10 Most Wasted Talents In WWE History

4. Doug Basham

Vader WWE 1996
WWE

Jim Cornette has gone on record as saying that Doug Basham was the best developmental talent to have ever been mishandled on the main roster.

He's fond of recalling the story of his hair loss. Apparently, the RAW writers simply fancied seeing what he looked like bald, and without giving advance notice to Cornette or consideration to the continuity of OVW's TV product, they unceremoniously shaved his hair off. Cornette, naturally, was furious. He reasoned that they could have at least given him time to book a hair vs. hair match.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Basham didn't have much in the way of personality. He did - he just wasn't allowed to showcase it during his stint in the bland Basham Brothers tag team.

As a heel in OVW, he'd make his entrance to the Superman theme, presuming that his faithful would want autographs, which he'd write and get his assistant to hand out before his matches - regardless of whether or not he was asked.

The matches themselves were also hugely entertaining. Basham had a way of hooking the audience even during their quieter stretches, patronisingly mimicking his opponents' selling.

Soberingly, Basham was even better in the face role. He must wonder to this day what went wrong for him.

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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!