10 Forgotten WWE Wrestlers Who Were Supposed To Be Stars

7. Maven

Once upon a time, WWE had a great idea: Capitalize on the reality TV craze with a show that follows a group of young people as they learn the ropes and see if they have what it takes to become a full-blown World Wrestling Entertainment Superstar. The show: Tough Enough. And the winner: A chap by the name of Maven. After winning the competition, Maven would debut on Smackdown against one of his former trainers, Tazz, but it was at the 2002 Royal Rumble that one first got the real idea that there were big plans for the young grappler. During the Royal Rumble match, Maven made the biggest move- and mistake- of his life by using a drop-kick from behind to eliminate none other than The Undertaker. Keep in mind that this was when Undertaker was in his "American Badass" phase, so the biker beating Maven received after seemed all the more severe. Maven rose to the top of the card quickly, competing for Chris Jericho's Undisputed Championship (earned by defeating The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin back-to-back in the same night, don't you know), and soon became a two time Hardcore Champion, earning his first reign by beating The Undertaker (albeit with an assist from The Rock and Tough Enough trainer Al Snow). He also feuded with Evolution, scoring a win over Batista in the process, and claimed a World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H. It was all pretty much downhill from there, though. By the time 2005 was half-over, Maven had turned heel, gone on a losing streak, and ended up released while his tag team partner Simon Dean was traded to Smackdown. Funny how fleeting fame can be, but at least he lasted longer in WWE than Zeus. Nonetheless, he's retired now.