WWE has been brilliant with few superstars while they have mistreated many talents too. The mistreatment can be in the form of wrong booking as well as release. The mishandling has also resulted in the defaming of the company. However, these superstars have the potential of becoming a big names in the company but under the WWE banner, they are not treated properly. So, come with us as we take a look at the 10 superstars WWE has failed with.
The 10 superstars WWE has failed with.
10. T-Bar
Initially known as Dominik Dijakovic, T-Bar had an incredible time during his run at NXT. The rivalry between Dominik Dijakovic and Keith Lee gave numerous crazy matches to WWE fans. But things went sore for the superstar when he got a call-up from the main roster. He became a member of the failed faction, Retribution which was led by Mustafa Ali.
9. Mustafa Ali
The leader of Retribution, Mustafa Ali is another name on the list. Ali made his debut in the promotion as a part of the cruiserweight division. We saw a number of decent matches of Ali against Cedric Alexander, Neville and Buddy Murphy in his respective division. His stand-out ability helped him in getting a place in the main roster. However, in 2019, Mustafa Ali suffered an Injury that coated him his place in the Elimination Chamber. The place was later filled by Kofi Kingston.
8. Cedric Alexander
When Cedric Alexander arrived in the business, he was seen as a great prospect. Similar to Mustafa Ali’s story, he also lifted the cruiserweight title after making his debut in 2016. But then, WWE started booking him in mid-card matches and he eventually ended up as a jobber in the promotion. His last noticeable appearance was against Omos, where he got destroyed utterly.
7. Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling and he has also worked with various other pro-wrestling promotions too. However, his most noticeable work came when he was working under WWE. After joining the promotion in 2015, he instantly became the NXT champion. But never got to taste bigger success. He was never booked properly during his time in the main roster too.
6. Cesaro
Initially making his debut as Antonio Cesaro, the Swiss Superman had a lot of offers from WWE. But the promotion failed miserably to utilize him to his full calibre. Cesaro was a powerhouse as well as a great technician. Weirdly, he never won a World championship during his tenure in the promotion. Vince McMahon would have worked better with the Swiss Superman.
5. Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE always does a great job of failing with Asian wrestlers. And one of the major names on the list is Shinsuke Nakamura. After being the face of New Japan Pro Wrestling, Nakamura joined the biggest pro-wrestling promotion. Shinsuke won the Royal Rumble, and he also became the US and Tag team champion but he was always restricted by the company to a lower point.
4. The Viking Raiders
Just like Shinsuke Nakamura, the Viking Raiders share a similar story. They are the former NXT Tag Team and Raw Tag Team Champions but they never reached the height they would have in the main roster. The Viking Raiders are a monstrous, and strong duo but terrible booking can end anyone’s interest.
3. Matt Riddle
Superstars with an MMA background have always performed great in WWE. Brock Lesnar, Ken Shamrock and more have been the epitome of brilliance. Matt Riddle would have been another name on the list but his gimmick and booking since the absence of Randy Orton have made him a mid-card superstar. However, after failing a drug test in December, he has been out of action.
2. Ricochet
Another Brilliant NXT product, Ricochet is a great high flyer. He was the star of NXT but since he joined the main roster, his performance started diminishing drastically. Ricochet somehow managed to win the US Championship but he lost the title to Gunthar in just 20 days. He’s currently being booked in tag-team action alongside Braun Strowman, but we’ll love to see him win titles.
1. Finn Balor
Finn Balor had everything that was required to be the face of the company. Technical abilities, Charisma, ability, almost everything, but WWE utterly failed with him. He’s currently the leader of the Judgement Day, but that isn’t something Balor deserves. Instantly after making his debut in WWE, the Demon King became the first-ever Universal Champion. But because of an Injury, he had to leave the title. Since recovering from the injury, Finn Balor has failed to find his old rhyme.
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