8 Talented Young Wrestlers Who Were Screwed By WCW's Demise

5. Mike Awesome

When WWE bought WCW, Mike Awesome was 36 years old. He wasn't really that "young" although he had only been in the national wrestling spotlight for a few years prior to the purchase in 2001. Awesome was a big deal in ECW in late 1999 when he won the ECW World Title and then he jumped to WCW in controversial fashion in April 2000. They paid better, so it was the right move for him although he probably could have gone about it in a better way. Any time you can bring in an experienced veteran that was 6'6" and 290 pounds like Awesome, you should do it. That's what WWE did when he became the first WCW guy to win a WWE Title (the Hardcore Title) and suddenly he looked like a big star in the big time. Awesome's run in WWE was really uneventful. He came in as a star that was a part of the Invasion PPV with Lance Storm as his partner, but after that he faded away quickly. He was out of the company about one year after he joined. When he left he complained about the atmosphere a lot. He didn't enjoy his time in WWE at all. If WCW lasted longer he probably would have been featured more prominently. Awesome had a lot of talent and some of best looking offensive moves for anybody during that period. He brought credibility to the table as well. Sadly, Awesome was another case of a suicide in wrestling because he killed himself in 2007.