, I may probably be one of a handful of people on the planet, but I liked the Red Rooster.

As a kid I liked the guy for whatever reason. Hell, I did the middle of my hair in a red mohawk like he did and went to the mall once like that.

My buddies and I had this running joke about Red Rooster vs. Andre the Giant. Then, at one of the Rumbles (I'm not looking it up), it actually happened for a brief moment. We enjoyed that moment.

Any Red Rooster t-shirt donations to me will be greatly appreciated, by the way.

But to answer the question, since this is a no-spam zone, I would have to say Mordecai.

To this day I still think about how awesome the Mordecai/Taker program would have been. I loved the Mordecai character, and he could have easily went the Taker route, going from heel to face, and solidifying a spot for himself.

I wish they wouldn't have given up completely on that guy. His vignettes and promo work was awesome.

To all the other mentions, I have to agree with them, too. Especially Shelton Benjamin. He's got talent that other people only wish they could have.

But, again, Mordecai is the top of the list for me, and something I still think could have been freakin' awesome if given the chance.

 

[Jimmy Carter]

Throughout his stints in the major promotions, Sean Waltman had the potential to cement a legacy of title reigns but was always held back by his size - ironic that today's world champs are CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, with wrestling skills that would easily blend their their styles today, as well as over two decades of experience to back that up. Imagine the heat X-Pac would have generated had he held the IC title instead of Albert. The guy could undeniably get a reaction from the crowd.

 

[King of the Words]

Gotta go with John Morrison like a fellow poster said. he had it all except perfect mic skills. I think if they worked with him more on that instead of burying him for the Melina thing it would have been better for business. If WWE holds grudges on up coming talent too much ,that step out of line a little, they are going to lose some gems. I hope Morrison comes back better then ever after mania or for MITB, PPV, win the match and get back on track to the top. Use a manager like vicky if he needs it for mic work.

 

[d_henderson1810]

This response will suprise you-

My pick is :- Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat!

Yes, yes. I know what you will say. But he is in the HoF! Steamboat is lauded throughout wrestling, and his matches with Ric Flair are considered some of the best of all time. He was in the greatest WM match ever, etc!

But I think Ricky Steamboat could have been WWE World Champion. He has the popularity, he definitely had the ringwork, and he was actually very good on the mike as well. Yet he was treated as more of a "midcarder", and even though he beat Randy "Macho Man" Savage at WM3, Steamboat was pushed to the top, but instead he lost the IC Title to the Honky Tonk Man of all people.

Steamboat is the greatest wrestler never to have been WWE or World Champion, and he should have been.

 

[relentless1]

i think the nWo in WWF was a waste, i know scott halls release was a big part of it but if Mcmahon stuck to his guns and didnt turn hogan face or if hhh turned right away and joined they couldve been huge, especially when eric bischoff came into WWE it couldve been the invasion angle done right, add mr perfect, scott stiener xpac hhh and hbk to the outsiders and eric bischoff, now tell me thats not worth at least a year of good stories.

 

[supernatural1981]

brock lesnar..........there i said it. i think if he hadnt of left at WM20 after his goldberg match he would of been even bigger than cena, he had it all and i know a lot of people are going to say he MADE IT i disagree because i dont think he had the heart to slog day in day out year round fo the wrestling buisness.

 

[relentless1]

also ric flair in WWF, they brought him in as the "real" world champion, they couldve had a HUGE unification match at survivor series then a huge blowout at wrestlemania between him and hogan, that was a big waste IMO