10 WWE Rejects Immediately Pushed By TNA Impact Wrestling

10. Mr Kennedy

Mr Kennedy was the literal and figurative definition of 'damaged goods' when he made his debut for the company at the controversial Genesis pay-per-view in January 2010.

The event was the first supercard of the divisive and ultimately destructive Hulk Hogan/Eric Bischoff era in the company, as the two former WCW doyens attempted (laughably) to elevate the organisation beyond it's unremarkable but stable position as Number Two wrestling promotion behind WWE.

As evidenced on an explosive January 4th Monday Night edition of TNA Impact, their broad philosophy was largely the same as the prior management's. Anybody with name value from any era of pro wrestling was afforded the red (and yellow) carpet treatment, at the expense of almost the entire pre-existing roster that had worked gamely to keep the product afloat during some commercially lean and creatively middling years.

Appearing as a mystery opponent in place of an injured Bobby Lashley, Kennedy (now Anderson) was promoted ludicrously beyond his station by Hogan as an industry megastar, despite the fact that his latter WWE tenure had been blighted by injuries and discontent.

His star had burned bright three years earlier, but by 2010 it was all but out. Attempting to play an obnoxious tweener but appearing more as a post-Attitude era frat-boy, TNA's typcially frenetic booking derailed what little momentum he still had within weeks, and his TNA World Title victory one year later underscored how far the company had fallen behind WWE in Hogan's maiden year.