10 Former WWE Talents Who Thrived in Lucha Underground

7. PJ Black (F.K.A. Justin Gabriel)

Alberto El Patron
WWE.com

As a former FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion, it appeared WWE had big plans for Justin Gabriel upon his debut on WWE's main roster. Unfortunately, those plans never panned out.

While he looked to be the breakout star of The Nexus, his singles push was all but forgotten about and he became a background player in the faction as well as in The Corre. By the time he broke off on his own in late 2011, it was too little, too late and he was already branded as an enhancement talent, and thus his untapped potential and amazing high-flying ability were never able to shine through.

Following his departure from WWE in January 2015, it was apparent he was destined to become a big-time player for another organization. He made a handful of appearances for Global Force Wrestling and TNA later on in the year but didn't feel at home until arriving in Lucha Underground at the onset of 2016.

Although he floundered at first, he has since found his footing in an extremely entertaining tag team with Jack Evans, with whom he won the Trio Championship this past week along with Johnny Mundo. He has already been utilized better in Lucha Underground than he ever was during his WWE tenure.

Contributor
Contributor

Since 2008, Graham has been a diehard pro wrestling fan and, in 2010, he combined his passions for WWE and writing when he joined Bleacher Report. Equipped with a master's in journalism, Graham has contributed to WhatCulture, FanSided's Daily DDT, Sports Betting Dime, and GateHouse Media. Along the way, he has conducted interviews with wrestling superstars like Chris Jericho, Edge, Goldberg, Christian, Diamond Dallas Page, Jim Ross, Adam Cole, Tessa Blanchard, Ryback, and Nick Aldis among others.