10 WWE Superstars Who Got Too Much Too Soon

The fact that Curtis Axel even made it to the roster should be applauded. His infamous promo in NXT is legendary, and 12 years on, it is still cringeworthy to watch.

After coming second in the second season of NXT, Axel, still known as Michael McGillicutty, joined the Nexus long after that bubble had burst and teamed with David Otunga to win the WWE Tag Team Championships. They had one successful defense before dropping the belts to Air Boom, and the third-generation star soon went back to NXT and then FCW.

Ironically, from that moment, starting then… the genesis of the rebranded Curtis Axel never really happened.

It should have been a slam dunk. For all the mockery Axel gets for that promo, and for having the audacity to not be as good as his legendary father, he was more than competent in the ring. Combined with his aforementioned dad being ‘Mr Perfect’, and his immediate pairing with Paul Heyman, he should have had it easy.

Quickly rushed to becoming the WWE Intercontinental Champion, Axel immediately felt like an afterthought in every program he was in. The issue was, despite being a capable wrestler, he wasn’t nearly engaging enough, and the immediate comparisons with his father quickly cooled the crowd's interest in him (see also: Ted DiBiase Jr.).

Even with the always credible Heyman placed beside him, Axel’s push felt unearned, the fans never took to it, and he quickly tumbled down the card to…you guessed it, mimicking other wrestlers.

Surely, after that promo, WWE knew this guy needed a lot more work.