10 Wrestlers WWE Tried To Push To The Top (But Failed)

8. Billy Gunn

Billy Gunn was one half of one of the hottest acts of the Attitude Era. Alongside partner Road Dogg, The New Age Outlaws were a merchandise machine and a huge hit with the live crowd. Gunn had previously been a member of the Smoking Gunns tag team along with 'brother' Bart Gunn but really hit it big as part of the Outlaws/DX in 1998. Gunn was a very athletic man, considering his large frame, and could bounce around the ring with the best of them. WWE decided that the Outlaws had run their course by the end of 98 and Billy was given a singles push. He set his sights on the Intercontinental Championship, competing for the belt at the Royal Rumble (in a losing effort to Ken Shamrock) and then the Hardcore Championship, which he fought for in the opener of WrestleMania XV (he lost, again). Gunn famously won the 99 King Of The Ring tournament, the most significant victory of his career up to that point and then began feuding with former DXers Road Dogg and X-Pac over the rights to the DX name. After a summer feud and SummerSlam match with The Rock, WWE reformed The Outlaws after realising that Gunn and Road Dogg were better off together. Billy, who was re-christened Mr.Ass and began mooning opponents, suffered a serious shoulder injury in early 2000. He returned in October as 'The One' Billy Gunn and had several meandering feuds with stables Right To Censor and The Radicalz before WWE lost interest again. Gunn was given more pushes and gimmicks before his release from the company in November 2004 but he never caught on as a singles star, as hard as WWE tried. He was a great athlete and had a good look, but he was viewed as a tag team wrestler in the eyes of the fans and they never really accepted him in a headlining position.