10 Wrestlers Who Totally Wasted Their Own Potential

8. Damien Sandow

Austin Aries
Impact Wrestling

Released from WWE in 2015, Aron Steven Haddad was given a chance to prove the whole world wrong. His former employers had failed to capitalise on his immense momentum on two occasions, first as Damien Sandow, 'Intellectual Savior Saviour of the Unwashed Masses,' then as Mizdow - The Miz copycat act that should have launched a mega-babyface run. It didn't, though. WWE buried him with a lame impersonation gimmick, and Haddad was released long after his slide down the card.

He returned to mainstream wrestling as TNA's Aron Rex on 11 August 2016. Widely regarded as an underpushed, underappreciated wrestler, it was hoped that the former Sandow's career would finally take off in America's second-biggest promotion, who, it was assumed, would at least try to succeed where WWE failed.

They didn't.

Rather than capitalising on the charm, wit, and charisma that made him so popular in the first place, Rex debuted with a god-awful This Business promo chastising his former employers for not helping him realise his full potential. It stunk. The poor guy tried to put himself over as a line-blurring shooter, choosing exactly the wrong character type for a performer of his attributes, and his career ran out of steam only a few months later.

In this post: 
Randy Orton
 
First Posted On: 
Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.