10 Biggest Failed WWE Pushes

You can, to some extent, see why Vladimir Kozlov was held in such high esteem in the corridors of WWE power. He was seriously fierce-looking, and whilst not exactly clean and crisp in the ring, boasted a move-set that looked semi-legitimate.

If there was a problem with their approach, it was that they gave him too much far too soon. Kozlov had barely been on our screens a couple of months when he was given a WWE Championship opportunity at Survivor Series 2008, and a few months later he even managed a rare clean win over The Undertaker.

Wrestling fans - who ultimately get the final say on who makes it the top - simply didn't buy it, and after such a huge rookie year there was only one way Kozlov could go once the company had concluded that he wasn't yet ready to hold the world title.

After some comedy hi-jinks next to Santino Marella, Kozlov left the company and then, a short while later, retired from the sport altogether - which probably isn't the path Vince McMahon once envisaged.