10 Superstars Failed By The WWE System

9. David Hart Smith

Curtis Axel Paul Heyman
WWE.com

One of several second generation stars ditched in recent years, the son of Davey Boy Smith was still in need of fine-tuning during his time with the company, but was given little window to improve in the abandoned WWE tag team scene.

After a late-2007 soft launch ended in a Wellness Policy violation, Smith showed remarkable maturity in requesting a move back to developmental for further seasoning, and it was during this run he'd pair with TJ Wilson (later Tyson Kidd) and hone the act that should have afforded the second generation star a long and successful career within WWE.

Returning to the main roster in mid-2009 to work with Kidd and Natalya Neidhart as 'The Hart Dynasty', the trio made a quick impression on third brand ECW, earning them a move to Smackdown and enough steam to challenge then-Tag Team Champions D-Generation-X to a title match at the end of the year.

An appearance in the Bret Hart/Vince McMahon match at April 2010's WrestleMania 26 seemed to position the unit for big things, but a worthless Tag Team title reign mid-way through the year offered little, and their eventual split favoured newly-minted heel Kidd over the bland rudderless face Smith.

Admitting WWE had sapped his passion, Smith was released in mid-2011 after a disparate stint.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett