10 ECW Flops In WWE That Should Have Been Huge
6. Jerry Lynn
Jerry Lynn wrestled for every American promotion that mattered throughout his 25-year career, but nobody used him better than ECW. Joining Paul Heyman’s company in 1997, Lynn quickly developed a reputation as one of the promotion’s most exciting workers, and a guy who could drag a good match out of anyone. His feud with Rob Van Dam is legendary, and the duo put on an acclaimed series of matches in ECW’s later years, including a headlining spot on Guilty As Charged 2001 - the company’s final pay-per-view.
Lynn joined WWE following ECW’s bankruptcy in April 2001, having previously appeared as an enhancement talent on several different occasions. He debuted on an episode of Sunday Night Heat, capturing the Light Heavyweight Championship from Crash Holly, before losing it 37 days later. He made just a single in-ring appearance away from WWE’s B-shows (a May 2001 episode of SmackDown), and was released four months after joining.
This is a classic case of WWE signing a wrestler, then having absolutely no clue what to do with them. As with many of his cohorts, Lynn’s lack of mic skills would have held him back long-term, but aside from gifting him the meaningless LHW Title, WWE didn’t even try to push him.