10 WWE Stars Undertaker Failed To Elevate To The Next Level

7. JBL

When 2004 began, the roster was stacked with many potential draws: Lesnar, Eddie, Benoit, Angle, and to a lesser extent, Mysterio and Undertaker. But by the time WrestleMania XX ended, Lesnar was gone, Benoit was on RAW, Angle needed time off to deal with injuries, Rey was back in the cruiserweight division, Eddie's body and mind weren't coping with being WWE Champion well, and Undertaker had transitioned completely into the 'work with the new guys' role instead of chasing the championship. Out of desperation, the company made career midcarder Bradshaw into a main-event-level heel, giving him a long World Title reign. After Eddie lost his rematch, WWE decided to best JBL's main-event value by putting him against long-time friend the Undertaker. Guess how that turned out. JBL didn't prove his skill as SmackDown's main event, not even against the Dead Man. Their SummerSlam match was so disappointing that the Toronto audience did the Mexican wave; their Last Ride Match at No Mercy 2004 was only slightly better, and their segments on SmackDown throughout mid-to-late 2004 were good but not good enough to convince fans to buy tickets to PPVs. Maybe it was the lack of clear chemistry between them, but one thing is clear: the Undertaker, with all his star power and respect, couldn't convince the WWE Universe that JBL was a worthy top guy.