8 Amazing Wrestlers That FLOPPED In WWE
Not every superstar fulfills their promise at the home of Sports Entertainment.
Harboring the largest reach of any wrestling promotion on earth, WWE is regularly seen as the promised land for superstars with the grandest of ambitions. While thankfully it's no longer the only viable option for both fans and wrestlers alike, there's no disputing that WWE remains the world's most instantly recognizable wrestling promotion. For all the adulation a performer can gain on the independents or the prestige of any of history’s other great federations, any wrestler who steps foot in a WWE ring exponentially multiplies their fame, finances, and star power upon arrival.
When a performer makes a leap to the WWE, it's something of a lottery as to how it all shakes out. For the lucky few who strike gold, this means a push to the moon and living their dreams to the fullest, but the glitzy world of Raw and SmackDown doesn’t bring riches and infamy for everyone. There are those whose time in WWE is a blip on their career, and even a few who had their entire careers derailed entirely by wrestling's biggest juggernaut.
There are a host of reasons any given superstar might not fit the home of Sports Entertainment, and these are history’s most notable misfires.
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8. Dean Malenko
It’s not hyperbole to suggest Dean Malenko was one of the most respected in-ring workers of his generation, with PWI naming the New Jersey native the best wrestler in the world back in 1997. While ECW is inaccurately painted as a "blood and guts" promotion, fans were also exposed to technical in-ring action that was head and shoulders above the competition. Dean Malenko was among the very best proprietors of this style.
With a superb tag team run with Chris Benoit and one of the best feuds in ECW Television title history with his beloved friend, Eddie Guerrero, Malenko made the jump to WCW, where he would become a cornerstone of the company's then-incredible cruiserweight division, holding the championship an impressive four times. It would be the last time his career would hit such heights.
Despite debuting in WWE alongside WCW alumni Perry Saturn, Chris Benoit, and Eddie Guerrero in The Radicalz faction, Malenko was almost entirely overlooked. When he was factored into plans, it involved treading water in WWE’s far less revered Light Heavyweight Championship picture, and the less said about his role in the “definitely Vince McMahon-approved” James Bond parody gimmick, Double Ho Seven, the better.