10 WWE Hires That DOOMED Other Wrestlers

9. Finn Bálor (Hideo Itami)

Vince McMahon Omos Braun Strowman
WWE

One-time Japanese wrestling sensation and all-round star rating machine KENTA arrived to much WWE fanfare in 2014. People who knew of his work in NOAH and ROH licked their lips at the thought of seeing him on the burgeoning NXT brand, but it ended up being a disastrous five-year stay.

WWE didn't help things by debuting the also-excellent Finn Bálor around the same time. Worse, Finn introduced everyone to his killer 'Demon' gimmick, and that immediately outshone his renamed pal Hideo Itami. Poor KENTA had no chance of getting over on his own after fans saw Bálor's alter ego.

Then, injuries compounded poor booking and he was f*cked.

A 2016 return and move to 205 Live proved to be another false dawn for the man. A return to his homeland and return to form with New Japan was very much needed, but WWE deserve a slap for thinking Hideo could surpass (or even match) Finn's fantastic persona in the first place.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.