10 WWE Rejects Immediately Pushed By TNA Impact Wrestling

6. Rhino

Raven TNA
ImpactWrestling.com

As evidenced by his 2015 and 2016 runs on NXT and the WWE's main roster respectively, the 'Manbeast' has always been an extremely capable hand, even when the company elected to abruptly release him shortly after WrestleMania 21 back in 2005.

Regrettably, but his arrival in TNA was a painful reversion to type for the promotion

Having looked re-energised just weeks earlier in his match with Sabu during WWE's critically-acclaimed One Night Stand pay-per-view, Rhino could have rode a wave of babyface momentum into a TNA product stagnating under yet another desperately dull main event push for Jeff Jarrett.

Instead, he debuted as a heel goon for 'Double J', assaulting then-World Champion Raven and joining Planet Jarrett. His arrival was foreshadowed by a bewildering segment in which a paranoid Jarrett hassled commentator Mike Tenay for information on when a host of released WWE wrestlers would be debuting for the company. It couldn't have made the company (or the incoming performers) look anymore small-time.

The duo headlined the first ever Sacrifice pay-per-view with a victory over Raven and Sabu, with Rhino also competing in the first ever Spike TV edition of TNA Impact. Their own squabbles over a future title shot eventually led to a muddled babyface turn and eventual drop down the card after trading the gold in dull matches with his former boss.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett