10 "Next Big Things" In Wrestling Nobody Cared About

In Japan, Matt Bloom - as Giant Bernard - became a world-class performer. He was a throwback bruiser whose work in Bad Intentions - the pairing of him and Karl Anderson - earned him plaudits.

Returning to WWE in April 2012 undid every ounce of this progress.

Recast as Lord Tensai and sporting some Japanese tribal paint spewed across his face because of course, the 330-pounder was presented as the next dominant threat at the height of the CenaWinsLOL campaign, except he didn't confront John Cena. Brock Lesnar, the real next dominant threat, did in his own WWE comeback. Lord Tensai, meanwhile, flattened Alex Riley in a serviceable squash before green misting his own hand to Iron Claw Riley to sleep in front of a dreary audience. They cheered, initially, but that was because it was the post-WrestleMania crowd witnessing a return. They would've popped if Nunzio wandered out.

WWE was evidently keen to promote Lord Tensai to the highest degree possible because, three weeks into his comeback run, Tensai was besting John Cena. It wasn't clean because, again, of course, but this was a real opportunity to create a new main roster beast for when Brock Lesnar wasn't collecting his tri-annual paycheck.