10 Stars WWE Should Never Have Let Go

10. Elijah Burke

D'Angelo Dinero TNA
ImpactWrestling.com

The 'Pope' D'Angelo Dinero character Elijah Burke played in TNA had real potential. That potential would never be fully realised on Impact, but it could have been on Raw or SmackDown. In fact, the 'Black Pope' gimmick would have worked best on the old ECW brand had WWE been mindful to make it more adult-themed than the main shows.

Crashing onto the main roster in 2006, Burke proved himself quickly as a smooth talker. WWE should have jumped all over him right there, but he was only allowed to show glimpses of his mic skills instead of being encouraged to do so weekly. Burke's core strengths weren't highlighted, and that's a real shame.

By the end of 2008, he was gone, only to show up in TNA by the next year. Again, the rebranded Dinero showed he could connect to the audience and promo with the best of them. Why didn't WWE make the most of that when they had the chance? That 'Pope' gimmick could still work today, especially on NXT.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.