Volume XXIV: WWE's Biggest Busts
Posted by Jay Shears
on 01/04/2007
In the Internet Era of wrestling that we live in today there are projections for certain wrestlers to meet. When a organization signs a certain wrestler there are automatic degrees of hype that a particular wrestler must live up to for them to be considered a success during their tenure with the company. Sometimes they live up to the hype, yet more times than that there are those wrestlers that simple don't/can't live up to the expectations that are set for them. Which brings me to this column. I wanted to delve into WWE's history (or at least the past five years or so) to uncover old faces that were given large scale hype during the startup of their respected careers in the WWE. These names are synonymous for their failure while in the WWE though. Whether it be because of a cliche' gimmick or lack of talent, it doesn't matter. These wrestlers failed and I felt it was significant to mention them. The list isn't in any particular order because a failure is a failure. So anyways, here it is....
WWE's Biggest Busts
Gail Kim- She ended up being...well...average. There was a great deal of internet hype surrounding Kim's WWE debut. Her vignettes made her out to be a figment from The Matrix. First hand encounters of her dark matches before hitting television labeled her as the next Lita; the one who could save the Womens Division from the shadows and single-handedly thrust the division into the lime light. During Kim's debut match on RAW she even managed to win the Women's Title, sending a possible statement that she was going to be the centerpiece of the Womens Divison for years to come. Yet the more she performed in-ring the less I was impressed. Sure she was one of the top Diva wrestlers during her stay, but she wasn't anything amazing. She pulled off technically sound hurricanranas here and there, and tossed a few aerial somersaults for good measure, but a female version of Rey Mysterio she was not.
Mordecai- The gimmick of a God-fearing puritan willing to vanquish the sins of all who shall come forth in his direction seemed perfect for an over-the-top gimmick that WWE loves to pursue. Put in a little eye candy along the way (white hair, overly dramatic intro) and it seems that a crowd pleasing gimmick was surely in the making. Sadly Mordecai never truly saw the light of day. He started off by delivering vignettes with poetic messages that seemed to come straight from the movie 'Se7en' (ironically Kevin Fertig, the wrestler portraying the Mordecai gimmick, used the name Seven during his OVW days.) Once Mordecai debuted on television, squash matches ensued. He used crowd pleasing power moves such as the Outsiders Edge (crucifix powerbomb) and got relative face time on television. And just when the inevitable fued between him and the Undertaker started to take shape, Modecai was pulled from television because of negative crowd reaction. Fertig is now back with WWE as Gangrel Jr...wait, I mean Kevin Thorn. Mordecai defiantly could have materialized into something positive, but because of a premature decision to off the gimmick I guess we'll never know.
Scott Steiner- Ouch. Provoking that name with WWE sends chills down my spine even thinking about it again. Steiner, like other wCw wrestlers, decided to collect pay checks from Ted Turner instead of joined WWE during their Alliance period. Then during the then-recent brand split, major hype started to build up on Steiners immaculate return to big time wrestling again. Soon after going to WWE's flagship program, RAW, Steiner started a main event fued with Triple H for the World Championship. WWE found out soon, though, that Steiner was not the main event star of old. He was simply old. Botched belly-to-bellies, mush-mouthed mic work, and lazy all-around ring work soon ensued. After being literally booed out of the main event slot, Steiner had a forgettable fued with Test and was then released. Few likely know what paycheck Vince gave Steiner, but I think we all can agree in unison that it was too much.
3-Minute Warning- Fat dudes that beat the living pulp out of Mae Young and lesbians; how in the hell did this tag team not last? 3MW only showed minimal in-ring skill during their stint as a tag team. In fact, they only clicked with fans because seeing 300 pound bodies fly in the air to land on fellow bodies 1/4th their size was entertaining. They were a fairly major tag team in 2002, however, and their breakup was a somewhat hefty blow to the division even though they never held the Tag Team titles. They had the biggest tag team fued of the year with Billy & Chuck around 2002 and 2003 seemed like it would a breakout year for 3MW. That changed when Jamal (now Umaga) was released in mid-2003 for personal afflictions . Rosie, who many suggested was the less-talented of the two, stayed on the WWE roster until being cut himself two years later after an embarrassing storyline with the Hurricane failed to catch on. One positive (or negative to some) effect of this tag team was that it showed that a hip hop tuned gimmick could catch wind at live WWE events. 3MW may have unknowingly paved the way for John Cena's gimmick that we have all become almost too fond of today.
Kenzo Suzuki- Was he really the Hulk Hogan of Japan? Who knows. What we do know is that Kenzo Suzuki was used horribly in WWE. His gimmick wasn't bad. He took the premise of a womanizing 20th century non-American male. His skills weren't that terrible. Suzuki couldn't exactly carry anybody else, but he was a solid wrestler with basic skills to sustain an entertaining match. Why did he fail? It's easy. His gimmick was the exact replica of Tajiri. From his 'Engrish' vernacular to his lust for busty American WWE Divas, Suzuki modeled Tajiri's early stint in WWE every way possible. It's one thing to use cultural significance to symbolize a gimmick, but to copy the same exact gimmick used only a couple years earlier is just a waste of what could have been a great asset to WWE.
Zach Gowen- He had one leg and could move in the ring just as good as any two legged wrestler. Only one of those statements were actually true. In fact, Gowen was plain awful in the ring (15 moonsaults a match constitutes as awful in my book.) Having his entire WWE career consist of tagging with Hulk Hogan against Vince McMahon only made matters worse. Gowan was a highly publicized pickup when he joined WWE. Many praised his matches in TNA and hyped him as being just as good as any two legged wrestler. Somehow though, his skills diminished away when he signed with WWE. After belittling feuds with Roddy Piper and Matt Hardy, Gowan was finally released for good....nine months after he signed.
Nathan Jones- The Colossus of Boggo Road. Nathan Jones had a fairly impressive background before joining WWE. He held the WWA Heavyweight Title and before then did some time in prison. I'm sure both led to the big man getting a quick signing to WWE. He was built up by fans as being one of the few wrestling hybrids around. Big and fast. A young Undertaker if you will. Yet during his first inception he seemed unpolished and flat. After constant training in OVW he was sent back to the big show and fizzled once again. Soon he was released due to his displeasure with the rigorous WWE schedule without even scratching the surface.
nWo- Alcohol induced stammering on a plane. A freak leg injury. All around you could say that the incarnation of the nWo was a total disaster. When Hogan, Nash, and Hall signed contracts for WWE some said that hell froze over. The three biggest names that jumped ship only a few years ago to the enemy were now back where they started. Something about that just didn't feel right and as fate would have it, nWo in WWE simply wasn't right. Some say that Vince plotted nWo's demise by putting all the combustible elements together so he could get the last laugh on his enemies. Evil scheme or not, one of the most prestigious stables in wrestling history was put the rest for good in an unflattering way.
Matt Cappotelli- He had the look. He had the charisma. He had the contract. Sadly, he didn't have the best of health. Cappotelli, winner of WWE's Tough Enough show, looked to be the top wrestler to come out of the rather talentless show. When he was just about to be pushed to the main event, however, Matt was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. His dream of being on the WWE roster never came to fruitation.
Brock Lesnar- Lesnar defines the term bust to me. He had it all. A major push, frontline money, and Sable. Yes, Sable. But Lesnar decided to severe ties with WWE in an attempt to play in the NFL. Other than the fact that he would be giving up millions of dollars, and the fact that he never played organized football before in his life, all seemed well in Lesnar Land. Tragedy struck though, and he didn't make the cut in the NFL. To makes matters worse he was also still on bad terms with the WWE and had to resort to treading water in Japan for a paycheck. From WWE poster boy to unfit Japanese wrestler in only a few short years. I hope he at least got to keep his NFL training camp gear. It was surely worth it.
Christopher Nowinski- Another story of a promising talent that got shot down by way of bad luck in terms of health. Nowinski had a lot going for him during his early days in WWE. He had a superb gimmick, above average wrestling skills, and his mic work was imaculate to say the least. His shining future was cut to an end in 2003, though, when Nowinski suffered from post-concussion syndrome from his effort in a Royal Rumble match. Nowinski still has ties with WWE and hopefully we can see him again on television in a major role.
Ultimo Dragon- Ultimo Dragon will go down as one of the biggest flops in WWE history. Coming into WWE he was touted as being the savior to the cruiserweight division. Ultimo Dragon himself had major aspirations to be a major star for years to come. He wanted to headline in Madison Square Garden and be on a Wrestlemania card. He did that, but thats all he did. After lifeless feuds due to his total lack of verbal skills and countless WWE Velocity main events Ultimo Dragon left on good terms. While another cruiserweight that came into the company around the same time, Rey Mysterio, will be remembered as a major success, Ultimo Dragon's stint in the WWE will be remembered as a total dud.
There you have it. All of these were note worthy inclusions to the list. I could have added an endless amount of other names ( Sean O'Haire, etc.), but I didn't want to bore you anymore than I already likely have. I hope you enjoyed the column. I also hope to come out with a new one in the next few months or so to continue a rhythm. I know, one new column every three months isn't the greatest way to keep attention to me. Anyways, thanks for reading and....And Thats What I Think!
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