10 Wrestling Stars WWE Should Never Have Let Get Away
9. Ethan Carter III
Fans who watched NXT (back when it was a competition and before it was a developmental territory) were high on Derrick Bateman, a rookie who had great chemistry with his assigned pro, Daniel Bryan. Bateman was on seasons four and five of the show, but as it was only available on WWE.com, few people saw it.
After a few years with only a handful of TV appearances to his credit, Bateman was shifted to the reborn NXT brand. By spring of 2013, though, he was released. After four years in WWE, almost none of the company's fanbase knew his name or could recognize his face.
He was soon snatched up by TNA and given a gimmick that would rocket him to the top of the promotion - he became Ethan Carter III, the nephew of company CEO Dixie Carter. With the favoritism he was shown, EC3 was able to amass an impressive undefeated streak and capture the TNA World Title twice.
More importantly than that, though, he finally got the chance to show people that he was a talented worker and an excellent promo. Any WWE representatives watching knew they had missed the boat.