10 Failed Pushes That Weren't WWE's Fault
2. Steve Williams
Steve Williams was supposed to be a star, and he was going to be booked like one as well. Sadly, an ill-fated injury and dramatic loss in the infamous Brawl For All - a competition set up of real fights between wrestlers - would ruin his chances.
WWE were fully behind him, with the Brawl For All his intended crowning glory. You can certainly argue that it was ignorant of them to assume that the potential megastar would easily win the competition. Even so, no one could have predicted the extent of the injury he suffered and the further loss of his mystique after being knocked out by Bart Gunn.
After this dreadful event, he took a lot of time off to recover from his injury, returning in early 1999 in a slew of midcard storylines until his eventual release as a result of needing more time off for his injury and refusing to work as a talent exchange between WWE and FMW.
Williams is one of the biggest what-ifs of the Attitude Era, and although creating the Brawl For All was stupid - as can be fully explored in Vice's Dark Side of the Ring series - you can't entirely blame WWE for the unexpected result.