10 WWE Jobbers Who Became Wrestling GAME-CHANGERS
These (sometimes goofy) enhancement workers became top stars in WWE, AEW, ECW and beyond.
If somebody had told TNA fans in 2002 that X Division live wire AJ Styles was going to be a WWE Hall Of Famer someday, they might've laughed. After all, AJ was deemed a mere Cruiserweight/Light-Heavyweight back then, and they weren't the kind who made much of a splash in Vince McMahon's league - certainly not enough to get the suited and booted treatment before WrestleMania.
The journey Styles went on is living proof that anything is possible in wrestling. Yes, he's here on this list, and AJ is joined by another 9 enhancement workers who weren't considered WWE ready back then, but made some big noises outside the McMahon echo chamber. Some, like Styles, even got another stab at life with the market leader.
It's possible to carve out a wonderful career for yourself without WWE's backing though. There are numerous examples of workers who thumbed their nose at Vince's self-styled sports entertainment brand and did their own thing on the independent circuit in revolutionary groups like ROH and ECW, or in brand new entities like Tony Khan's AEW.
There's a nice mix of backstories here. Some of them will leave you breathless, but you may also find a few of the wackier ones inspiring. Pro wrestlers don't always have to take the clearest road to the top. Sometimes, going off on a winding tangent can feel more satisfying, especially if that coveted "WWE Superstar" tag didn't come gift-wrapped without some kicking and screaming.
Here's to the crazy ones who backed themselves or adapted to setbacks. They proved to be industry game-changers!
10. Colt Cabana
It's...it's Scotty Goldman!
Imagine reaching the promised land of WWE and being saddled with a name like that. Being fair, not all wrestling names are created equal (who saw Grandmaster Sexay getting over during the 'Attitude Era', for example?!), but...Scotty Goldman? As in, the 'Gold Man'? For goodness sake, there are 12 year olds with e-feds shaking their heads at that rubbish.
WWE didn't give independent standout Colt Cabana much of a chance when he debuted on the main roster under that guise in 2008. The dude looked every bit like a 1980's jobber from head to toe, and the special connection Colt fostered with indy fans was totally lost in the marketing jargon-rich world of Vince McMahon.
He was neither stupendous nor a thrill ride, and so Scotty was doomed to fail. The good news is that Cabana went right back to tearing it up outside WWE once he was cast aside by McMahon. Arguably, he's never quite hit the heights he did in ROH pre-WWE again, but his true game-changing moment actually happened off camera and away from the ring.
Colt's 'Art Of Wrestling' podcast was a revolutionary drop the mic occasion for mixing both mediums. Suddenly, other podcasts started copying his laid back style and presentation, so much so that he was later squeezed out of the conversation as the marketplace was diluted. He's since had limited success in AEW, but the streets know how important Cabana was to podding.
They also know how bloody wonderful an act he was before WWE's 'wrestling name generator' machine chewed him up and spat him out in front of an unenthusiastic mainstream audience.