25 Wrestlers Who Didn't Live Up To Their Potential

Diesel

His recent Royal Rumble appearance and massive pop notwithstanding, Diesel, aka Kevin Nash, kind of stinks. He's the prototypical example of both the big man who never bothered to learn to work worth a damn, and the politically cunning wrestler who was able to get himself over anyhow.


Arn Anderson

We caught a lot of heat for not putting Double-A on our list of the best wrestlers of all time, but frankly, Anderson was only ever as good as he was close to Ric Flair. A solid ring technician who needed a coked-up blonde peacock and a couple other rednecks to really get over does not a top 50 wrestler make.


Alberto Del Rio

By all accounts, in Mexico, where he goes by the name Dos. Caras, Jr., Alberto Del Rio is a massive star. And as the 2011 Royal Rumble winner, he even seems well on his way to becoming one north of the border. But his main event push in WWE has been remarkably fast, and comes on the heels of only one notable feud with Rey Mysterio.




Jerry Lynn

Internet geeks and independent wrestling fans alike love to rave about Jerry Lynn. His technical wizardry, his "no bumps" match with Lance Storm, the fact that he only looks about 10 years older than he actually is, blah blah blah. But the fact remains that he's a midcard cruiserweight that crapped out of both WCW and WWE.




Shelton Benjamin

Billing Shelton Benjamin as the promotion's most athletic wrestler was a stroke of genius by WWE, as it allowed wrestling nerds to think of themselves as true connoisseurs of the genre by cheering this bland, charisma-bereft grappler. Being nominated the Wrestling Observer's Most Underrated Wrestler three years in a row doesn't make you an underdog - it makes you a jobber.




Verne Gagne

As a 10-time AWA World Heavyweight Champion, and the record-holder for the most combined days of any world champion, Verne Gagne has a pretty impressive resume. But, like a lot of over-pushed mid-carders in wrestling history, Gagne was also a promoter. It ain't tough to be the top guy in a promotion when you're also the owner.




Jeff Jarrett

When it comes to getting yourself an undeserved push, owning your own promotion is always your best bet. But being the son of a promoter is almost as good - just ask Jeff Jarrett, the son of promoter Jerry Jarrett. Granted, the guy isn't untalented, and can work a good match when he feels like it, but he's never been as big as his politically-based pushes in USWA or TNA


Sabu

We loved seeing Sabu hit crazy, dangerous spots as much as anyone, but there's more to being a wrestler than just meting out and sustaining serious injuries. Though Sabu's been involved in some incredible matches, he deserves recognition for his amazing stunts more than for his actual wrestling work. He's like the Hooper of professional wrestling.




Finlay

There are some wrestlers, that despite never receiving a notable push, or even being involved in a memorable feud, are inexplicably beloved by internet wrestling nerds. Many of them due to some perceived link to "real wrestling" - whatever the balls that's supposed to mean.




Christopher Daniels

Christopher Daniels is called "The King of the Indies," which is the same thing as saying "Just Barely Too Shitty Not to Make it Big." Seriously though, we like watching Daniels work, and he's got a full arsenal of impressive moves at his disposal, but he's just not the main event level talent his fans want you to believe he is.

Mr. Anderson

We like Mr. Anderson - we really do. But despite his idolization of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and attempts to position himself as a tweener badass, his first TNA World Heavyweight Title run doesn't exactly feel natural. Mr. Anderson was great in WWE and he's done some neat stuff in TNA too, but he's not the kind of guy around whom you should base a promotion.




William Regal

It's not uncommon to see folks on the internet raving about Mr. William Regal. But if he's so great, how come he has never made it to the top of the card during his 25+ years in the industry? His fans would have you believe that the reason Regal can't break out of the midcard is because he doesn't have a bodybuilder's physique, Vince's supposed hatred of true wrestling talent or even "politics, maaaaan."


Indy Geeks

If you read the wrestling dirt sheets, get ready to hear a lot of jibber-jabber from fans who claim that they understand wrestling on a deeper level than folks who like WWE. Going nuts for indy geeks doesn't make you better than your average wrestling fan, it just makes you a different type of mark.




Randy Orton

By 2009, Randy Orton was finally making good on his promise, as he became one of the most maniacal and threatening heels in recent WWE history. But in early 2010, something changed: Orton turned face. With his glowering presence, lousy sleeve tattoos and increasingly ridiculous in-ring theatrics, the Orton of 2011 is a lousy face that people cheer and like by default.


Gorgeous George

In the past year or so, people have really begun to give Gorgeous George his due - and less than 50 years after his death to boot. Gee, do you think this could have anything to do with the fact that WWE inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2010? George was extremely influential, but the only reason anyone cares about him now is because they've been told to.




Scott Hall

Scott Hall was huge in the 1990s, both as Razor Ramon as well as under his real name. And while fans were into Hall and the NWO for a while, they weren't behind them for near as long as WCW seemed to think. But despite having a considerable role in sinking WCW and becoming an overweight drunk incapable of working a match, people still cheered for Hall when he resurfaced in TNA in 2010.


Dean Malenko

It's no wonder that some people flip absolute shit for Dean Malenko. He was incredibly talented in the ring, and had some really stellar matches in WCW's cruiserweight division. But there's a lot more to professional wrestling than just technical proficiency - you also have to be, you know, kind of interesting.




Owen Hart

Get your hagiographic comment-section flames and rants ready, nerds, because here it comes: Owen Hart was a talented midcarder and nothing more. Suffering an awful wrestling-related death doesn't make Hart a better wrestler than he was, and people shouldn't be scared to point it out. Oh, and anyone who claims he was better than Bret is a contrarian asshole looking for attention.




Christian

Christian blazed trails for tag team wrestling in the late 1990s. Message board posters seem to think that Christian's lack of a main event push since returning is some kind of slight for having once left the promotion for TNA. But even if there were no hard feelings, WWE's main event needs something better than a skinny guy with weak offense, a lousy finisher, and a wry persona stuck in 2001.


"Mr. Perfect"

He had one of the all-time great gimmicks with a series of classic vignettes, but Curt Hennig wasn't quite as perfect as people like to remember him. Hennig tooled around in WWE for almost a decade without doing much more than beating up jobbers, and when he finally got his push, it was only for the Intercontinental Title.

Miss Elizabeth

Even thought she wasn't a wrestler, we're playing a little fast and loose in order to include Miss Elizabeth on this list. While legitimate female wrestling talents like Sherri Martel, Wendi Richter and others bumped their way through the 1980s, Miss Elizabeth got (hugely) over simply by standing at ringside with a dopey blank stare plastered on her face.




Jerry "The King" Lawler

Jerry Lawler owes his legendary status in the wrestling world to two things: Slapping Andy Kaufman on Late Night and just refusing to go away. But when Lawler became a successful announcer in WWE, his role in wrestling history was edited so that he was a grappling legend and a WWE Hall of Famer.




Giant Baba

Giant Baba's had a couple important things working in his favor: 1) He was trained by the father of Japanese wrestling, Rikidōzan and 2) He was huge and freakish-looking. Those two facts were enough to make Baba a popular attraction, but he became a true sensation on account of his many victories over some of the world's top wrestling talent.




Hulk Hogan

There's a fair argument to be made that he's the biggest and most popular professional wrestler in history, but internet nerds (including us) love to hack on Hulk Hogan. This is largely because he's one of the most notable examples of a major star being pushed more because of his look and charisma than any kind of in-ring ability.




Triple H

Triple H has received a free pass from internet wrestling fans, but we say, "No more!" Sure, he used to be great, but that was before he destroyed his body and moved on to destroying the careers of younger wrestlers. If Triple H was as great as people say he is, the past 13 years of constant pushes shouldn't have just turned him into another Rock or "Stone Cold," it should have gotten him elected King of the Universe.

I can not believe Kenny "Sodbuster" Jay, George "Scrap Iron" Gadaski and Puppy Dog Peloquin are not on this list. LOL

I think what they're saying is that some of these wrestlers didn't live up to their potential of in-ring ability alone. As in the case of Verne Gagne, he didn't need to have in-ring ability but that wasn't his role. His role was as a promoter first.

Same thing with Hulk Hogan. Why bust your butt in the ring when your role is to promote the persona that he had which was wildly successful.

Lastly, Miss Elizabeth didn't need to do anything but stand there and look pretty. She's one of the prettiest brunettes I've ever seen. Of course, she didn't live up to her potential because she never appeared in a bikini.

quantumleap said:

I think what they're saying is that some of these wrestlers didn't live up to their potential of in-ring ability alone. As in the case of Verne Gagne, he didn't need to have in-ring ability but that wasn't his role. His role was as a promoter first.

Same thing with Hulk Hogan. Why bust your butt in the ring when your role is to promote the persona that he had which was wildly successful.

Lastly, Miss Elizabeth didn't need to do anything but stand there and look pretty. She's one of the prettiest brunettes I've ever seen. Of course, she didn't live up to her potential because she never appeared in a bikini.

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Thought she did appeared in a bikini .?

Looks like a bikini to me:

Soriano12 said:

Looks like a bikini to me:

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Oooooo Ya snap into a Slim Jim. Looks like the Madness might just be getting a little something something from Miss Elizabeth.

Miss Elizabeth was there just to look pretty and at the end of Macho's run take some (kayfabe) verbal abuse from him. Thus she worked with Hulk for a while as a face.

The came Sunny who certainly by her character had a "slutty" side... Her outfits, flashing t and a at opponants of her wrestlers

Soriano12 said:

Looks like a bikini to me:

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Nice! Never saw that before.