10 Wrestlers WWE Gave Up On Too Soon
9. Colt Cabana
Always one of the most popular babyfaces on the independent scene, Colt Cabana signed a WWE contract back in April 2007. He debuted as “Scotty Goldman” on an episode of SmackDown just over a year later, but made only a handful of appearances on main roster television and was eventually released following a February 2009 squash loss to Umaga.
Once CM Punk’s right hand man in Ring of Honor, Colt Cabana’s WWE run was an absolute shambles. Despite his obvious charisma and comedic ability, Cabana was rarely given a chance to show the world what he’s capable of. WWE tried to build fan interest with his “Good as Goldman” video series on WWE.com, but he was so rarely used on SmackDown that he was never going to connect with live crowds. At one point, Cabana went a whole five months between televised matches. That says it all, really.
Colt Cabana remains a cult figure on the indy circuit. A perfectly capable wrestler, his real strength comes from his charisma, and he’s comfortably the most notable comedy wrestler outside of WWE and TNA today. He’s built a huge personal brand through his Art of Wrestling podcast, and while he’s likely happy with the freedom afforded by an independent lifestyle, he could’ve been huge in WWE had they given him the microphone more often.