10 Times WWE Accidentally Created A Star
When WWE fumbled the script, these stars wrote their own success stories.
WWE loves to tell you that everything is part of the plan. That every push, every promo, every chant is the result of long-term storytelling and brilliant creative vision. But let’s be honest — some of the company's biggest stars, even those who went all the way and won WWE titles, were born by accident.
Sometimes, it’s a throwaway gimmick that unexpectedly catches fire. Other times, it’s a crowd reaction no one in the back anticipated. Maybe it’s a promo that went completely off-script, or a moment that wasn’t meant to matter — but did. These weren’t carefully crafted story arcs. They were lightning in a bottle.
And more often than not, WWE didn’t know what to do with them. They tried to ignore the reactions, downplay the momentum, or even actively suppress the rise. Some were eventually released. Vince McMahon's narcissism would not allow him to sanction the idea that the marks might have had a better idea than he did. But the fans had other ideas. They saw something real — and they refused to let it go.
These are the wrestlers who got over in spite of the system, not because of it. The ones who turned background roles into main event moments. The ones WWE didn’t mean to make stars or Premium Live Event headliners…but absolutely did.
10. Rusev
Rusev was never meant to be a star (even though things may change, now that he's made the jump from AEW to WWE). He was introduced as a generic foreign heel — a Bulgarian brute with a thick accent and a flag big enough to distract from creative’s lack of direction. He crushed jobbers, rode a tank at WrestleMania, and got fed to John Cena like so many before him.
Then came 2017. Aiden English began singing “Rusev Day” as a joke — and the crowd loved it. What started as a comedy bit became a full-blown movement. Fans chanted it at every show, bought the shirts, and made the signs. Rusev Day was over in a big way.
And WWE? They did nothing.
Despite being one of the most organically over acts in years, Rusev was never pushed. Vince McMahon reportedly thought the fans were mocking him. They weren’t. They believed in him.
Rusev Day was lightning in a bottle — and WWE let it fizzle out. But for a brief, glorious moment, Rusev was a star. Not because WWE made him one — but because the fans did.