10 Most Wasted Talents In WWE History

8. Alex Riley

Vader WWE 1996
WWE

Alex Riley, another alumni of NXT season 2, wasn't exceptional between the ropes - but he was dynamite in the personality department.

NXT was seemingly designed to batter the confidence out of those unlucky enough to appear on it, in the hope that the mortifying experience would weed out the weak. Riley however was unflappable. Hilariously proclaiming that the show should be renamed Alex Riley and the Seven Dorks, Riley even had the perfect face for the job. He looked like the quintessential, cruel jock, and acted the part with impeccable belief.

Riley's composure throughout what was an ordeal for most everybody else was rewarded with an instant main roster push, during which he was paired with his pro The Miz. Their subsequent, premature split was far too hasty, but despite being a natural heel, Riley also managed to excel in the face role.

His star was on the rise, but if backstage whispers are to be believed, he annoyed John Cena to such a palpable extent that he was demoted because of it. During a Reddit AMA, Tyler Reks disclosed that Cena would happily transgress upon locker room code by rifling through Riley's bag and "chew him out" for taking supplements - in an apparent attempt to get him fired.

As weak as his Twitter game was, Riley was too talented to have succumbed to office politics.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!