10 Big WWE Pushes That Were Stopped Dead (And Why)

What warrants a push in professional wrestling can sometimes be invisible to the naked eye. It's not as simple as having a good look, great technique or bringing something new to the table. In the ultra competitive world of wrestling, numerous other factors play an integral role in guiding a superstar in to the good graces of a company.

Who would have thought Jinder Mahal would be WWE Champion material or Santino Marella would have reached the heights he did? Loyalty, work ethic and sheer luck all play a part in moving a star up the card, but receiving a push is never the end of the story.

For every successful push giving birth to likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock or Triple H, there are countless examples of superstars having the proverbial rug pulled out from under them.

Every superstar on this list was once tipped to become a World Champion but never reached that illustrious goal. As much as wrestlers are prone to shooting themselves in the foot, sometimes the company lets them down as opposed to the other way round.

It may seem silly to think of some of the names on this list as main event stars today, but others were tantalisingly close to reaching that brass ring only to have it cruelly lifted from their grasp like the brief case at King of the Ring 1999.

Imagine a deranged religious zealot, all decked out in white robes punching through the walls of a confessional booth and choking the sinner. That's exactly how Kevin Fertig sold his idea for the Mordecai character to Vince McMahon.

Vince was immediately a fan of the controversial possibilities and began laying out plans that would culminate in a huge showdown between the peroxide powered Preacher and The Undertaker at WrestleMania 21.

Not only was Mordecai the manufactured antithesis of the The Undertaker character, he was considered young and hungry enough to take on the mantle of WWE's quasi-magical superstar. The supernatural elements woven into the feud would have allowed The Undertaker to disappear after their 'Mania showdown to heal numerous injuries. Everyone was set to benefit from the program, which may go someway to explain the harsh reaction to what happened next.

Fertig ended up getting in to a bar fight in Kentucky whilst out with fellow superstars Slyvain Grenier and Maven. A young patron was allegedly going to hit the group with a beer bottle before Fertig intercepted and broke the man's nose.

Vince McMahon was furious with Fertig for jeopardizing a character that he had become so invested in and was wary of any possible lawsuit that could be thrown against WWE.

The Mordecai character was swiftly written off TV, never to be seen again.