10 Indie Wrestling Heroes Who Flopped In WWE
7. Reckless Youth
He might not always get the recognition he deserves in 2016, but Reckless Youth was one of independent wrestling’s leading lights in the ‘90s. Youth was so far ahead of the competition that his adopted nickname “King of the Independents” felt completely justified, but he suffered from breaking through many years before indy wrestling’s popularity reached its peak.
Reckless Youth started his career as a backyard wrestler, and worked through the New Jersey scene alongside D’Lo Brown. He and his friends started renting a wrestling ring so they could practice together, and they eventually started putting-on their own amateur shows in his hometown of Mount Holly.
Youth went professional in 1995, and was recognised with a number 50 ranking in the PWI 500 three years later. He accumulated a host of indy belts throughout this time period, and WWE came knocking for his services in 1999. Sadly, the stint just didn’t work-out, and Reckless Youth was released from developmental one year later.
Had Youth came through the ranks 15 years later, his fortunes might’ve been a lot better. He was never able to separate himself from the larger, musclebound competitors WWE favoured at the time, and his diminutive stature (5’8”) didn’t exactly help matters. Returning to the indy scene, Youth was unfortunately forced to retire following a major back injury in 2007, but played a huge role in CHIKARA’s formation.