11 Hugely Talented WWE Stars Who Were Fired Too Soon
7. Shad Gaspard
As part of Cryme Tyme for the better part of four years, Shad Gaspard was a very popular performer for WWE. With JTG by his side, the athletic big man tore through the tag team division, becoming the most over duo the company produced during that period of time. Highly stereotypical and slightly offensive, the Cryme Tyme gimmick still managed to strike a chord with the audience, who loved the hijinx they played on opposing teams. In 2007, the team was briefly released from their contracts following a controversial incident in which they put their hands on a referee during an unplanned spot at a house show. When they returned to the company, the team proved to be as over as ever and even appeared by John Cena's side during his feud with JBL in the summer of 2008. By 2010, however, the team had become somewhat stale and despite the fact that they remained hugely over, the decision was made to split them up. Shad turned on JTG and adopted a more aggressive, meaner attitude. At Extreme Rules in April of 2010, they met in a Leather Strap match. JTG won the match but in the weeks that followed, Shad began to introduce a new character to the WWE Universe. It was dropped before it ever debuted, however, and Shad was released from his contract in November. While many would consider what Shad had as part of Cryme Tyme to be a successful stint with WWE, one cannot help but wonder what could have been had he been able to debut that new character on television. He looked the part, was cutting solid enough promos under his new persona and could have at least been a fine part of WWE's midcard, where he could have worked with the likes of Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase and the members of Nexus, potentially growing into a very good worker before all was said and done. Potential does not buy groceries, though, and the company thought he was expendable.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.