Every WWE fan has had a similar complaint about the company over the years, even if only occasionally its that, for the biggest professional wrestling promotion in the world, they often forget that theyre a professional wrestling promotion at all. Wasting television time on putting over non-wrestling divas making a reality show interminable opening segments featuring the main eventers talking to one another for half an hour cringeworthy backstage comedy skits celebrity guest star spots its a miracle we actually get ten minutes of wrestling a week. Lets not even mention the lower card wrestlers who cant find a spot on TV in amongst all this dross, and who suddenly find themselves taking a phone call informing them that creative has nothing for them and that theyre being future endeavoured. But even lower card is better than no card, or playing second fiddle to someone else on the card. This article is dedicated to those talented wrestlers, hired by a wrestling organisation, who then found themselves watching everyone wrestle but them.
(Dis)honourable Mention: JTG
A wrestler whod been with WWE since 2006, the former member of Cryme Tyme had been without his partner since Shad Gaspard was released in November 2010, yet somehow managed to survive without being released himself for nearly four years. The absolute definition of treading water, JTG would appear to make no effort at all to market himself or get himself over, and would be involved in precisely two angles in all of that time (the second of which lasted a week and involved Alicia Fox giving him a makeover). His only other major angle revolved around being crushed by Koslov week after week, until the Ukrainian brute was himself released in August 2011. Thats right: JTGs only major feud in three years and seven months was a month-long squash that ended when the guy he was jobbing to was sacked for having no potential. Incredibly, JTG a talent and charisma vacuum would hang onto his job for nearly three years after Koslov lost his, in the process becoming a running joke. Whenever releases were announced and his name wasnt among them, the internet would explode with laughter: the ex-Cryme Tyme hustler had fast talked his way out of it again. Finally, JTG would be released in June 2014, having not wrestled at all for WWE for 10 months, and only 7 times before that in 2013. Even then he appeared to have nearly gotten away with it, his name being added to the list hours after it was initially announced to the public as if the office had said Hang on, does he still work here?! For the greatest ever tribute to a released wrestler, check out the peerless video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdtSp8LTxU0
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
