10 Superstars Failed By The WWE System
2. Mike Awesome
Mike Awesome had been saddled with a dreaded 'can't miss' tag since his early days in ECW, when the man mountain brought his bullish hybrid style to the Philadelphia promotion, running roughshod over the bulk of the physically smaller roster in a similar manner to his dominance in Japan's FMW league.
Pairing the hardcore style with an eye-popping array of dives and top rope splashes, Awesome seemed the complete package, and looked to be the perfect candidate for a Vince McMahon WWE megapush.
However, by the time Awesome worked his way in via the 2001 WCW buyout, WWE's bloated roster was loaded with too many other distractions.
His debut went well enough, as he'd storm Hardcore Champion Rhyno shortly after defending his title at Madison Square Garden. Awesome-Bombing 'The Manbeast' onto a ladder, the WCW 'invader' scored a pin and took the title under the '24/7' rule of the time.
Disappointingly, this would be his WWE highlight.
Losing the belt a few weeks later, Awesome would pair with fellow ECW and WCW alumni Lance Storm, but remained lost in the shuffle during the bungled 'Invasion' storyline, and never recover from the period of indifference before his September 2002 release.