Where would he be if he stayed with WWE?

[Leoffler17]

I'm just curious on your opinions on guys who if they never left, how big of a superstar wold they be today?

Feel free to mention anyone who was over in your eyes.

For me I think Shelton Benjaman would be a top guy in the WWE today. His ring work was second to none, but also very unique. I loved the Gold Standard persona he had going on in WWECW and I can remember his matches with HBK and Ric Flair being AWESOME, and that was early on.

I really believe if he stayed in the WWE he would be that guy who could lock up with anyone and use his size and agility to get himself over with the rest of the WWE universe.

What do you thing Wrestlezone? Do you agree or think I need to re-evaluate my opinion.

 

[info62]

Somebody I think would be a major player right now, despite that I'm not really a fan of his, is Bobby Lashley. They were pushing him like crazy and he was pretty over. He was already practically a main eventer, he was on the cover of Smackdown VS Raw 08, I'm pretty sure they made him the first person to break the masterlock, he won that stupid hair vs hair match thing at WM 23 and was getting pushed like a god around this time. Then he just left.

WWE clearly had plans of this guy making it big, if he was still around I think for sure WWE would be using him to fill Batista's role as the Cena of Smackdown right now.

I like Shelton Benjamin, but I don't think he would have been a top guy had he stayed around. The gold standard thing was a cool gimmick but I don't remember it catching on with the audience. Shelton Benjamin had a problem getting heat from the crowd imo. I think they should have tried a face run w/ the gold standard gimmick before he left just to give it a shot. Maybe that would have worked out better

 

[Leoffler17]

Lashley is a given though, what a monster. He was born to rule that ring. I think he would have the absolute most amazing matches with Sheamus. Battle of the giants. It would be too good. So much raw power.

I respect your opinion and but Shelton drew sooooo much heat even before the Gold Standard gimmick. And with that added brash, cockiness he really got ever with me. Tell me him and Punk wouldn't have match of the year quality bouts. He wasn't bad on the mic. And he really did have a great move pool. Especially with the t-bone suplex followed up by his new/forgotton finisher, just some jumping STO. But he made it look like it knocked guys out. Regardless he's in ROH now but I really think he could have been a main player.

Random thought: What about Tyson Tomko? He had the look for sure. Too bad he got lazy and jumped ship and now he's a one hit wonder.

 

[info62]

Lashley is a given though, what a monster. He was born to rule that ring. I think he would have the absolute most amazing matches with Sheamus. Battle of the giants. It would be too good. So much raw power.

That's funny because I said somewhere that I thought they tried giving Sheamus the push and the character that they originally gave Lashley. Although now that I think about it, I think the Ryback character is more similar to Lashley's character than Sheamus is.

Random thought: What about Tyson Tomko? He had the look for sure. Too bad he got lazy and jumped ship and now he's a one hit wonder.

I liked Tomko. I enjoyed his TNA run too but then he got too out of shape for when he came back to WWE.

As far as when he originally quit though, didn't WWE stop pushing him prior to when he left? I thought they were giving him a good push after Christian went to SmackDown, but then WWE had Cena kill Tomko's streak and they threw him in a tag team with Snitsky that went nowhere. I mean, I can see why he left. I don't think he would have done anything great had he stayed.

I think it was smart of him to leave at that point. It helped him stay relevant for a while, but once he got out of shape prior to returning to WWE, that's where it went wrong I think

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't see Benjamin or Lashley as being top guys really.

Benjamin was someone that got lots of pushes, lengthy mid-card title runs and wins over big names in WWE; but Benjamin's problem was a complete lack of personality. I've seen him in Ring of Honor and that hasn't changed. There are a good number of wrestlers on the WWE roster, both on the main roster and in NXT, that are as good as Benjamin in the ring and with far more personality.

Bobby Lashley is basically Ryback without the intensity. Lashley had a great look and was a legitimate powerhouse. If anything though, Lashley had even less personality than Shelton Benjamin. WWE has a couple of big, strong guys on the roster, like Sheamus, that are much better than Lashley in my view. Also, I think Lashley is someone that kind of saw wrestling might be a means to earn a fairly easy paycheck but found out that the reality was different. Lashley's first love has been MMA. The primary reason he signed with TNA years back was because TNA would give him time off whenever he wanted in order to train for upcoming MMA bouts.

As for Tomko, he's the overall weakest of the three in my eyes. The last time I saw him in TNA, he looked like a wreck. He was flabby, out of shape and just didn't have it in him. The was gassed out in about 3 minutes.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Remember Tom Zenk? He formed a terrific tag team with Ric Martel called the Can-Am Connection. Especially with Martel being in such favor in those days, I thought he and Zenk were headed for the moon in terms of popularity and exposure. He had the looks and moves of a true star.

Then, Zenk abruptly left WWE. It must have been a shock because the company actually had Martel do a promo in which Zenk was mentioned as having deserted him, which was something WWE simply didn't do in those days. If a guy left, he was never referred to at all.

Zenk eventually turned up in AWA, then WCW, but while they let him wear a couple of minor titles, he never really amounted to anything before retiring a few years later. But in WWE, I believe he would have gained fame beyond anything he could dream of. Every time we turned around, he was seen on our TVs in matches and promos. The machinery was in place; all he had to do was take advantage of it.

It was rumored a contract dispute was the cause of Zenk leaving. Assuming that's true, the end results suggest sometimes it's better to let things play out rather than quitting on the spur of the moment. For Zenk, the long-term advantages might have outweighed the short-term battle over a relatively few bucks. Who knows?

 

[fenderjapan]

I always thought Shelton could have been a main-event player. He had the look and the skill...mic skills were iffy but could have been improved. Its too bad that never happened for him.

Also, I always wished the British Bulldog could have gotten straightened out and stayed with the company. Obviously it is too late now but had he stayed around and proven himself to be more reliable he could have been a main event player.

 

[ABMorales787]

Man, Shelton was just plain terrible in my book. He certainly was great in the ring. But once WWE took notice and tried to do something, he just laid back on that. Zero charisma, zero persona, just some athletic dude. In a year and a half he went from a hot young star to a comedy act tagging along with his "momma". Lashley was a musclehead with a voice that would make you think he was a housewife.

As for my pick, Goldberg. Yeah, no one was a fan of his run there. But lets face it. From his debut at Backlash '03 to his match with Lesnar he was a top dog. Had he stuck around, I truly believe Batista would not have made it as far as he did within WWE. At least under the musclehead persona we knew until his heel turn in '09. Maybe one run as Champion following Evolutions end. But unless that stuck up jerk that blew people's minds in late '09 had shown up, Batista would not have gone anywhere with Goldberg still asking "Who's Next?"

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

There are two guys who come to mind when thinking of what could have been had they stayed the course. While each wrestlers situation was different, they nevertheless left alot of unanswered questions.

The Ultimate Warrior

This one is tough because he had alot of problems with Vince and the WWE that lead to his early departure. There is no denying that before those issues surfaced he was on the fast track in the WWE. By 1990 he was being positioned to take over the top spot from Hogan. Now if things were different and his relationship with Vince were better and both guys were able to conduct buisness with one another things could have been much different for Warrior. 91 and 92 could have been much stronger year considering how part time Hogan was during those years. Now Warrior may have never made it into 93 because of the steroid stuff, but he could have had much more than just 1990 as the man.

Brock Lesnar

This one is different because its all on Brock. The WWE were completely behind Brock and he was in prime position to be the man in the WWE for the foreseeable future. Brock just decided that it wasn't for him and that was the end of that. If Brock would have never had that change of heart and continued his WWE career baring injuries he would have been in the main event picture throughout all his time much like Cena has. We would have seen Brock go over on Goldberg, and then enter fueds with the likes of Triple H, Cena, Batista, and Orton between the years of 2004-2008. If Lensar never left maybe he would have ended the streak as WWE came close to doing so back in 2006. If Brock had been a company guy and remained a major draw Brock going over on Taker at Mania when Taker returned to his Dead Man gimmick could have been very possible as WWE let Brock go over on Taker numerous times in 2003 when they first built him up.

 

[HBsam31]

I think Brock would be up there in the same breath as an HBK or Taker had he stuck around. He went over Rock, Hogan, Angle, and Taker all in the short span that he was with the WWE. Imagine if he was a company guy. He would have just kept winning and winning IMO. They wanted him to go over Austin to at that time. He would have had numerous more championships barring some sort of injury, and like I said he would have easily went down as one of the all time greats.

 

[The Butcher]

Kurt Angle would've ended up getting fired via the WWE Wellness Policy and wind up in TNA Wrestling.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Angle#Substance_abuse_allegations

I trust that you folks are smart enough to put all that together, so read no further if unless you're a mod or a moron*. Okay, just the mods and morons left? Good! Kurt Angle received a Wellness Policy violation in 2007 for steroids. In 2009 (post-WWE in the real world, but he'd still be there in our scenario here) he got arrested for stalking his ex-girlfriend. The police found some HGH in the vehicle, which Kurt didn't have a prescription for. Kurt also has a well documented history of driving under the influence. What I'm saying up there in a clear, concise manner is that Kurt Angle would've racked up three (3) strikes against the WWE Talent Wellness Policy, the precise number it takes to get fired. Then, because he's an awesome wrestler, TNA Wrestling would have hired him.

*That is in no way meant as an insult. Mods have to read through everything to enforce rules and morons just need stuff explained to them sometimes.

 

[Nygiantsfan1029]

Two people I want to bring up. One Bully Ray. Right now he is getting a good push in TNA right now but a few months ago the WWE wanted to bring the Dudleys back right bout the time Bubba became Bully. I bet Bully and Devon are glad the stayed with TNA. Another guy I want to bring up is Magnum TA. Never was in the WWE but everyone thought he would be the next big name in NWA. I wonder what would've happened if that accident didn't end his career.

 

[OnceMeansOnce]

You guys have brought up all the main ones i would of said, so I'll mention someone not quite as obvious: Paul London! I'm not sure why but every time i watched him I thought this guy could go on to be quite a character. He had some "attitude" in him that i never felt was able to be let out and expressed. Don't think he could have been WWE champion, and he's probably a bit too small for that role anyway, but still could have been an interesting character i think.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Remember Tom Zenk? He formed a terrific tag team with Ric Martel called the Can-Am Connection. Especially with Martel being in such favor in those days, I thought he and Zenk were headed for the moon in terms of popularity and exposure. He had the looks and moves of a true star.

Then, Zenk abruptly left WWE. It must have been a shock because the company actually had Martel do a promo in which Zenk was mentioned as having deserted him, which was something WWE simply didn't do in those days. If a guy left, he was never referred to at all.

Zenk eventually turned up in AWA, then WCW, but while they let him wear a couple of minor titles, he never really amounted to anything before retiring a few years later. But in WWE, I believe he would have gained fame beyond anything he could dream of. Every time we turned around, he was seen on our TVs in matches and promos. The machinery was in place; all he had to do was take advantage of it.

It was rumored a contract dispute was the cause of Zenk leaving. Assuming that's true, the end results suggest sometimes it's better to let things play out rather than quitting on the spur of the moment. For Zenk, the long-term advantages might have outweighed the short-term battle over a relatively few bucks. Who knows?

Zenk left cos he found out Martel was on more than double the money he was... but Rick was a former AWA champion and Zenk wasn't so when he complained, Vince simply waved see-ya. Martel was actually paid a hell of a lot for how he was used, they clearly had plans for that team but also for Martel in general, all they did was replace Zenk with Tito and it worked far better than it ever would have with the Zzzzz-Man.

One guy who could have done more had he stayed in WWF was Bam Bam Bigelow in 87/88... Had he gone heel he and Savage could have had some great matches and given Savage the right level of "peril" and "underdog" status.