Wrestlers the WWE didn't maximize

[Moneyinc]

Let's talk about wrestler's who you feel could have been used differently during their WWE careers. There are so many guys the WWE used perfectly, but there has to be a counter side to that.

The one that really comes to mind is Owen Hart. I'm actually talking about BEFORE death. Let's for a minute pretend he never died. His death was at the end of his run and though he may have been getting a push as the Blue Blazer, I don't think that that character would have done him any more justice than the rest of his characters.

Owen was quite possibly the best technical wrestler that the WWE had in the 90s. When I was a kid especially, Owen was basically a non factor(besides WM X) When I was renting every VHS pay per view pre 1994 or so he was always in matches but when I was younger I never realized how great of a talent he was. I just thought he was super annoying because well, he was. Basically kids don't appreciate heels as much as they do faces(in my opinion)

Owen was in Wrestlemania 5 as the Blue Blazer and wrestled an awesome match and did a damn moonsault off the turnbuckle before the match even started! Should they have stuck with the Blue Blazer?? What would have happened if they did? Then he was in Wrestlemania 8 against Skinner. That character may have been Owen's worst at least as far as looks are concerned. Was he in Wrestlemania 6 or 7?

Now I am not saying Owen never got his push. He obviously got his push when he beat Bret at Wrestlemania X. What I am saying is was he used correctly all of those years? Could the WWE have made him more of a baby face if they wanted to, doing something better than the Blue Blazer? Maybe Owen was just too good at being a heel. In the mid 90s he was absolutely great with his grammy awards and whatnot and now that I really think about his progression into that character, it is pretty darn great. I still wish he would have had more of a face run, but putting Owen in the Hart foundation gear around 93 or 94 and of course putting his against Bret at WM was the best thing they ever did for his career.

My problem with how he was a heel all of those years though is that kids like me were never able to appreciate him. When I was younger I didn't appreciate that the heels were doing their job's well. I would root for the good guys and think they were the greatest. Now that I'm older, if a heel is a great heel, I can appreciate it so much more. Basically Owen deserved to be a good guy/face of the company in my opinion and I'm sure he craved it. At the same time, maybe they tried and it just didn't work. I guess they tried and then dropped him from the damn rafters. RIP I love you.

What are some wrestlers that you think could have been so much better if their characters were changed? Who are some faces you wish could have seen has heels and vice versa? Papa Shango? Marty Janetty? Ted Debiase? Im sure the list goes on and on and on.

Im not saying the WWE is to blame for any of these guys not getting the proper push. Especially in the early 90s there was so much going on as far as character development I'm sure it was damn near impossible to keep things straight and the WWE did a great job at creating characters. If you think about it, it had to be so easy for talent to fall through the cracks back then. We might never know what some guys COULD have been.

 

[TempestH]

Marty Jannetty could've been big, but his issues held him back.

One person I feel had potential to be more is Goldust. He should've been darker and mysterious. Basically something like the Undertaker or Kane, but without the supernatural implications. Once he came back in 2002, they turned him into just a comedy character with very little credibility.

Also there's that whole generation of guys who were pushed during the Ruthless Aggression Era. MVP, Chris Masters, Carlito, Matt Hardy, John Morrison, and Mr. Kennedy all had potential to be great, but never won the WWE or World Heavyweight Championships.

Also, I feel that the wrestlers in the current roster are not being maximized to their full potential. The guys in the midcard should be having feuds with each other and booked to be somewhat credible so that when they eventually do get jobbed out, it actually means something.

 

[OutsiderDX]

RVD

He was never given a platform to do what he did best.

The WWF format of 5 minute matches, just never suited Van Dam. He was bred to deliever 30 minute matches, but never was given he opportunity to showcase that. We can be thankful, ECW did allow that.

RVD was very known to never play politics, and stayed away from backstage BS. So he can be faulted for never pressing the issue.

But the WWE definitely didn't maximize on one of the most unique in-ring performers in wrestling history.

 

[AhSpicyDrop]

RVD

He was never given a platform to do what he did best.

The WWF format of 5 minute matches, just never suited Van Dam. He was bred to deliever 30 minute matches, but never was given he opportunity to showcase that. We can be thankful, ECW did allow that.

RVD was very known to never play politics, and stayed away from backstage BS. So he can be faulted for never pressing the issue.

But the WWE definitely didn't maximize on one of the most unique in-ring performers in wrestling history.

Really? RVD didn't get his chance to shine? Apparently I was dreaming when I saw the long match he had with Jerry Lynn on Sunday Night Heat, or the matches he had with Eddie Guerrero and Jeff Hardy... Or even the fact that he was given the WWE title and ECW Heavyweight title at the same time, and went on to screw that up with a wellness violation.

RVD has always been his own worst enemy, and he'll be the first to tell you that.

Also injuries had slowed him down by the time he got to the WWE due to all the insane shit he did in ECW. So I'm pretty sure RVD was perfectly fine with only having to pull out 20-30 minute matches at bigger events like PPVs or Madison Square Garden shows.

If WWE would have had RVD come out and put on 20-30 minute clinics with anyone and everyone on RAW and Smackdown he wouldn't have been any sort of real attraction on PPV, it would just be another RVD match.

 

[Ex-Degenerate]

There are a few others:

Carlito: Had the look, attitude, and a decent moveset to be a bigger star, and he seemed to be over with the crowd. His look and personality could have worked as both a heel and a face as well

Kennedy: Now Mr. Anderson in TNA, could have been a big star as well. Supposidly was in-line for a big push as "Mr. McMahon's Illigetimate son" in a storyline a few year's back, but injury and a suspension buried his chances. I also think he has been underutalized on TNA, so maybe it's his own fault.

Muhammad Hassain: Another guy who was buried becase of the gimmick of the whole post-9/11 anti Islam wave. I really thought he could have been a big heel, and seemed like he had good moves, and a push going in matches agaisnt the Undertaker. WWE could have remade him over the way they did with Tensai, but Hassain was buried and never seen again.

Umaga/Estrada: Could have been one of the biggest monster heels, and with Estrada as his mouthpiece, It seemed like he was more than just another Samoan, and Ithink could have been beetter than the dancing face that Rikishi was before Umaga died.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Watch some shoots with Jannetty, he puts an interesting spin as to why he was let go in 93... His "issues" were actually (if you believe him) down to Shawn deflecting blame for a bad match onto him for being "wasted" and it was later found not to be true by Curt Hennig so who went to bat for him with the truth... he got his run with the IC a bit later than planned.... THEN his issues screwed him up... How often does Vince give a "Billy Martin" or Mulligan if it isn't deserved?

It always amazes me how the same names always get pulled out in threads like these because the never got a World Title... NEWSFLASH!!! Not everyone is supposed to get a World title!!!

Greg Valentine, awesome worker, highly thought of in the WWE for many years, wore the IC title and US titles in legendary feuds. He was maximised... he was never going to be that next level to carry a company (which a World champ does) so he got exactly what was right for him and an eventual HOF place...

So, from the list given so far... Matt Hardy... held every title in WWE bar the WWE/World titles... at one point he was the most decorated champion in WWE history with all his accumulated reigns and he got the ECW title but that was his level... they maxed his potential and he couldn't carry it over the way Jeff did. It's not a failure, it's a hell of a career...definitely HOF worthy in itself.

Owen Hart - Owen was never going to be world champion. If he was, he'd have beaten Bret in 94, there was no other fued that would have drawn money like that would have done. Should they have...yes perhaps but it would have been a token 1 PPV reign. Owen's career was cut short but he wasn't transitioning up the card when he died, he was clearly marking time till his deal was done so he could retire. He and WWE had maxed his potential out and one more IC reign under a mask wouldn't have ignited things.

Ted DiBiase - He was given the gimmick Vince would have picked himself (before Mr. McMahon came along) and he ran with it, he didn't need to win the WWF title once he had bought it, cos he proved winning it was almost meaningless to him by buying it. Was it bad booking? Perhaps shortsighted for his potential but not bad as it led to massive revenue. So they gave him his own title, which he defended far more fiercely than he would have done the WWE title because he owned the Million $ Belt... Again, his career was cut short, but probably only by 2 years. He main evented 2 manias and a summerslam (yes the tag match at 9 WAS a co-main event) and it is possible that he could have had one more feud for the strap with Bret in 94 had he not gotten hurt, but had that happened then Owen wouldn't have... it's swings and roundabouts... but WWE got a lot of mileage out of the character, as a singles, tag, a guy putting others over, a manager and even a colour commentator for a spell and ultimately they got his son too... they maxed out the DiBiase potential, now Ted Jr... they DID waste him...

Carlito, Kennedy, Kofi, hell even Ziggler... they all reached their potential... it takes something uber special to get to the next level and carry the company, but because we have this stupid treadmill system started with Bret and Shawn, if guys don't get the World title, they failed... they didn't fail... they just weren't World Championship material just like the other 99% of the wrestlers in history be they legends, jobbers, journeymen or Hall Of Famers who also didn't get one.

 

[Pedigree1]

Mr Perfect-Now heres a guy who deserved a title run! This guy had it all the looks the athleticism and the attitude to make you believe he was the Best in the world at that time.Yes he had a wonderful run with the IC strap but Damnit WWE he could have had a run with the title.

Ted Dibiase-The Famous MDM! What a heel probably the best heel and that laugh. Awesome worker and the fact he bought the title proved to me he deserved a run with the strap. Had he not gotten hurt in 94 i feel he would have had a run with the title IMO. He deserved it but does he need it no. Ted was a great worker and even better at getting responses from the crowd.

Greg Valentine-Im glad someone brought him up. The hammer was a wrestlers wrestler IMO. He literally was a machine in the ring nothing he couldnt do. But the WWE did maximize his potential one of the first IC title winners if im not mistaken. He Broke Chief Wahoo McDaniels leg from the Figure Four leglock. Yes ric flair has the most famous but valentines IMO is the most devastating.

 

[Kombuchis]

Vader is an obvious example that springs to mind.
One of the best and most athletic big men in the history of the business, he was a destroyer in Japan and WCW. When he arrived in the WWF he got somewhat of a heel push (beating up Gorilla Monsoon on his first Raw) but in general he wasn't utilised properly at all. Vader was supposed to win the title from Michaels at Summerslam 96 according to a lot of people, Michaels included, but politics came into play and he never got the belt.
Other wrestlers in the Fed also complained about Vaders hard hitting style and he changed his move set and became less expansive, in the end he was reduced to getting beaten convincingly by half the roster. A criminal waste of talent, could have been a monster heel.

Shelton Benjamin had all the skills apart from on the mic, why they didn't put a manager with him to do the talking is beyond me. Benjamin had the in ring skills, just needed someone to do the talking. Plenty wrestlers who couldn't cut a decent promo but had half Benjamins talent got over via their manager.

Perfect would have been a great heel champion. They could have given him the belt in 93 at some point, DiBiase should have held the title at least once he was scheduled to win it at WM4 but the Honky/Savage fallout nixed that)

Bam Bam Bigelow was a great talent wasted. Feuds with Tatanka, Doink and Lawrence Taylor were shocking and showed how hard Bam Bam worked i the ring to get poor workers over. He should have been a major heel mid-top card contender in the mid 90's.

 

[fenderjapan]

Bam Bam Bigelow - I always felt like BBB could have been a World Title caliber guy. I enjoyed watching his matches...far more than Diesel or Luger or Yokozuna.

Vader - Same as above, although Vader was a little less polished and near the end of his career when he came to WWE.

Mr. Perfect - Mr. Perfect should have been a WWF Champion, bottom line. one of the all time greats.

 

[oneofakind318]

Can we mention Divas? Because Beth Phoenix and Natalya are the first two that come to my mind. Obviously they didn't/don't have the connection with the audience that Trish & Lita had, but they never really had the chance or backing either. Beth vs. Natalya could have been this decades Trish vs. Lita if managed even reasonably well, yet they only wrestled one throwaway match on a Smackdown. Sad.

Mr. Perfect is another one, but that had more to do with timing and injuries. Had he come along 10 years later and stayed healthy he might be in Shawn Michaels territory.

I'll also say Jake "The Snake" Roberts because even though he had a strong six years in WWF, most of it was spent as a babyface feuding with already established heels. His character was designed to be a heel and the limited work he did as a heel there was off the charts. His feud with the freshly turned Undertaker could have been epic had he not left the company after WM8. The feud with Randy Savage was epic. Also think he would have been a great challenger for Bret Hart during that time.

 

[Radical]

I agree with a lot of guys that people have posted about already (i.e. Bam Bam, Vader, etc) so I'll try to mention a few different ones and try to explain it.

Simon Dean - NOT saying he should have been anywhere near the top of the card but I'll be damned if I didn't find him entertaining. To me, he was the perfect mid-card heel. He was arrogant and condescending to the audience but he showed vulnerability against bigger opponents. I still love going back to watch his match with Boogeyman (as short as it was), the theatrics were great.

Basically what I think he could have maybe won at least the US title (of course, in a heelish way ... throw some powder in their face or whatever) and then say he is the "Officially American spokesperson for fitness" and continue on about his message about fitness and how unfit everyone else is.

Deuce & Domino - I thought it was a brilliant gimmick. They had a hot diva to bring them to the ring, a great entrance theme and decent to good ring ability. They did get the Tag Team belts which is nice but their stint in the WWE in generally was way too short for my liking.

They were portrayed as heels but they had a cool gimmick which is a good thing sometimes in Pro Wrestling where fans actually like the heels and boo them almost sarcastically but they want to see them perform and even want to see them win. I felt this team had that opportunity but was cut short.

Mark Henry - Should have got a World Heavyweight Title reign earlier than he had gotten it. He played 'big guy jobber' for much too long. His monster heel reign as World Champion was awesome and I believe he actually helped boost the ratings of SmackDown for a while. Sadly, his reign was cut short by an injury but if they gave him that chance earlier in his career there would be less chance he would have got injured.

He's 41 now and even though, I believe, Kane got his decent run as World Champion after he was 41 himself, I sadly think it is unlikely the WWE will give Mark Henry one REAL last good run with the World Title when he comes back this time.

I think they should, but I kind of doubt it.

 

[dukes07]

Where to start:

Ted DiBiase: Should have received a title run.
Curt Hennig: Same
Rick Rude
Vader: Fuck you HBK.
Cruiserweight Division: Never took off, never got the chance. Fuck, Kidman came back in 02, cold, just came back and the crowd popped during his matches.
Owen Hart: Especially after the Screwjob.
Pretty much any WCW guy: Took years for most to get a nice push. DDP should have been used better.
Tazz: I love this guy. Jobbed to HHH within three months.
Jack Swagger: I think had they allowed him to flourish as a monster heel instead of being a bitch he could have done more....and there are countless other guys stuck in the midcard that could probably do better.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Sean O'Haire

This has been said numerous times on this forum but WWE dropped the ball BIG TIME on Sean O'Haire. There was a guy with almost unlimited potential, a sure-fire bet to become a champion and the company totally blew it with him.

[YOUTUBE]E--vjcE7W9w[/YOUTUBE]

Just look at the guy, he is a incredible physical specimen, and SO athletic. What other man can do backflips off the top rope when they stand at about 6 foot 6 (I cant remember his exact height), and can pull of a Swanton (Seanton) Bomb, especially when springboarding off the ring ropes. Amazing.

O'Haire was on a major roll in WCW, close friends with Goldberg and was looking set to become one of the next generation of main eventers for the company before WWE bought them out and he debuted in Vince's company as part of a tag-team with Chuck Palumbo and looked very impressive.

Once the Alliance was defeated, O'Haire started to portray a kind of "Devil's Advocate" character", encouraging people to sin and break the rules. This showed he had great promo skills as well as being good in the ring and having an awesome look. It was one of the most innovative characters WWE had come up with in years.

[YOUTUBE]GISnWeaVu3A[/YOUTUBE]

Just brilliant. O'Haire really had it all, although I have heard rumours of a bad backstage attitude but I don't know how true they are.

I have always thought, if WWE had got behind O'Haire like they did with someone like Cena, Lashley, Batista, Lesnar etc he would have been a mega star, a multi-time champion.

It pisses me off to this day that we never saw a long Sean O'Haire WWE run.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Bigelow is a perfect example... someone who DID reach his potential, perhaps slightly over-reached it but in reality he never had the complete package to carry the belt and the company. His mic skills weren't there and he never had a manager good enough to do it for him. Had they put him with Heenan in 87 as a heel and not gone with DiBiase/Andre then yes... it might have worked. In 93 he was a good foil for Bret Hart but not someone who could have won. Arguably he was one of the first guys to "cut loose and be themselves turned up" when he got into the LT feud, this was legit bad ass former bounty hunter that LT was messing with but ultimately he was portrayed as a mercenary who couldn't quite get the job done... When his big face turn came and he got his pyro gloves, it just seemed forced and not true to him, just like Steamboat breathing fire in a silly costume... The Bigelow in ECW... THAT was the real Bam Bam... but it would never have worked in WWE as a Champion.

O' Haire is an interesting one, something clearly happened backstage to screw his push, such is the nature of wrestling. It could have been as simple as a comment from someone like Triple H or an active attempt to ruin the character from someone. I don't think he'd have been a mega star, but he'd have been in the role that ultimately went to Batista for sure, its scary how similar they are although Sean was better all-round in the ring.

Shelton is another interesting one... had they kept him another year, he could be where Punk is now in terms of overness but who could they put with him to talk? They put a comedienne as his "Momma" and that sucked, there were no managers who were great at the time to get him over... now he'd be a Paul Heyman guy for sure... but then Heyman was persona non grata and AJ was probably still in high school... This kinda guy is why it's so tragic that Bobby Heenan got sick, had he not, although he'd probably have retired by now he would probably have had one more run and someone like Shelton was perfect for him.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

RVD

He was never given a platform to do what he did best.

The WWF format of 5 minute matches, just never suited Van Dam. He was bred to deliever 30 minute matches, but never was given he opportunity to showcase that. We can be thankful, ECW did allow that.

RVD was very known to never play politics, and stayed away from backstage BS. So he can be faulted for never pressing the issue.

But the WWE definitely didn't maximize on one of the most unique in-ring performers in wrestling history.

Yeah, I call bullshit on this one.

WWE didn't give RVD a chance? Seriously? His feuds with Eddie Guerrero, Jeff Hardy & Chris Jericho, among others, didn't result in long or memorable matches? Revisionist history at its finest.

Vince was reluctant to give RVD the ball because he didn't quite trust him. It turns out that Vince had justifiable reasons for that mistrust. RVD won the WWE & ECW Championship and held them simultaneously. He pinned John Cena at the ECW One Night Stand ppv. RVD was where he always wanted to be before he & Sabu were busted for possession of drugs & drug related items. His career in WWE was pretty much over and rightly so. RVD's career in WWE imploded because of the personal choices RVD made in his own life.

 

[FiveTymeWCWChamp]

I say MVP! At one point, he was as hot as anyone on the roster! He was becoming a crossover star! His feuds with Benoit and Matt Hardy were very good and entertaining. He had the American Dream story behind him! A rags to riches coming from prison to make something of himself and redemption! The people were chanting his name MVP! MVP! MVP! Had a good theme song.....and then "They killed him! As god as my witness, he is broken in half!"

 

[THTRobtaylor]

In MVP's case, there was a limit they could do with him at the time as he had spent time in prison. Not short time but 9 years for Armed Robbery and Kidnapping... Yes, he rehabilitated and so had Booker also done time for Armed Robbery before him, but as Linda was going for Senate that probably ruined his chances. Is it right, hell no, but it's reality. Now, Linda isn't in politics anymore and MVP is making noises about coming back, so I think he kinda knew the issues too. I think crossover star is a little overhyping it tho...

 

[HBsam31]

I agree with THTRobTaylor that not everyone is World championship material. A lot have guys have reached or exceeded their potential, and it still didn't mean they won a world title. The one guy mentioned that I think WWE didn't maximize was Vader. He was a great heel champion in WCW. He went at it with Flair and Sting both and produced great matches. He came into WWE with a lot of steam with the attack on Gorilla Monsoon, and had a good match with HBK. It sorta went downhill from there. I think he would have been a better choice to take the title off HBK instead of Sid. He wouldn't have had to remain a staple in the main event, but I think they could have gotten a lot more from him than they did.

 

[pyrusane]

I'll get to my picks in just a moment, but first I need to know something...

The one that really comes to mind is Owen Hart. I'm actually talking about BEFORE death.

I would be really interested to know what you think they should have done with him AFTER death. That would be a pretty interesting thread, I think...

Sooo...it is well documented that Sean O'Hare showed a lot of potential with his Devil's Advocate gimmick prior to being shuffled into the Roddy Piper/Hulk Hogan storyline. After that he was pretty much done in WWE, and it's a shame. Athletic, great look, tons of charisma...

One guy that I haven't seen anybody else mention is Bad News Brown. This guy was huge over in the late 80s, and was booked as an unstoppable force for quite a while. He pretty much single handedly turned Bret Hart face when he kicked him in the back of the head with his Ghetto Blaster finisher at WM IV. He had minor feuds with Hart, Ken Patera, and JYD, to name a few. He wrestled Hacksaw Jim Duggan at WM V, and Roddy Piper at WM VI.

Brown was a legit badass, having won a bronze medal in the Olympics for Judo, as well as two gold medals in the Pan American Games. He got brief feuds with Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan, both for the title. The story is that Vince had promised Brown when he was brought in that he would be the company's first black champion, but he failed to pull the trigger because he didn't want to put him over Savage or Hogan. It's a shame too, because Brown could have been a great heel champion during that time.

 

[Nadeem Ahmad]

So, from the list given so far... Matt Hardy... held every title in WWE bar the WWE/World titles... at one point he was the most decorated champion in WWE history with all his accumulated reigns and he got the ECW title but that was his level... they maxed his potential and he couldn't carry it over the way Jeff did.

No offense, but what do you mean he was the most decorated champion at WWE history at one point, with all the accumulated reigns? Did anybody on WWE programming ever mention him as such? Was that an opinion you held? If so, why would you feel that way? Did he hold all the titles in the WWE except the WWE title and the World Heavyweight Title for a longer time than anybody else did, in days counting accumulation but not breaks and gaps?

If anything, I felt Matt Hardy was pushed too much, but that idea is neither for here nor for there.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I don't think WWE maximised Raven's potential at all when he was on their roster.

I know I am biased in this being a big Scott Levy fan, but I have no doubt that he could have been used better. WWE had a man who was well renowned as being one of the best mic workers in the business, and they barely gave him a promo, his skills were totally wasted being stuck in the Hardcore division when he could have done so much more.

I would have liked to have seen a WWE version of The Flock, with Raven using his mind games to get what he wanted. I don't think he would ever have made it to the main event, but he could have been a great Intercontinental Champion. It would have been great to have seen Raven as a sadistic heel in his Clockwork Orange House of Fun matches in the 'E, and he would have been a welcome and different addition to the IC title picture, using the Flock to help him keep the belt.

 

[Wald]

Yeah I'm gonna go with Raven as my number one choice, for the same reasons as listed by Triple Naitch.

Others mentioned here like Perfect, DiBiase and Owen Hart all went into the upper mid-card. Keep in mind, particularly for Perfect and DiBiase, that Vince McMahon almost always went with having one face as the focal point of the entire company. he simply didn't do heel World Champions until the Rock and, mostly, Triple H came along.

Look at the list of title owners from WM1 to WM9 and the time they kept the belt:

Hulk Hogan (face champion 84-88), Andre (heel, 1 day if you count that), Macho Man (face champion for 10 months, heel for 2), Hogan (face champion for 1 year), Warrior (face champion for 9 months), Slaughter (heel champion for 3 months), Hogan (face champion for 8 months), Undertaker (heel champion for one week), Flair (heel champion for 3 months), Macho Man (face champion for 5 months), Flair (heel champion for 1 month) & Bret Hart (face champion for 6 months).

That's a grand total of 5 heel champions (if you count Andre and Macho was a face for most of his reign) for a grand total of 7 months and change in a period lasting 1984 to 1993, really only Flair and Slaughter were out and out heel champions of note.

Vince just didn't like heel champions so I think Perfect, Rude, DiBiase, Roberts etc. got as high as they could get in the WWF.

 

[Wolf Pac]

Diamond Dallas Page

Long before he took up that stupid motivational speaker gimmick, his character, his image, and everything we loved about DDP in WCW was pretty much dead from the moment he debuted with the stalker angle. I've always thought the stalker storyline could've fit right up Raven's alley but not DDP's, that storyline completely ruined him. I never understood why he was picked to be the stalker anyway because he had a much hotter wife than Taker, why would DDP want Sara when he's got a hot piece of ass like Kimberly? I understand that with WCW being the enemy in the Invasion storyline, he had to come in as a heel, but there are a million other better ways to come in as a heel and get Taker's attention. Plus we never got to see a proper one-on-one match between Taker & DDP, so what was the point?

I'm not saying the WWF should've given him the world title, although it could've easily happened because DDP was so fuckin talented and him as world champion would've been enjoyable to watch, but in the time they had him, he could've been put to better use. The WWE could've given us two dream matches in DDP vs. The Rock (Peoples Champion vs. Peoples Champion) and DDP vs. Stone Cold (Stone Cold Stunner vs. Diamond Cutter), and DDP could've had a run with the IC Title and worked some good mid-card feuds with the likes of Edge, RVD, William Regal etc. Mid-card feuds were what DDP was best at. It's such a shame Vince has long had an issue with allowing guys from other promotions to keep the gimmick that always worked for them. That was the case with DDP, and it ultimately cost him.

Mr. Perfect (2002)

Again, I'm not saying he should've won a world title, personally I never thought he was world title material, but he also could've worked some good mid-card feuds with RVD, Edge, Regal, DDP again, and gotten one nice last run with the Intercontinental Title, and maybe the European Title too. And WWE should've gave us Kurt Angle vs. Perfect at Wrestlemania X8.

Also, D-Lo Brown and Flash Funk in their WWE returns in 2006 and 2008 could've been used for the Intercontinental Title division. It wasn't exactly full of life back then, but two popular names like them could've spiced up the division a bit again.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Diamond Dallas Page

Long before he took up that stupid motivational speaker gimmick, his character, his image, and everything we loved about DDP in WCW was pretty much dead from the moment he debuted with the stalker angle. I've always thought the stalker storyline could've fit right up Raven's alley but not DDP's, that storyline completely ruined him. I never understood why he was picked to be the stalker anyway because he had a much hotter wife than Taker, why would DDP want Sara when he's got a hot piece of ass like Kimberly? I understand that with WCW being the enemy in the Invasion storyline, he had to come in as a heel, but there are a million other better ways to come in as a heel and get Taker's attention. Plus we never got to see a proper one-on-one match between Taker & DDP, so what was the point?

I'm not saying the WWF should've given him the world title, although it could've easily happened because DDP was so fuckin talented and him as world champion would've been enjoyable to watch, but in the time they had him, he could've been put to better use. The WWE could've given us two dream matches in DDP vs. The Rock (Peoples Champion vs. Peoples Champion) and DDP vs. Stone Cold (Stone Cold Stunner vs. Diamond Cutter), and DDP could've had a run with the IC Title and worked some good mid-card feuds with the likes of Edge, RVD, William Regal etc. Mid-card feuds were what DDP was best at. It's such a shame Vince has long had an issue with allowing guys from other promotions to keep the gimmick that always worked for them. That was the case with DDP, and it ultimately cost him.

I agree that the whole stalker gimmick was Page was a total bust, but DDP would never have had a long term future in the WWE at his age. He was well into his 40s when he joined the company. However, I think it was a stupid idea to bring someone with actual name value like DDP into the WWE with such a pointless gimmick as stalking a woman when its well known he had a more stunning wife at home. Plus, it was totally the opposite of the character Page played in WCW. There was absolutely no point to the gimmick at all

Even thought he wouldn't have been a long term main eventer for WWE, I do think they could have done more with him in the short time he would have been on the roster. He was one of the bigger stars that camefrom WCW during the Invasion and deserved better than being fed to Underaker and a European Title run. A short main event run would have been fine by me

 

[MINISTRYrising]

Out of all the guys mentioned so far, I would have to say that Bam Bam is the one that stands out the most. for such a big guy Bam Bam moved really well and he and i can't remember any other big guys around out the time that would come of the top rope like he did. he also had a great look and was one of the better talkers in the company. If it was not for Hogan then I think he would have had his chance, its just a shame we never got to see him as a main event guy. RIP big man

Papa Shango is another Wrestler that was never used right, in fact he was never really given a chance in the first place and with the Undertaker character really taking off at this point, Papa Shango seemed like the perfect person for the undertaker to feud with.

Rick Rude is somebody that WWE never really used either. Rude was one of best Heel's the company had and repeatedly had great matches and while he did have great feuds with jake the snake and the ultimate Warrior. I wish WWE had pulled the trigger and had him feud with Hogan for the wwe title.

notable mentions. Mr Perfect, Crush, owen hart, Ahmed Johnson amd John Morrison.