10 WWE Stars Who Need To Follow Neville Out Of The Exit Door
7. Curtis Axel
Curtis Axel occupies a strange role. Fans see him as a funny enough lower card jobber who typifies the solid yet unspectacular in-house developmental mode. His Axelmania bit was delusional heel gold, far more fondly remembered than his sudden and desperate rebrand from the laughable nadir of Michael McGillicutty. The son of Mr. Perfect was thrown to the wolves twice by WWE.
Like many of his NXT peers, the man was embarrassed on the live microphone. The genesis of his perception as a laughing stock - starting from that infamous moment, starting then, was his infamously embarrassing exit promo. Then, after a nothing stint with the New Nexus, we were expected to buy the new Curtis Axel as an instant headliner in 2013 purely through the legacy of and goodwill towards Paul Heyman. It didn't work, and thus his push died as suddenly as it began.
He's a wrestler's wrestler, by several respected accounts: whether through safety or a mastery of the art, he was chosen to bring The Rock and Brock Lesnar up to ring speed ahead of their in-ring returns. The mere fact that he was selected to work a mini-programme with Triple H must mean there is a real worker lurking in there somewhere.
He will never amount to anything more than undercard filler in WWE. He has been stigmatised as much. An outside excursion remains his only chance of achieving his quest for Perfection.