10 Wrestlers Who Found Out WWE Wasn't The Promised Land
Vader Time? Not in the WWF it isn't!
In the words of Chris Jericho, Steve Austin and countless other top stars, WWE is the one company that every professional wrestler aspires to work for. The lure of Vince McMahon's empire is simply too great, so much so that virtually every major name in grappling history has been unable to resist it.
Even Sting, who became infamous for being one of the only ones to evade WWE, inevitably signed on the dotted line in 2014. Once he had, the legendary WCW star worked just 2 matches for the promotion, both of them losing efforts against Triple H and Seth Rollins, before retiring from the ring.
What Sting found out was that World Wrestling Entertainment, whilst definitely the largest organisation in the wrestling world, isn't always what it promises to be. The face-painted 'Icon' isn't alone, there are numerous examples in history of performers jumping to the WWF/WWE only to be left disappointed by what they find.
Political poison behind the scenes, a lack of faith from management and simple, shoddy booking are all here.
Let's look at 10 wrestlers who found out the hard way that WWE isn't always for everybody...
10. Mike Awesome
In the original ECW, Mike Awesome lived up to his surname. Matches against Masato Tanaka and Taz wowed fans of the hardcore promotion, also catching the eye of officials over at WCW. Awesome was a mountain of a man who could at times fly around like a Cruiserweight, it's no wonder people were impressed.
Upon capturing him, WCW proceeded to completely ruin all of Awesome's aura. Terrible gimmicks like 'That 70's Guy' and the 'Fat Chick Thrilla' were hallmarks of his time in the company. Awesome must have been pleased when it was revealed the WWF had bought over his contract in early-2001.
Surely under the guidance of Vince McMahon, he'd thrive. Winning the Hardcore Title on his first appearance as part of the 'Invasion' storyline, Awesome didn't do much else of note in the promotion.
During a shoot interview following his release from WWE, the wrestler said backstage politics were horrible in the organisation and he was actually happy to be let go. At least for Mike Awesome, WWE wasn't the place to be.