10 Most Wasted Talents In WWE History

5. Cesaro

Vader WWE 1996
WWE.com

Forgive the risible cliche, but if the dictionary did pictures, Cesaro's mugshot would be plastered right next to the word 'Preternatural'.

His gifts are unreal. There is nothing he cannot do in the ring; his fusion of the European and U.S. style is like nothing else seen in wrestling, and he's one of the most creative practitioners of the art. He seems to devise a thrilling and unseen reversal on a weekly basis.

And yet, he's booked to lose constantly. This year alone, he's only been used to fortify The Miz's Intercontinental title reign and appear as an extra or the designated jobber in several multi-man outings - despite often being the most entertaining part of them. Cesaro, in his classic mini-series with John Cena last year, also demonstrated - as if he there were any doubt - that he could wrestle big four main event-quality singles matches.

What's more galling about his treatment is that Vince has pushed lesser talents with similar characteristics to the moon before. Vladimir Kozlov was hardly a wizard on the mic, but his legitimately tough-looking persona saw him defeat the Undertaker cleanly.

Cesaro, unlike many of his contemporaries who also honed their sumptuous in-ring game on the Independent circuit, actually resembles a WWE superstar in the classic mould.

What's not for Vince to like?

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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!