10 Potential Megastars That Never Recovered From WWE Burials
5. Ryback
A vocal detractor of John Cena and the WWE machine since his 2016 exit from the organisation, Ryback has earned an somewhat unfair reputation merely as an embittered ex-employee, but further examination into his tenure with the organisation paints a picture of an unfairly maligned monster.
Rebounding from the Nexus debacle following a 2012 return to television, Ryback's undefeated streak over jobbers and lower card stars alike gained him huge support from a fanbase clawing at something - anything - to break up the monotony at the top of the cards beyond the thrilling John Cena/CM Punk.
Unfortunately for 'The Big Guy', WWE booked themselves into a corner when they elected to capitalise on his burgeoning success too early. When Cena legitimately injured himself ahead of a planned Hell In A Cell main event with Punk, Ryback was slotted in. The pay-per-view outdrew the prior year's event and comfortably out-performed most B-shows that year, exhibiting the intrigue in the maiden contest between the the undefeated monster and record-smashing WWE Champion.
Delivering a screwy finish in a failed effort to protect him, he then continued to stumble in the months that followed. Ryback was all but given up on, with a post-WrestleMania heel turn on John Cena little more than a reason for the two to engage in a passable time-killing angle for 'The Champ'.
Even after a pathetically dull 'Rybaxel' doubles run with Curtis Axel, he again regained enormous babyface support almost overnight following a late-2014 turn, but WWE again elected not to follow through, and he endlessly freewheeled in the midcard until his departure.