9. Alex Riley
Hey, remember when Alex Riley turned on his mentor, the Miz, and became a huge babyface that was poised to break through to the next level? Remember that time he headlined Wrestlemania after receiving a huge push that all but cemented his status as a promising young athlete who could connect with an audience? Wait, that didn't happen? Riley was another product of the old NXT reality show system, placing third during the show's second season (won by Kaval). Riley was mentored by the Miz and was soon placed with the then-champion in a bodyguard capacity. Riley was actually fairly effective in the role too, playing the smirking high school jock who got away with his actions because he didn't fear retribution. Riley eventually split from the Miz and was given somewhat of a main event level push, teaming with John Cena to battle the Miz and R-Truth. He even defeated his former mentor at the Capital Punishment pay-per-view and teamed with John Cena and Randy Orton on Raw. He had a good look, the audience seemed to like him, and he had pretty cool entrance music too. Suddenly, Riley's push was almost instantly aborted. Maybe he didn't shake hands with the right person backstage at Raw or he didn't say hello to Droz or violated some other stupid backstage rule WWE seems to have. For whatever reason, Riley was immediately jobbed out to losers like Brodus Clay and Heath Slater and was busted down to only competing on WWE Main Event. These days, Riley makes his living as a color commentator on Superstars and NXT. His new character is that of a sports broadcaster (his father worked for ESPN) and he now has the nickname "The Analyst". While Riley is certainly competent in his role, the casual fan probably has no idea he even still has a job.