10 WWE Stars Who Peaked Too Early
It's a long, hard fall when you take the short road to the top in WWE.
Most WWE superstars follow the same booking cycle. There are plenty of exceptions, but the majority walk through the company's doors with an initial push, the success of which will usually determine their long-term prospects. If their first few storylines are well-received, they might find themselves in the main event within a year or two, but if they don't get over, they're likely doomed to the lower card.
The timing depends on the performer, and WWE have never been shy about throwing a mega-push at the right guy, regardless of tenure. While the likes of Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart waited years for their first WWE Title run, Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle won the belt within a year of debuting, and built highly-successful careers from their early spotlight.
There are a handful of flops for every success story, however. Some superstars start their WWE runs with such a bang that they inevitably burn out, and history is littered with wrestlers whose career best moments came as part of their first major push. Regardless of whether it was their fault or not, these competitors shone too brightly, too soon, and have lived in the shadows ever since.
10. Fandango
Fandango's recent mini-revival on SmackDown comes at the end of a long drawn-out spell in the wilderness, having been little more than an enhancement talent since fading away from his promising debut, and an opening feud that looked to be positioning him for a big push.
Fandango debuted as a flamboyant salsa dancer in March 2013, and soon entered a rivalry with Chris Jericho, on the basis that 'Y2J' intentionally mispronounced his name. A flimsy set-up, but pitting a promising newcomer against an established veteran gatekeeper is a classic feud format, and Fandango defeated the Canadian at WrestleMania XXIX.
‘Dango became the flavor of the month in the aftermath. His wildly catchy theme song exploded in popularity, prompting the audience into song an dance every time it played. WWE dubbed the phrase “Fandango-ing”, and in the space of a single day, the song shot from #175 to #11 in the UK singles chart.
The buzz inevitably died down, however, and WWE’s follow-up on the ‘Mania victory was poor. Fandango remained in various title pictures, but he embarked on a losing streak in July, and rapidly slid down the card after dropping an Intercontinental Title bout in December.