10 Superstars WWE Tried To Push In 2017 (But Failed Miserably)
8. Mike Kanellis
If the last year has taught us anything, it's that the power of love can not, in fact, conquer all, especially bad booking and a one-dimensional gimmick.
Mike and Maria Kanellis arrived in WWE in the summer of 2017 with a bit of buzz behind them following the solid one-year stint they experienced as a top act in TNA. They actually received a nice reaction for themselves at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, but it was sadly all downhill from there for them.
The feud with Sami Zayn would have been a fine way to give Mike some in-ring credibility off the bat...if he didn't lose his second match on the main roster at Battleground. Their feud was scrapped soon after, and Kanellis has made sporadic appearance on SmackDown in the months since. Kanellis' road to recovery from his addiction to painkillers has been well-documented, possibly playing a role in his TV time being curtailed over the last six months.
That said, his less-than-stellar start in WWE can easily be erased with a fresh start on either Raw or even NXT.