10 WWE Stars Who Peaked Too Early
9. Kerry Von Erich
Once one of America’s most promising wrestlers, Kerry Von Erich had the world at his feet in the 1980s. He shot to prominence through his run in World Class Championship Wrestling, where he feuded with the likes of Jerry Lawler and The Fabulous Freebirds, before eventually signing for WWE in 1990, at 30 years of age.
Having once bettered Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in front of 45,000 fans, Kerry unfortunately entered WWE at a time when Vince McMahon liked to pretend his show was the only one in town. Thus, WWE completely ignored everything he’d accomplished in his career so far, and even forbid him from competing under his established name, setting him up for failure right away.
In fairness, a major motorcycle accident several years prior had greatly diminished his wrestling capabilities, and Kerry brought a serious drug addiction with him. Nonetheless, he still became Intercontinental Champion just two months after debuting, insinuating that WWE had at least some faith in ‘The Texas Tornado.’ His career soon spiralled into the abyss however, and by the time of his 1992 release, Von Erich was working opening matches with the likes of Barry Horowitz and Kato. His career never had chance to recover - tragically, he committed suicide just a year later.