Who had the most disappointing WWE career

[FromTheSouth]

In reference to one's time in WWE, who do you think left the most to be desired?

I have a few candidates to get conversation going.

Wade Barrett - With the recent announcement of his parting ways with WWE, you have to take a look back at Wade Barrett. He was a massively over heel as the leader of Nexus and got buried by Cena. He was massively over as Bad News Barrett and got hurt. King Barrett got hurt. Waking up to piss in the morning Barrett for hurt. Rehabbing Barrett got hurt...etc.

Barrett had the look, great mic skills, and worked the WWE "main event style." He could easily be the Bond villain type heel that could lead a stable. When he debuted, I saw nothing but titles and the Hall of Fame in his future. Unfortunately, he's spent more time on the table than in the ring.

Craig Morgan - This guy is Vince MacMahon's wet dream. A big guy who could move. He just could not communicate. He should have been a Paul Heyman guy. He did better in TNA where he was allowed to grow a little.

Ric Flair - Yes, I'm serious. Flair was the leader of the Horsemen. In WWE, he was HHH's lackey. He was used as a comedy act that ruined his legacy. His first run was OK in the early 90's, but without Hogan around, he never got traction. His later runs were memorable for his loss to HBK and now, as lackey to his daughter. Comparing his matchups in NWA/WCW with Rhodes, Race, Steamboat, and Sting to his time in WWE is upsetting. He was buried from day one by Vince as a bif "Fuck You" to NWA fans.

Ron Simmons - See above. He wa s aworld champion in WCW. WWE buried him because he talked too Southern and looked too black.This recent nostalgia tour is completely bogus. JBL is the only person, Simmons had a clean pin of Vader when Vader was unbeatable back in the day, and as soon as he came to WWE he was stuck in an IC level stable, fed to the Rock as fodder, and stuck in a tag team. He got to be involved as an ancillary character in the Corporate Ministry angle, and then was relegated to the second man in a tag team. When the Dudleys, Hardyz, and E&C were main eventing, Simmons was a comedy act.

I'm sure we can come up with more.

 

[Azane]

Sting.

World Renown, Biggest name to never work for the Federation, he pops in and jobs a couple times and his careers over, we were expecting to get a couple of our Old timer dream matches, but we got HHH Burying Sting and Seth Rollin's miracle win after he jobbed to Cena.

There was a 15 year build for Sting showing up, and HHH had to steal that to work his ego.

There's this small hope he could wrestle again, but as a fan of wrestling, I wouldn't want him to risk ruining his senior years for 1 more run.

 

[MoRtAnDaD]

The Public Enemy.....

I know, those guys didnt have a real career anywhere, but they only last 2 month in the company and had...4 matches TOPS.

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

Craig Morgan - This guy is Vince MacMahon's wet dream. A big guy who could move. He just could not communicate. He should have been a Paul Heyman guy. He did better in TNA where he was allowed to grow a little.

Did you mean Matt Morgan?

I think there's two categories here.
1. There's the guy(s) that were "pushed to the moon" sorta say but didn't work out.
2. The guy(s) that had potential but never reached it, never given the chance, or were just booked like ****.
Category 1.
MVP/Mr.Kennedy- they were booked and seen as the next Randy Orton and Edge. MVP debuted as the highest paid superstar on the roster, and within in 6 months was U.S and tag team champion. While Mr. Kennedy debuted beating former World champions left and right. One went on to get fired due to backstage politics and the other was given almost a year long losing streak before his release(if not a year, it sure seemed like it). They both should've still been in wwe at this point and could've helped establish some of the newer faces like Ambrose to potential main event status.
Category 2.
John Morrison- The guy was an amazing heel(IMO) better than the Miz was. As a face he was this flashy guy with the cool spots but could still go in the ring. He was basically getting the old fans of Jeff Hardy, which was far from a bad thing. He was always thrown into multi-man main event matches, which happen on a regular basis during that time, but for whatever reason wwe decided not to fully push him into main event status. Which I found to lack much sense considering they had the perfect story at the time with Miz dominating the world title picture.
Cody Rhodes- Every time he's given a character to do he knocks it out the park. Cody Rhodes may be bland but give him a gimmick and he will be exceptional. He's proven that he deserves better than how he's being treated/booked right now. I don't know why he's not even been given a thought of a main event run from the higher ups.

 

[Cub McCallister]

Can't disagree with any of these list's, for me number one would have to be Wade Barrett purely because he could have done so much better. He could have had a couple of world title reigns and his BNB gimmick was awesome, he should of done so much in the Wwe but was just jobbed out countless times, but that's the case with a lot of superstars like Drew Mlcyntyre, MVP and Mr Kennedy.

There was one superstar that signed with them in 2003/04 amd did a couple of vignettes against the undertaker in like dark alleyway and they were pretty decent, but I can't remember his name he wore all black, if anyone could remember his name and help me out I would be very grateful to be able to put a name to the face

 

[relentless1]

the nWo.

Soo much could have been done with that group under WWEs guidance its not even funny, sour grapes on Vinces part ruined it though.

nWo vs WWF

nWo vs DX

Brand split caused by nWo havoc

Bischoff running it onscreen..

the possibilities were endless.

PS I know they were all successful before and Hogan got a good run afterwards but I mean the group as an entity strictly.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

the nWo.

Soo much could have been done with that group under WWEs guidance its not even funny, sour grapes on Vinces part ruined it though.

nWo vs WWF

nWo vs DX

Brand split caused by nWo havoc

Bischoff running it onscreen..

the possibilities were endless.

PS I know they were all successful before and Hogan got a good run afterwards but I mean the group as an entity strictly.

I think that is what they were planning on doing, with Vince bringing in the nWo as the 'poison' to kill the WWF before Ric Flair could destroy it. However, as much as I wanted it to, it didn't work. Hogan's popularity was completely underestimated, as a heel at Mania he was getting more cheers than The Rock- who was the face in the match. So they took advantage of that and let him go back to the red & yellow like the fans wanted. Hall was a shadow of his former self and screwed up again pretty quickly leading to his release and Nash got injured almost immediately. Without the entire 3 original members, the WWF version of the nWo would've bombed anyway.

I know they added HBK in a non-wrestling role, and X-Pac and Big Show were members of the faction in WCW, but an nWo of those 3 ( when 1 isn't an active wrestler) plus Booker T isn't exactly going to strike fear into the WWF.

I was really excited when I found out the nWo was coming, but it just wasn't meant to be. Shit

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Every upcoming midcarder from 2007-2009. Seriously, non of them ever worked. Like ever. That's why entering 2010, WWE had no credible main eventers left except Cena, Orton, Jericho and Edge.

MVP. Never quite gor off.
Lashley. What went wrong here?
The Great Khali. LOL.
John Morrison. Never reached the heights the company expected him to reach.
Jeff Hardy? Left in his most glorious days.
CM Punk. Great heel, but the 'E never went fully behind him back then.
and the biggest dissapointment..

Mr. Kennedy.

All of the names listed above, is the reason Sheamus and Barrett were pushed so strong since their debuts, because the WWE had no other credible names. And it's also the reason 2010-2011 sucked.

 

[Kizzani]

Brie Bella.

More or less she is a shadow of her sister, Now that her husband is retired, she too is on her way out the door. I see her maybe getting the title off Charlotte at Fastlane just to say she did something.

 

[OYDK]

Brie Bella.

For real? I think chicka has put together a pretty damn good career despite being absolutely horrendous for the entirety of it. Dare I say it, she may even go into the Hall one day...*shudder*

On topic.

Ken Kennedy: This guy has always jumped to mind when this topic comes up. Anderson had a GREAT gimmick with the whole announcing his own entrance shtick (GREEN BAY WISCONSIIIIN). He was a fantastic cocky heel and could have been an even better face in my opinion. Awesome mic skills, smooth in-ring skills, and knew how to work a crowd with the best. The big boys (HHH, Cena, Orton) just DID NOT like him for whatever reason leading to his release. It's a shame as I believe this guy could have been a legend by the end of it.

Vader: Completely mis-managed upon his debut in 1996. I understand that he was nearing the end of his career at this point, but man, he could have been a much bigger player in the AE. He deserved a title win in 96.

 

[Makaveli31]

I think there's two categories here.
1. There's the guy(s) that were "pushed to the moon" sorta say but didn't work out.
2. The guy(s) that had potential but never reached it, never given the chance, or were just booked like ****.

Category 1. "Mega Man" Tom Magee - Proclaimed by Vince McMahon as his "next champion". This guy seemed to have it all martial arts background, powerlifter's strength, bodybuilder's physique....Vince salivated over the prospect of having him be Hogan's replacement. Only one problem....He could NOT work or cut a promo to save his life. The guy simply did not get it.

Category 2. Legion of Doom. This is a combination of 1 and 2. They were certainly "pushed" but I feel they never reach their full main event potential in the WWF. They were over more than any single or tag team in 1991 and I would've liked to see what an LOD/Hogan team would've drawn. Animal relates a story where he practically begged Vince to let LOD come down to save Hogan from a beatdown. I would've liked to see what kind of reaction that would've drawn. They were out of the WWF by 1992 and in their 1997 run they basically put over the Godwinns and NAO.

Sid - For whatever reason Sid and the WWf (and WCW for that matter) just didn't work out. He was brought in in 1991 as the "next Hogan". He was automatically thrown in with Hogan and Warrior and basically was the star of SummerSlam PPV without even wrestling in it. He got "injured" or suspended and his babyface run was over before it began. They try to make him the top heel in 1992 feuding with Warrior but he quits. Comes back in 1996 and is as popular as ever. Fans cheer him over HBK at Series '96. During his brief run from 'Series '96 to Rumble '97 house show attendance goes UP.
Sid wins the belt again at Feb IYH and again house shows go UP. I would've liked to see what a Sid run would've drawn especially when the WWF was hurting in 1996-97.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Going further back, you have to say nearly anyone brought in by WWE between 1991 and 1995 suffered from this starting with Ric Flair and ending with Ron Simmons (Foley, Kane and Dustin had great careers in WWE all told) a whole heap of talent was wasted in that era.

Ric Flair - How Vince got this so wrong I'll never understand, was it really that he soured on Flair cos of the blade job/kiss of Liz at Mania? or had the damage been done months before when Hogan got in his ear and nixed their Mania encounter? Even his opening feud against Roddy Piper was mishandled, with only a Survivor Series match really to show for it. Flair could so easily have been more than he was with patience and the proper push for him... but they didn't follow through... even having him lose to Perfect on RAW rather than holding him till Mania 9 (after all, Flair couldn't WRESTLE for WCW at that time, why not have him job to Curt at Mania?) it was a real botch job, they didn't even have Bret beat him on TV...

Lex Luger - A pretty obvious one, but when he came in, no one really expected much as the Narcissist was a horrid gimmick. I can remember being legit surprised they went with him as being the guy to slam Yoko and then they again, lost their nerve... There's a pattern with almost every major WWE signing from WCW in that era, all the way through to 2001... they start a big push, then receded it and never quite went all the way. Most notably Booker and Benoit and even Jericho being pulled from WM2000's main event for Foley, but Lex was arguably the most obvious one.

The Steiners - What happened with these two is a little less about Vince NOT wanting to push them rather than him not being remotely interested in Rick. If you remember their deals came up and WCW hastily hotshotted the TV title onto Scott as a way to try and keep them... it didn't work and he left for WWE while technically still the champ...At that time Scott had emerged as perhaps the next big singles star and Vince wanted to push Scott in 94 as the "evil" version of Bret Hart, starting with a decimation of Rick, who would then of course be let go... The brothers balked, feeling that they weren't being offered enough and at the very least Rick needed to be pushed as an upper mid card guy... They left and bounced around for a year or two before returning to WCW. Scott DID end up that heel, but he'd have been so much better in WWE. Was Vince a dick in this one? Maybe, but let's face it, he already had several sets of families around with the Harts, The Headshrinkers etc... he probably didn't really want the Steiners as well.

Hakushi - Utter waste of talent, people forget how good this guy actually was back then, the gimmick worked, the matches were insanely good, but he was fed to Bret immediately as part of his feud with Jerry... Hakushi v Bret should have been THE FEUD of 1995. By the time he had a show stealer at Summerslam with Kid, it was too late and before you know it he was a total bust. They at least learned lessons as Tajiri never really suffered quite as bad a fate, but Nakamura should be concerned.

Dean Douglas - Many blame the Kliq for this but you have to remember that Shane had really upset Vince back in '91 by falsely getting his release on the strength of the "his dad was dying and he wanted to see him go to medical school" reason, only to sign with WCW barely a year later, remember SHANE was the original choice for the Heartbreak Kid gimmick... so no wonder Shawn was a dick to him... it was an affront to have to drop a title to a guy who turned down your gimmick but still got over on his own elsewhere. Vince needed to let his ego go on this one and failed, he didn't back Shane enough and gave him the relatively lame gimmick of The Dean... I tell you this much, had he let his ECW gimmick run riot, then there would be NO Triple H today... that much is certain.

 

[Noshowers]

In response to this topic, it's hard not to make a blanket statement like "nearly every African American Wrestler". Just to name a few key ones:

Ron Simmons - As detailed above, WCW World Champion turned into a member of the Black Panthers and then JBL's drinking buddy.

Shelton Benjamin - Had as much charisma as a cement mixer, but not much less then guys like Lex Lugar, Yokozuna, some other guys who had main event runs. To be fair he actually beat HHH on more then one occasion (not many can say that), but was reduced to a momma's boy and then just used like Morrison and Kofi for some cool Royal Rumble spots. All told he did achieve some accolades so perhaps he isn't the best to add here (post talks about absolute worst WWE careers I suppose), but it's had not to miss since I think he was capable of much more.

In terms of other stars:

Vader - detailed well in a post before, could have been one of the great Attitude Era monster heels but basically became a jobber after a brief couple of feuds with the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels that didn;t get him anywhere.

Bam Bam - Another monster heel (and incredible athlete for his size) that had forgettable Wrestlemania matches when he could have been fighting he like of Bret Hart in stead of Yokozuna. Was amazing in ECW, just a missed opportunity in WWE.

 

[Elchicano15]

I agree with a lot of the above posts. So true. A disappointment within the roster on my opinion sadly has been Bray Wyatt. He's been on the main roster with his family for close to 3 years and they're pushing him to be this new face of fear, but any program he's put in we see him go under. For someone with awesome mic skills and a uniqueness in character I thought we'd see more. Truth be told, I'm a fan of the guy, and I still want to see him victorious in an upcoming feud, and to hold a championship in the near future. I'm hopeful he can finally get his Mania moment this year against his opponent (possibly Brock Lesnar and slay the beast) It would do him good. After all if we're counting w/l records for Mania he's 0-2.

 

[Gerbil9892]

Muhammad Hassan, dude had a great look, pretty good skills, solid manager and all it took was one edgy storyline to send him packing without so much as a good bye.

 

[salopstick]

Loads of names mentioned on here FFS

Ric Flairs 2nd run? Are you serious. Great with evolution and did what he had to do Ada 55 year old man in a support role.

The trend here is Vince being accused of ruining most but lots of factors in here. For one politics. WM should have been hogan v flair but savage moaning about the title and hogan leaving meant the matches were changed so Sid suffers.

I accept Vincent and creative make the descisions but wrestlers have to help themselves too

 

[enviousdominous]

Luis Urive, the original Sin Cara.

I was a casual CMLL fan, but I would always stay tuned for matches involving Mistico. He was their golden child who could perform some of the most amazing moves I've ever seen.

Then when the news dropped that he was being picked up by the WWE, so did my bowels. I was imagining him mixing it up with Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio. When he finally showed up, his performances seemed to lack the spunk of his CMLL work. Though the Sin Cara character would sell merchandise better than what was expected, the guy behind it was acting like a douche. I think the last straw was when he dislocated a finger during a tag-team match, he didn't want to be there and the WWE didn't want him there.

Hunico is carrying on the Sin Cara legacy, but Luis Urive went from being the hottest prospect at the time to being a bigger disappointment than Johnny Manziel.

 

[Makaveli31]

was it really that he soured on Flair cos of the blade job/kiss of Liz at Mania? or had the damage been done months before when Hogan got in his ear and nixed their Mania encounter?

No surprise there. Vince held grudges against guys he felt snubbed him. According to Flair, Vince had originally wanted him to sign with the WWF in 1988 around the time of SummerSlam. This would've been a HUGE coup for the WWF since Flair was still viewed as being "in his prime" in 1988 and almost certainly the death of JCP and any deal JCP would've had with Turner. Instead Flair re-signs with JCP. Fast forward to 1991, Flair comes in and is viewed as "past his prime". The torch had already been passed to Sting a year earlier. Remember, it was Flair that came to Vince in '91 not the other way around. I think Vince KNEW that Flair's time had passed and wanted to squeeze whatever juice was left. In 1988 Flair-Hogan would've sold out the HoosierDome or ANY dome. By 1992 I think there were serious questions and doubt. By late '92 even by Flair's own admission he was a shell of his former self. His matches with Bret were NOT good. By '93 it was well known both Flair and Vince had agreed to part ways.

 

[Makaveli31]

Ricky Steamboat in 1991. This was a classic case of Vince holding a grudge. We all know what went down with Steamboat in 1987-1988. No need to rehash it. But Steamboat was still very much in his prime by 1991 and had just come off a classic run with Flair in 1989 with three of the greatest matches of all time. He comes in as "The Dragon" in 1991 without the WWF announcers even acknowledging his past as a former I-C Champion. Why didn't we ever see Steamboat v. Bret Hart? Steamboat v. Shawn Michaels? or Steamboat v. Curt Hennig?

 

[salopstick]

No surprise there. Vince held grudges against guys he felt snubbed him. According to Flair, Vince had originally wanted him to sign with the WWF in 1988 around the time of SummerSlam. This would've been a HUGE coup for the WWF since Flair was still viewed as being "in his prime" in 1988 and almost certainly the death of JCP and any deal JCP would've had with Turner. Instead Flair re-signs with JCP. Fast forward to 1991, Flair comes in and is viewed as "past his prime". The torch had already been passed to Sting a year earlier. Remember, it was Flair that came to Vince in '91 not the other way around. I think Vince KNEW that Flair's time had passed and wanted to squeeze whatever juice was left. In 1988 Flair-Hogan would've sold out the HoosierDome or ANY dome. By 1992 I think there were serious questions and doubt. By late '92 even by Flair's own admission he was a shell of his former self. His matches with Bret were NOT good. By '93 it was well known both Flair and Vince had agreed to part ways.

The new wcw and Jim Barnett in particular had screwed flair as champion. He sent the belt to Vince and vince loved him.

The feud with piper got him noticed firstly with wwf audience. Vince gave him a no3 rumble title win. It was hogan leaving and savages moaning that meant flair became irrelevant with vince and he had to go with the new generation. Flair accepted that so asked for his release.

Imo hogan can't have a wm win over flair then leave.

Hogan was that much of a douche he wouldn't let flair win the wcw rematch to create a decent rubber.

 

[Makaveli31]

The new wcw and Jim Barnett in particular had screwed flair as champion. He sent the belt to Vince and vince loved him.

(I'm doing this off the top of my head)

Actually it was Jim HERD that "screwed" Flair. Flair won the belt in Jan of '91 in order to drop it to Luger. Herd wanted Luger as champ. Flair was working without a contract at the time and told Herd he wasn't doing anything w/o a new contract. Herd told Flair to go 'F- himself and his new contract." That's when Flair contacted Vince. Flair was going to drop the title at the next show to Windham but Herd, once again, told Flair he was FIRED and demanded he hand over the belt right then and there. Flair said he wasn't handing anything over without he $25,000 deposit. That's when Herd, once again, told Flair to "F- himself and his deposit. That's when he sent the belt to Vince.

As far as Vince "loving" Flair for it. I don't know. WCW was a FAR second to WWF at the time (even though WWF was on the downhill) plus it was the NWA's belt. The NWA had been defunct for about three years up to that point. As a kid, I remember it being cool that the WWF had the NWA/WCW belt but once the actual belt disappeared (which was not long) the angle kind of lost steam.

As far as Hogan leaving. That was planned well before Flair ever got there. Hogan and Vince had a strained relationship at that point. I don't know what you mean about Savage's "moaning"? Are you implying that Savage "moaned" his way to the title? I've never heard that. I don't think Flair ever became "irrelevant' to Vince. He was always at or near the top of the card but it was clear he wasn't going to be 'the man.' He would be used to put the younger generation over.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

Tiger Ali Singh. He signed like a 10 a year deal with the company then went on to be constantly injured and rarely if ever performed in the ring. The only thing I remember is some in ring routine where he called fans into the ring and disgraced them. The attitude era had mistakes and this guy was the biggest one.

Honorable mention. Taka Michinoku. Wasted talent. A whole division could have and should have been built around this man. Yes he held the Light heavy weight championship and had great matches with the likes of Christian and Essa Rios. This title quickly disappeared and Taka instantly became a comedy jobber. (Kaientai anyone?)

 

[OYDK]

(I'm doing this off the top of my head)

Actually it was Jim HERD that "screwed" Flair. Flair won the belt in Jan of '91 in order to drop it to Luger. Herd wanted Luger as champ. Flair was working without a contract at the time and told Herd he wasn't doing anything w/o a new contract. Herd told Flair to go 'F- himself and his new contract." That's when Flair contacted Vince. Flair was going to drop the title at the next show to Windham but Herd, once again, told Flair he was FIRED and demanded he hand over the belt right then and there. Flair said he wasn't handing anything over without he $25,000 deposit. That's when Herd, once again, told Flair to "F- himself and his deposit. That's when he sent the belt to Vince.

Alright, I'll clear this up. It was Jim Herd, not Barnett. Herd was the Executive VP of WCW at the time and had continued to alienate talents because of his odd booking ideas. I believe he was also the reason for the LOD and a few others leaving WCW around this time. The story goes, if you take Flair at his word, that Herd believed Ric's run on the top was coming to an end and he wanted to re-package Flair. He wanted him to shave his head, wear a studded earring, go by the name of Spartacus, and take on a Roman warrior gimmick... no joke. The funny thing is, this isn't what caused Flair to leave. Herd also wanted Flair to take a massive pay-cut and drop the title to Luger, and Flair basically said fuck that. He instead pitched the Wyndham idea which WCW initially accepted before firing him instead. Flair called up Vince and Vince hired him on one condition... he bring the NWA belt with him. The irony? Herd never paid Flair the deposit for the title belt after he was fired so Flair never legally had to give it back, making him running to the WWF with the title completely legal. Which also probably played a large role in the ultimate outcome of the Montreal Screwjob.

Sorry, on topic...

Bobby Lashley: Sure the guy didn't have the greatest mic skills... or any, but did he really need them? He was basically the black equivalent of Brock Lesnar, they could have just given him a mouth piece and basically copied Lesnar's debut step-by step. His work in TNA is indicative of what he could have been in the WWE. A real monster who can run through the best and make it seem legitimate.

 

[Makaveli31]

Flair called up Vince and Vince hired him on one condition... he bring the NWA belt with him. The irony? Herd never paid Flair the deposit for the title belt after he was fired so Flair never legally had to give it back, making him running to the WWF with the title completely legal. Which also probably played a large role in the ultimate outcome of the Montreal Screwjob.

I've never heard the "condition" part. Flair states in his book that once Vince learned Flair was free to sign he was immediately interested. I stand corrected. Apparently Vince "loved" the idea. Who would've thought? Since he NEVER acknowledged even the EXISTENCE of another wrestling company on his TV. I think they eventually settled out of court because WWF started using an old title belt that was blacked out on TV to represent the "real" world championship.

 

[FromTheSouth]

If Flair didn't get the deposit back, keeping the belt was completely legal. There had to be copyrights keeping him from putting it on WWE TV. I can buy a Harry Potter book, but I can't read it on TV and certainly can't profit from it.

I want to correct myself. In the OP I called Matt Morgan Craig Morgan. That was incorrect.