"The Bad Guy" and 2014 Hall of Fame inductee was one of the most recognizable stars of the mid-1990s. A cool, cocky and confident Superstar with the ability to beat anyone on any night, Ramon repeatedly flirted with the main event early in his career, partnering with Ric Flair to take on Randy Savage and Mr. Perfect at the 1992 Survivor Series and challenging Bret Hart for the WWE title at the 1993 Royal Rumble. From there, however, he settled nicely into the midcard and became one of the most popular Intercontinental champions of all-time. At the same time that he was starring in the midcard, his best friends Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash were headlining shows across. The Kliq was running Vince McMahon's wrestling world under the guise of doing what's best for the business. If that group had as much stroke and as much power as it did, one has to wonder why Ramon, who was significantly more talented than Nash, did not enjoy a sustained run at the top of the company. Throughout 1994 and onward, he was one of the most popular stars in the company and proved his worth between the ropes by having great matches with a variety of different opponents, all of which utilized different styles. He was as likely to drag an above-average performance out of Yokozuna as he was to tear the house down with Owen Hart or the 123 Kid. A highly intelligent performer, Ramon had all of the tools to carry McMahon's promotion through the dark days. Given the political pull that the Kliq had, that clearly was not the reason Ramon did not achieve the level of greatness he was capable of. Unlike most of his peers on this list, Ramon was largely ignored for a top spot in the company thanks to his own personal demons, which made him both a liability and unreliable. It is no secret that the performer has a long, admitted history of alcohol and painkiller abuse. While it did not rear its ugly head in full until his days in the much more unstructured WCW, it was still a problem during his WWE career. Knowing what is known now, it is no surprise McMahon did not feel as comfortable putting Ramon in the top spot in his company. Even if Shawn Michaels, who would win the WWE title and become the franchise player for the company, was affected by the same demons at the same time.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
