9 Indie Stars Who Didn't Catch On In WWE
2. Chris Hero
Things seemed to be going okay for Chris Hero in WWE. Dubbed Kassius Ohno, Hero managed to make the most of a terrible name and carve out a truly engaging presence for himself in the new NXT. In fact, I would go so far as to say he was one of the true highlights of the show's evolution from gameshow into true developmental.
Ohno was involved in a heated feud with the Steamboats to begin with, which transitioned in an absolute barnstormer with William Regal. His commitment to training wasn't what WWE were looking for however, and by the summer of 2013 he was gone from NXT TV before being released entirely in November of that year.
Hero immediately returned to the independent scene to continue his career, as if nothing had really happened. He's having an absolutely fantastic 2016, which could be capped by winning the PWG Battle of Los Angeles this weekend.