10 Wrestlers WWE Gave Up On In 2019

7. Shelton Benjamin

Shelton Benjamin
WWE

Shelton Benjamin looked to be heading in a new direction when he started appearing in deliberately awkward backstage interviews on SmackDown. The former 'Gold Standard' would hesitate before answering a question, then shift his gaze around the room, a smile slowly stretching across his features. It was odd and offered little more than a base level of intrigue, but at least gave long-suffering Shelton fans (of which there are surprisingly many) something to cling onto.

Again, the storyline was abandoned before it took off. WWE stopped presenting these segments and Benjamin returned to the ether after losing to Chad Gable in the King of the Ring tournament, though he did find time in his not-at-all-busy schedule to get his head kicked in by Cain Velasquez ahead of Brock Lesnar's (his former Minnesota Stretching Crew tag partner) match with the former UFC Heavyweight Champion at Crown Jewel.

Being realistic, Shelton is 44 years old. He's past his athletic prime and was never particularly charismatic in the first place, making him an unlikely candidate for elevation in any of his post-comeback years, though his sudden abandonment asks similar questions to those of Mike Kanellis and Mojo Rawley.

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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.