Top Five WWE wrestlers who should have been in the main eventers (and why they didn't hit reach it)

[FourFifty]

And I'm not talking "They were in the main event once." Anyone who feuded with Hogan, Flair, or Cena could say that today.
Who are your top 5 WWE wrestlers who should have hit the main event, and never did? Just came up with this at work, and I'd like to hear other people's input.

5- Charles Wright
Why he should have- No matter what his gimmick was, he was over. As an enforcer named Kama, as a voodoo witch doctor named Papa Shango, as a pimp, and a conservative jerk in a white shirt and tie.
Why he didn't- Let's face it, he was never the best worker. While he feuded and teamed with a variety of people, he never did have any five star matches.

4- Scott Hall
Why he should have-...He's freakin' Scott Hall! Dude had the size, the charisma, and the work rate. While he did get the IC title, he never did grab that brass ring in WWE. He had the connections (K4L), and the creative know how (came up with Sting's crow gimmick).
Why he didn't- Let's ignore his drug problems. After Hall went to WCW with Nash he shot his chances to hell. His greed became an issue, as he became one of the top paid stars in WCW. Not going to go into what (I think) I know about his WCW contract, but let's just say it was a wise economical move.

3- Buff Bagwell
Okay, he had ONE match on WWE tv, he was still on WWE tv.
Why he should have- He was great in the ring, had a hell of a build, and could complement other wrestlers quite well.
Why he didn't- His mom.

2- Vader
Why he should have- He was a great wrestler, very intimidating, and anyone who could beat him would look like gold.
Why he didn't- Let's face it, WWE has had Triple H and The Undertaker as ring generals, and backstage badasses. Vader is a stiff wrestler who probably wouldn't take shit from anyone. That, and he didn't exactly have the atheletic body.

1- DDP
Why he should have- He's Freakin' DDP.
Why he didn't- ....no idea.




So, your list?

[The One]

5) Sean Waltman
There was a time he was over like rover. And he was pretty damn skilled in the ring, and let's not forget he was (for a time) the only Kliq buddy Triple H had left in the company. But I guess when you have your head up your ass and you think you're perfect there's not much motivation to push you anywhere higher than your stoned ass already is.

4) Davey Boy Smith
Such a good worker, so insanely over, was even tried out in Main Event situations, but for whatever reason he just never broke through to the other side. I guess just another victim of the Hart curse...there was only enough limelight for one member of that family...

3) Scott Hall
He was great, but by the time he would have been a Main Eventer in WWE, he jumped to WCW...and by the time he got back he was a shell of his former self (though still better than most) and was lost in the shuffle of an already jam packed WWE Main Event scene. And then he couldn't stick around long enough to really benefit from the Brand Extension.

2) Diamond Dallas Page
He could work, he was charismatic, he had mic skills, he had legitimacy, he was respected, he was loved and hated by fans, he was one of the best things about WCW in it's dying years. And I'm guessing, it's the last fact that prevented him from being a Main Eventer in WWE...I guess we could add the "already full of homegrown talent" aspect to him as well...

1) Christian
How someone so talented and so effing over with the crowd is constantly overlooked by the brass at Titan Towers will forever baffle me. He's a loyal guy, well liked, a homegrown talent, doesn't cause waves, can be funny and serious...at the same time, between the ropes is easily one of the most talented workers on the roster, easily marketed, great chemistry with a number of top level guys. I mean when I sit here and try to think about it, I just can not, can not, CAN NOT figure out how he hasn't broken the glass ceiling other than to suggest he isn't personally ambitious enough to work behind the curtain to get his push. But even lacking that ambition, his work in front of the camera is so pitch perfect, I don't know how McMahon & Co can sit there and not see dollar signs shooting out of his ass. I just don't get it.

[MoFo]

Christian
Bull Buchanan
Ken Shamrock
Test
Kanyon

[Swiss Ultimate]

"should have been IN the main eventers" like in a gay way?

Assuming that was a mistake:
I refuse to justify my top 5.

Sgt Slaughter, Shelton Benjamin, Scott Hall, Taz (wwe), Piper

[The One]

"should have been IN the main eventers" like in a gay way?

Assuming that was a mistake:
I refuse to justify my top 5.

Sgt Slaughter, Shelton Benjamin, Scott Hall, Taz (wwe), Piper

Despite never winning the belts, you'd be hard pressed to find two guys more cemented as "Main Eventers" than Piper and Slaughter.

[blake639raw]

Despite never winning the belts, you'd be hard pressed to find two guys more cemented as "Main Eventers" than Piper and Slaughter. Slaughter won the WWF Title from Ultimate Warrior.

[Mr Amazing]

Christian
test
owen hart
mr perfect
shelton benjamin

[The One]

Slaughter won the WWF Title from Ultimate Warrior.

LMAO! Oh my god I completely forgot about Slaughter "turning" on America and winning the belt. What an abomination of booking catastrophe that choice was.

[ooTin]

Christian
Owen Hart
Shelton Benjamin
Ken Shamrock
Your Mom ( she is amazing :naughty:)

[FourFifty]

The idea is wrestlers who should have been, but didn't. Not should be, but won't. I like Captain Charisma just as much as anyone here, but he still has a chance at hitting the main event (like a snowball has a chance in hell, but still a chance) and shouldn't really be mentioned. He's injured, not future endeavored.

[Hanso Amore]

ummm vader was main eventer.

Are you confusing Main eventer with WORLD CHAMP?

[Mr. Nerfect]

I don't really have the knowledge beyond what I have seen, but in the modern era, here are the biggest missed opportunities the WWE has made, in my opinion:

5) Diamond Dallas Page

The guy came in and was a three-time WCW Champion. His reveal as The Undertaker's stalker got a pretty good "shock-pop." People wanted to get behind DDP, but the WWE saddled him with the most ridiculous shit. DDP did his best with it (I still remember his mocking of The Undertaker -- "Make me famous!" He undertook his early WWE work with gusto, but there was just no creative backing of him or Kanyon (another misused guy during his WWE run). After The Rock had left to do The Scorpion King and Stone Cold Steve Austin had turned heel, I would have thought that having a top WCW star like DDP landing at your feet would be a perfect opportunity. Ah well. At least DDP is undefeated at WrestleMania, I think. :shifty:

4) Rhyno

Circa 2001, one of my fondest memories of WWE programming was this man Goring the absolute living shit out of everybody. Rhyno was a little bit of the Attitude era that managed to catch on post-WrestleMania X-7. I vaguely remember a program between him and Chris Jericho being really enjoyable, with Rhyno Goring Jericho through the SmackDown! set, and Jericho letting Rhyno and Stephanie McMahon know that he was going after that filty, vile, disgusting man-beast -- and going to get Rhyno, too!

Paul Heyman did his absolute best on commentary to put Rhyno over. "GORE! GORE! GORE!" It's a shame that Rhyno's injury completely derailed him. I remember a segment where Paul Heyman was tearing into Alliance members who lost their matches earlier that week, and the rest Alliance would beat them down. When Heyman called Rhyno's name, the place went NUTS. Rhyno was ready for a fight, and people fully expected Rhyno to kick everyone's ass if they tried anything. In 2001, Rhyno established himself as a beast that went beyond face and heel lines. He was just a bad-ass. It's a shame he never really got that momentum back.

3) Shelton Benjamin

When the guy showed up on RAW and beat Triple H -- I marked out. Then he went over Triple H three more times. That would be the pinnacle of Shelton Benjamin's WWE career. Well, that and a few ladder spots and an amazing surprise match against Shawn Michaels in the Gold Rush Tournament on RAW. People throw out so many different reasons Benjamin never made it. There have been worse workers, sloppier workers, more injury prone talent, guys with worse mic skills and less charismatic guys who have been given a shot at the top before. I truly believe that all that was holding Benjamin back was creative. Their reasons are their own.

2) Matt Hardy

Look, the guy has proven to be a massive douche. That is proven. In 2005, though, Matt Hardy was a hot topic. I saw people around town doing the V1 hand-signal. The WWE had found a modern age rebel for people to get behind. Instead they pussified him, gave him a courtesy win in a Steel Cage Match eventually, and then had him put over his chief rival again and move to SmackDown!. Nice work, WWE. It's good to know that you hate money.

1) Christian

In the modern era, nothing is more stupefying to me than this. In 2005, Christian just suddenly exploded. He had changed his ring work, been in a relationship with Trish Stratus, had a bodyguard in Tyson Tomko and was consistently entertaining as a wormy heel; but something just finally clicked. Maybe it started with Christian's rap at the 2005 Royal Rumble. Maybe it was because Christian has painted John Cena as a target for a lot of his quips, and people were starting to revolt against him before they even knew it. Perhaps it was just an appreciation for Christian's consistency over the years. But people really got behind the guy. Like, they were glued. I remember Christian showing up in a backstage segment with Ric Flair, hearing the pop for Christian, and thinking that surely they just realised that Ric Flair was on the screen. But no -- when Christian made his entrance to Waterproof Blonde's "Just Close Your Eyes," the place erupted in favour of Christian in his match against the epically pushed Batista.

To be honest, I think these crowd reactions were why Christian was moved to SmackDown! and put into mid-card feuds with no real development. Christian was just outshining the "Supermen" the WWE wanted to create, and there was some sort of backlash. There's no other reason for it. Christian can talk, can work, was (and still is!) over. But Christian became dissatisfied with his position, left for TNA, became the first star of any importance to leave the WWE for Carterland, and perhaps the burn from that is still healing.

I hope the WWE knows what they have in Christian. And while I think he would have found his time already if he had not left the WWE; I hope that the WWE at least understands why Christian was fed up, can forgive him (hell, the guy admitted he was wrong by leaving TNA for WWE), and put the petty past behind them -- and give Christian a little something more than two ECW Title reigns that no one even considers to be World Title level.

There's no doubt in my mind that Christian was the best ECW Champion in the WWE's version of the brand's history, and while that was only a couple of years, I think that gives Christian a good case for being perhaps the best mid-carder ever. It's time for him to step up.

[Mr. Nerfect]

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Even bad quality Christian titantrons are awesome.

[Lock Jaw]

I think Christian needs to change from pants to trunks to reach the next level. It got Jericho another World Title, and now The Miz.

[The One]

I think Christian needs to change from pants to trunks to reach the next level. It got Jericho another World Title, and now The Miz.

I know this sounds laughable, but I've often though Christian's physic doesn't lend itself naturally to the long tights and a change of wardrobe might benefit him. Looks are the first impression....

[Lock Jaw]

At least give him back his sweet ring jackets.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Christian's attire was awesome up to his WWE return. For some reason they've given him a cursive "C?" I don't understand that, as it sort of lacks...power. The block "C" logo was perfectly fine, and suited Christian's personality. It became of a logo for him. I also don't understand the absence of the ring jackets.

[Blitz]

Buff Bagwell. You fucking kidding me here?

[Lock Jaw]

Christian's attire was awesome up to his WWE return. For some reason they've given him a cursive "C?" I don't understand that, as it sort of lacks...power. The block "C" logo was perfectly fine, and suited Christian's personality. It became of a logo for him. I also don't understand the absence of the ring jackets.

The only thing I could guess is that they don't want him wearing jackets because it was "part of his look in TNA".

[HBPunk]

1) I remember Christian showing up in a backstage segment with Ric Flair, hearing the pop for Christian, and thinking that surely they just realised that Ric Flair was on the screen. But no -- when Christian made his entrance to Waterproof Blonde's "Just Close Your Eyes," the place erupted in favour of Christian in his match against the epically pushed Batista.

To be honest, I think these crowd reactions were why Christian was moved to SmackDown! and put into mid-card feuds with no real development. Christian was just outshining the "Supermen" the WWE wanted to create, and there was some sort of backlash. There's no other reason for it.

There is another reason for that. I was there and it was in Manchester, England. Back then, those crowds were similar to NYC and Canada in that they didnt buy into the bullshit that almost every american crowd does. Thats why Christian got such a good pop. Then he went back to America and the crowd reaction died because you guys sit on your hands and do what you are told to do like cheer for Cena's muscles or Orton's face.

[HBPunk]

I thought Noid was the king around here?! seems clueless

[Jeritron]

Buff Bagwell. You fucking kidding me here?

I love how an obscure WCW angle is blamed for him not making it, too.

It should be noted that WWE chose him to be in their first "WCW" match, to test the idea of keeping the product going.
They had plans for the guy, and he stunk out the joint so bad they not only shit-canned him, but a lot of what they were going to do with the WCW in general.

[Juan]

I thought Noid was the king around here?! seems clueless

Everyone is stupid except you.

[Evolution]

How has Billy Gunn not been mentioned? Maybe not as Mr. Ass, but The One Billy Gunn I could definately see as WWF Champion. He was over, he looked great, had solid matches, was charismatic and gathered a good deal of sympathy in the whole "Chyna has a broken neck" angle.

[Nicky Fives]

Owen Hart
Test
Christian
Curt Hennig
X-Pac

[HBPunk]

Everyone is stupid except you.

Wouldn't go that far but i am right all the time. Nice to see you are still completely and utterly in love with me, chasing up all my posts so you can comment on them. Ya big shiny princess

[HBPunk]

Owen Hart
Test
Curt Hennig

Hmmmm lets see, why weren't these guys put in the main event??

Oh right yeah, they are fucking dead! Cant blame creative there, should they have put the world title on all three as they debuted for fear they may die young?! can't believe these names were suggested. And i know perfect had a long career but it wasn't over

[MoFo]

Hmmmm lets see, why weren't these guys put in the main event??

Oh right yeah, they are fucking dead!


Pretty obvious that he didn't mean put the title on them now. Dont let that stop you from trolling though, carry on by all means.

[HBPunk]

this was the title of the thread, spelling and grammar mistakes left in :

Top Five WWE wrestlers who should have been in the main eventers (and why they didn't hit reach it) . . .

the dead trio named by some fools 'didnt hit reach it' due to death. how the fuck is that 'trolling'?? its actually the answer so piss off

[Tom Guycott]

I love how an obscure WCW angle is blamed for him not making it, too.

It should be noted that WWE chose him to be in their first "WCW" match, to test the idea of keeping the product going.
They had plans for the guy, and he stunk out the joint so bad they not only shit-canned him, but a lot of what they were going to do with the WCW in general.

Oddly enough, the other candidate for said "WCW" match with Booker T was someone else who should have made the list... Lance Storm. Ah, what could have been.

Honestly, Bagwell was never stellar in the ring. He just had "the look" and was insanely over in spite of his premature balding. (He also fit with the "throwing him out of the building" spot at the end) It only made sense they chose a guy who would get a huge pop as opposed to the guy who would have an excellent match and could have been pushed as the only guy who won so many titles in WCW, he was giving them away.

[MoFo]

the dead trio named by some fools 'didnt hit reach it' due to death. how the fuck is that 'trolling'?? its actually the answer so piss off


Test & Perfect werent in a major company when they died, they had both been released by WWE & TNA. Its fair to say they finished their careers without a world title before they actually died.

[Tom Guycott]

this was the title of the thread, spelling and grammar mistakes left in :

Top Five WWE wrestlers who should have been in the main eventers (and why they didn't hit reach it) . . .

the dead trio named by some fools 'didnt hit reach it' due to death. how the fuck is that 'trolling'?? its actually the answer so piss off

Also- seems the only one of those three who didn't make the scene due to catching a case of death was Owen. Test wasn't really going anywhere, and unless you're counting Mr. Perfect's comeback (the one where he had so much ring rust initially, he almost couldn't hit a Perfect Plex) as a push towards the belt instead of something like the multiple Tatanka or D'Lo returns, or even the Jericho vs. Steamboat series- that is to say a small injection of nostalgia instead of it actually leading somewhere- I'm inclined to disagree. Henning* didn't get the belt in his heyday/prime when he was a hell of a lot closer to the main event scene back then.

There are a lot of other wrestlers who died, some of them never stepping foot into Titan Towers. Maybe they would have made the list too if they had been employed before their deaths? That being the case, why didn't you include them too?

[Goulet]

this was the title of the thread, spelling and grammar mistakes left in :

Top Five WWE wrestlers who should have been in the main eventers (and why they didn't hit reach it) . . .

the dead trio named by some fools 'didnt hit reach it' due to death. how the fuck is that 'trolling'?? its actually the answer so piss off

What's wrong with this guy?

[Wolfpack423]

5) Sean Waltman
There was a time he was over like rover. And he was pretty damn skilled in the ring, and let's not forget he was (for a time) the only Kliq buddy Triple H had left in the company. But I guess when you have your head up your ass and you think you're perfect there's not much motivation to push you anywhere higher than your stoned ass already is.

4) Davey Boy Smith
Such a good worker, so insanely over, was even tried out in Main Event situations, but for whatever reason he just never broke through to the other side. I guess just another victim of the Hart curse...there was only enough limelight for one member of that family...

3) Scott Hall
He was great, but by the time he would have been a Main Eventer in WWE, he jumped to WCW...and by the time he got back he was a shell of his former self (though still better than most) and was lost in the shuffle of an already jam packed WWE Main Event scene. And then he couldn't stick around long enough to really benefit from the Brand Extension.

2) Diamond Dallas Page
He could work, he was charismatic, he had mic skills, he had legitimacy, he was respected, he was loved and hated by fans, he was one of the best things about WCW in it's dying years. And I'm guessing, it's the last fact that prevented him from being a Main Eventer in WWE...I guess we could add the "already full of homegrown talent" aspect to him as well...

1) Christian
How someone so talented and so effing over with the crowd is constantly overlooked by the brass at Titan Towers will forever baffle me. He's a loyal guy, well liked, a homegrown talent, doesn't cause waves, can be funny and serious...at the same time, between the ropes is easily one of the most talented workers on the roster, easily marketed, great chemistry with a number of top level guys. I mean when I sit here and try to think about it, I just can not, can not, CAN NOT figure out how he hasn't broken the glass ceiling other than to suggest he isn't personally ambitious enough to work behind the curtain to get his push. But even lacking that ambition, his work in front of the camera is so pitch perfect, I don't know how McMahon & Co can sit there and not see dollar signs shooting out of his ass. I just don't get it.

Very good selections. I would put Ken Shamrock instead of Sean Waltman for me personally as I was a huge mark for him and thought he was ahead of his time imagine if he was a big name when Angle, Benoit, Lesnar and Guerrero were there. He could have matched well with them and he had great matches with almost everybody he faced and he is a personal favorite IC champion of mine. I was so pissed after they buried him after the Undertaker feud in 1999 and his last feud was with Steve Blackman.

[Fox]

5) Test
Test was always a strong worker inside the ring. He had the look of Kevin Nash but unlike Nash, he could actually wrestle. Some may remember his awesome no holds barred match against Shane McMahon in late 1999 - the match that nearly made him a star. Even if he was lacking in mic skills, it was no more so than guys like Batista and Randy Orton today, and look at both of them. It was an area he could have improved upon while working big programs with the top guys like Stone Cold, The Rock and Kurt Angle.

Why It Didn't Happen: After the big reveal that Triple H had married Stephanie McMahon before Test could get a chance too, it really should have been Test vs. Triple H at Armageddon 1999 in what should have been the true beginning of the build-up of Test as a main event player. Instead, the feud was focused on Triple H vs. Vince McMahon, and eventually with Stephanie turning heel and joining Triple H as well - and then Vince joining them at Mania that year. A Test vs. Triple H and Stephanie feud could've been good for his growth in the company, but alas, he moved on to teaming with Albert as T&A, and never truly recovered.

4) Christian
Basically it's been covered here already. His run in 2005 against John Cena should have been enough to put him into the main event. He was easily outpopping all other challengers, had a great thing going with Tomko as his back up guy (very VERY similar to The Miz right now), and was obviously someone people wanted to see in the main event.

Why It Didn't Happen: Basically, he got fed up and left, which was probably the wrong choice to make (though hindsight is of course 20/20). Had he stayed and gutted it out, it's possible that when the "New Wave" began a couple of years ago that he may have been right there in the first spot to move up to the World Title picture. I could easily see Christian having won Money in the Bank in place of Kennedy or even CM Punk. He may still reach the pinnacle, but it's taken him longer than it should have.

3) Raven
No longer dragged down by the horrible Johnny Polo gimmick, Raven's return to the WWE in 2000 should have been the beginning of a main event push. Raven has always been an incredible character and the man can both talk on the mic and work an entertaining match. He could have built up a new flock (Undertaker was not back yet, so Raven could've filled the "dark man" void for awhile) and gone on a tear toward the main event title scene.

Why It Didn't Happen: The WWE just didn't have that in store for the guy. They needed more guys for their very popular Hardcore division, and that's where they put him. Even though Raven was often having some of the best and most entertaining matches on the card against guys like Rhyno, Tazz and Hardcore Holly, the main event was never in the cards for him.

2) Tazz
If you don't know about the legacy of Taz in ECW, then you may not understand this one, but it's a huge one. In late 1999, wrestling fanatics all over the country saw three men as the heads of the big three: Stone Cold was the WWF, Goldberg was WCW, and Taz represented ECW. When news came that he was coming to the WWF, it was easy to be skeptical about what they might do with him. How could the company put focus on this animalistic, destroyer of a character with superstars like The Rock and Stone Cold running around? His arrival swept all fears away as he destroyed the undefeated then-rookie Kurt Angle in his debut at the Royal Rumble. It looked like big things for Tazz... but looks can be deceiving.

Why It Didn't Happen: Though Tazz was seriously injured after only about a month in the company, the fact is that it never really looked like he was going to be a main event player. Despite his huge arrival at the Rumble, the Taz express quickly lost momentum and steam. The next month he was facing Big Bossman, winning by DQ and getting beaten down by Bossman and Albert. Of all the scrubs in the company to be beaten down by, Bossman and Albert were about as low as you could get. When he returned, it was to start an utterly shitty feud with Jerry Lawler that nobody gave a damn about, and shortly thereafter, the "Devil from the Redhook section of Brooklyn" was dead, in his place an overweight, joke cracking doofus behind the announce table.

1) DDP
He's been covered, and I agree with everyone else that he should've been a huge part of the WWF upon his arrival.

Why it Didn't Happen: The Undertaker feud was a failure from the start. Nobody believed that DDP, who everyone KNEW had the incredibly hot wife Kimberly Page, would go after Undertaker's horse faced old lady. It was utterly stupid. Not only that, but DDP got his ass handed to him during each and every exchange, even getting beaten after Sara Undertaker gave him a Diamond Cutter in the middle of the ring. Pathetic booking and truly an execution of the DDP character. If they had brought him in as the People's Champion and had him play the same good guy character that got him so over in WCW, things could have been a lot different. And that's not a bad thing. That's a good thing.

[Joesgonnakillyou]

There is another reason for that. I was there and it was in Manchester, England. Back then, those crowds were similar to NYC and Canada in that they didnt buy into the bullshit that almost every american crowd does. Thats why Christian got such a good pop. Then he went back to America and the crowd reaction died because you guys sit on your hands and do what you are told to do like cheer for Cena's muscles or Orton's face.

I was there too, I nearly called you liar because i'm an old man and forgot it was in Manchester. I thought it was just a particularly 'smart' crowd. British crowds now are just as bad as the ones in the US.

[The One]

Anyone who questions Christian's choice to leave WWE for TNA, I would remind you, and this is verifiable if you go back and look up records; Christian won 4 televised matches in the YEAR he exited. It was painfully obvious to everyone he was going no where fast. If anything, I think him going to TNA provided him a chance to be the big fish and get more comfortable being a viable opponent against true Main Eventers like Kurt Angle, Jeff Jarrett and Sting......and in typical Christian fashion, out shine those guys too.

[Fox]

Anyone who questions Christian's choice to leave WWE for TNA, I would remind you, and this is verifiable if you go back and look up records; Christian won 4 televised matches in the YEAR he exited. It was painfully obvious to everyone he was going no where fast. If anything, I think him going to TNA provided him a chance to be the big fish and get more comfortable being a viable opponent against true Main Eventers like Kurt Angle, Jeff Jarrett and Sting......and in typical Christian fashion, out shine those guys too.

This situation isn't really one of those ones where hindsight is 20/20. There's no way of knowing what would have happened to Christian had he stayed in the WWE instead of leaving for TNA for 5 years. Yes, his career was not exactly on the swift rise up during his last year in the WWE, but that doesn't necessarily indicate what his future might hold. If someone like Kane, who not so long ago was a mere afterthought, winning the ECW Title in a throwaway WrestleMania match can make a comeback and win the World Heavyweight Title, I don't see why Christian couldn't. There was a time when Eddie Guerrero was nothing more than a joke character in the WWF - a stereotypical Mexican dude... future World Champion. Some said the same things about CM Punk during his first year when he suffered some clean losses to guys like Hardcore Holly and Mordecai. And he's a former World Champion. Christian was NEVER eft off a Mania card while under contract with the WWE, and his Mania matches were generally fairly high profile.

I think it's fair to say that he would be a main eventer and probably a former World Champion by now if he had stayed. In fact, I'd be willing to bet on it if Doc and Marty showed up and offered to find out for us. A Smackdown World Title reign after a MITB cash in against someone like Edge sounds about right.

Hard to believe that The Miz has reached the pinnacle before Christian.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I get what both Fox and Tovo are saying, and both have very valid points. I understand completely why Christian was fed-up. Instead of the WWE capitalising on the surge of popularity Christian enjoyed (and also playing off the waning support for John Cena -- which first popped up around SummerSlam in '05), the WWE moved Christian to SmackDown! and had him do...nothing.

It's not like Christian went to SmackDown!, and was being set-up to win the Royal Rumble and face Cena at WrestleMania the next year. And I'm not saying they should have done that, but I can completely understand why Christian felt his talents were being unappreciated. It was like the guy was punished because he was getting over -- and that can shatter morale.

But that being said, I do think Fox is right. I eventually do believe that Christian would have gotten his shot. I don't think it would have been over some of the guys he mentioned, but when SmackDown! was plagued with injuries, Christian would have been an obvious choice eventually. But then again the WWE once went with The Great Khali over Kane, and a lot of these random elevations have happened since Christian has been back. I mean, Matt Hardy never got his shot, and he didn't jump to TNA (although he had his other issues). If Christian had done it, he would be a solid main eventer now, no doubt in my mind. It's that breaking the ice that the WWE has the problem with.

To be honest, it speaks volumes that Christian returned and was instantly put in the position of being the guy on ECW, though. Plus, he was the second-to-last guy to touch the Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania this year. I'm not saying the guy doesn't deserve more, but I do think there are people who know how good Christian is, so I haven't completely lost hope for him yet.

[BigDaddyCool]

MVP should be on a list.

[Next Big Thing]

DDP was injured fairly early in his run with the WWE and it would be kind of off to think Vince would put a WCW guy over as champion so soon into his debut with the company. Plus DDP was pushing 50 around that time. I wish he would have stayed on as a manager or commentator though.

In my opinion, Austin ruined Christian's chances of ever being considered main event when he started those stupid ass "Creepy Little Bastard" chants. He fucked Lance over the same way with "Boring" and let's not forget "What!" Plus, Christian going to TNA probably put a damper on him in Vince's eyes as well.

[Fox]

DDP was injured fairly early in his run with the WWE and it would be kind of off to think Vince would put a WCW guy over as champion so soon into his debut with the company. Plus DDP was pushing 50 around that time. I wish he would have stayed on as a manager or commentator though.

Yes, there is the stigma of being a "WCW-guy" in the WWE. They have a long history of taking big names from WCW and turning them into mid-card players for life (Booker T, Scott Steiner, Lance Storm, Mike Awesome...), but Vince McMahon is also a smart individual. He knows when something is right, especially if it's going to make him money.

DDP was huge in WCW - it's undeniable. For a time, he along with Sting and Goldberg were the only guys who were viewed as true combatants against the nWo faction. His matches against Macho Man, Raven, Chris Benoit and Jeff Jarrett were all incredible, some even considered to be classics (if you've never seen DDP vs. Raven vs. Benoit from Uncensored 98 then do yourself a favor and find it). And it's not due to any kind of special packaging as a character by WCW - it's because DDP is a legitimately entertaining, fun, and charismatic individual. Anyone who has read Mick Foley's first autobiography knows this. The guy is like the guy you want to go out on the town with because you know he's going to meet interesting people and attract a good time just because of his personality.

To question whether or not DDP could've gotten over in the WWE as a main eventer, I think, is obvious. Imagine if, instead of bringing him in to feud against Undertaker, they brought him in as a babyface to feud against Kurt Angle. At this time, Kurt was fresh off arguably the hottest year for any rookie in WWE history and was focused on winning a second KOTR crown. If Page had come in as a surprise entrant in the KOTR tournament, debuting on a RAW a couple weeks before the PPV (which he did, only it was as the stalker) by giving a crowd brow-beating Kurt Angle a fucking Diamond Cutter, BAM. Instant Superstar. There's no question if he could carry himself on the mic or in the ring: he absolutely could have. A 2-3 month Angle vs. DDP feud could've been amazing.

The question about his age is also not an arguing point when it comes to DDP. He's a fucking Yoga instructor today, for Christ's sake. There are few other 40+ year olds in the wrestling business in better shape than DDP, and that goes for today, too. Look at his match against Christian at WM X-8... the guy could still go.

My final point is this: wasting DDP was wasting millions and millions of dollars in revenue. Getting DDP over would have been easy. Selling these:

http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt186/Syxxclique/Cutter.jpg

Would have been even easier. Foam "Diamond Cutter" signs and more Diamond Cutter design t-shirts would've sold like fucking crack with the WWE merchandising machine behind them.

[Ultra Mantis]

Christian
DDP
Raven
Carlito
Mr Perfect

[Theo Dious]

To anyone who said Scott Hall: he did have a main event program against Bret Hart. And it's been sufficiently covered why he never really got more. He ruled the midcard IC scene pretty solidly and worked very high-level. He would surely have gotten more main event play if he hadn't jumped to WCW, and he would have gotten more in his WWE run if it weren't for his "demons."

To anyone who said DDP: please. It was a booking miracle and main event talent vacuum that made him a main event player in WCW to begin with. He was never going to become a consistent top star in WWE during a time when Austin, Rock, HHH, and Angle were around, certainly not while they were grooming the likes of Brock Lesnar and John Cena to become the next stars. His age has also been mentioned.

And anyone who thinks Tazz or Raven could ever have been main event in WWE is an ECW fetishist. Tazz himself admits that he was out of steam by the time he made it to WWE, and Raven could only have been big by doing the same damn thing he had done in ECW and WCW and would go on to do in TNA.

My list, in no particular order.

Matt Hardy

WWE dropped the ball on several non-consecutive occasions with this guy. The Mattitude gimmick was way over and never should have been abandoned. He was hot as fuck when he went against Edge, but they didn't give him anything to follow that up. He was the hottest thing of the year in his feud against MVP; that of course was killed off by his appendix. He had a decent ECW run, but when that ended he just ended up dangling from Jeff's nutsack, and their Wrestlemania match killed that off. For some reason those two just never worked well against each other. Whether bad booking or bad fortune, Matt's steam always ran out just as he was heading to the top.

Mr Perfect
Now he did have a few brief bits of main event exposure; a program with Hogan that set up the Hogan/Warrior feud, managing Flair, and the tag match with Savage against Hall and Flair. He deserved a lot more, but injury or company departure killed it off, and his comeback just didn't pay off. Kind of a bad luck deal more than anything.

Owen Hart
Another one with some very minor ME exposure. The reason he didn't get his time in the main event is pretty obvious to everyone and has been fully covered.

Jake Roberts
Would have been there, but a feud with Hogan was cancelled when the crowd reaction was mixed. His planned program with the Warrior would probably have led him into a brighter spotlight if Warrior hadn't held Vince up.

Carlito
Tons of natural talent. Probably would have been main event if he'd wanted it more.

[Aguakate]

Right now, the only one that comes to mind is Carlito. He's a fellow Puerto Rican, but I'm objective enough to know that the main reason he never got to where he could've, was because of his attitude.

The WWE is somewhat at fault here, as he was given everything on a silver platter pretty early on, and that surely spoiled him, and he never learned what it was like to work hard.

When he started wrestling in WWC, his dad's company in Puerto Rico (the main wrestling company in the island), he instantly was thrown into a program with the company's biggest star at the time, and instantly main evented. Within a year, he was the company's champion. His dad, owner of the company, brought wrestlers down to Puerto Rico (guys like Curt Henning, One Man Gang, Rey Mysterio, Vampiro, Scott Hall) to wrestle Carlito for the belt, and he would "go over" on all of them, since his dad most likely always wanted to help Carlito get to the WWE, and having those guys on his "resume" certainly would help.

Then, he gets to the WWE, becomes US Champion in his first match, then he got Carlito's Cabana, he won the Intercontinental Belt...I mean, he never learned what "paying your dues" is all about. And because of that, when the going got tough, and it was time to show what he was REALLY made of, he flunked.

[Schlomey]

To anyone who said Scott Hall: he did have a main event program against Bret Hart. And it's been sufficiently covered why he never really got more. He ruled the midcard IC scene pretty solidly and worked very high-level. He would surely have gotten more main event play if he hadn't jumped to WCW, and he would have gotten more in his WWE run if it weren't for his "demons."

To anyone who said DDP: please. It was a booking miracle and main event talent vacuum that made him a main event player in WCW to begin with. He was never going to become a consistent top star in WWE during a time when Austin, Rock, HHH, and Angle were around, certainly not while they were grooming the likes of Brock Lesnar and John Cena to become the next stars. His age has also been mentioned.

And anyone who thinks Tazz or Raven could ever have been main event in WWE is an ECW fetishist. Tazz himself admits that he was out of steam by the time he made it to WWE, and Raven could only have been big by doing the same damn thing he had done in ECW and WCW and would go on to do in TNA.

My list, in no particular order.

Matt Hardy

WWE dropped the ball on several non-consecutive occasions with this guy. The Mattitude gimmick was way over and never should have been abandoned. He was hot as fuck when he went against Edge, but they didn't give him anything to follow that up. He was the hottest thing of the year in his feud against MVP; that of course was killed off by his appendix. He had a decent ECW run, but when that ended he just ended up dangling from Jeff's nutsack, and their Wrestlemania match killed that off. For some reason those two just never worked well against each other. Whether bad booking or bad fortune, Matt's steam always ran out just as he was heading to the top.

Mr Perfect
Now he did have a few brief bits of main event exposure; a program with Hogan that set up the Hogan/Warrior feud, managing Flair, and the tag match with Savage against Hall and Flair. He deserved a lot more, but injury or company departure killed it off, and his comeback just didn't pay off. Kind of a bad luck deal more than anything.

Owen Hart
Another one with some very minor ME exposure. The reason he didn't get his time in the main event is pretty obvious to everyone and has been fully covered.

Jake Roberts
Would have been there, but a feud with Hogan was cancelled when the crowd reaction was mixed. His planned program with the Warrior would probably have led him into a brighter spotlight if Warrior hadn't held Vince up.

Carlito
Tons of natural talent. Probably would have been main event if he'd wanted it more.



I came here to post my own but I really like these.

[Mr. Nerfect]

To anyone who said DDP: please. It was a booking miracle and main event talent vacuum that made him a main event player in WCW to begin with. He was never going to become a consistent top star in WWE during a time when Austin, Rock, HHH, and Angle were around, certainly not while they were grooming the likes of Brock Lesnar and John Cena to become the next stars. His age has also been mentioned.

Regardless of what led to him getting opportunities, you have to accept that DDP ran with those opportunities. He was HUGE, and I heard someone reference the Diamond Cutter and DDP as late as 2006 in general conversation. DDP found his way onto the pulse of people. You say that guys like Austin, Rock, Triple H and Angle were around, but The Rock was actually out making movies at this time, Triple H was injured and Austin and Angle were both heels.

Instantly becoming the top guy is one thing, but being used to your strengths and with the intent of making money is another. Vince's pride had him treating the WCW guys like shit when he really needed to generate new stars to replace the absence left by guys like The Rock and Triple H. Listen to the pop when DDP revealed himself to the WWE fanbase. They went NUTS. People knew who DDP was, and were entirely keen and willing to get behind him in the WWE. Listen to the reaction when Booker T showed up and put Austin through the announce table. Both DDP and Booker T had the potential to make huge amounts of revenue for Vince McMahon, but he chose to bury them with comedic beat-downs and such -- to the point where DDP's greatest singles success was winning the fucking European Championship, and Booker T's greatest success came five years down the track.

Now they did have a lot of guys put to the back-burner in 2001 with the huge array of talent coming in. Big Show and Billy Gunn essentially became non-existent for a while, which led to them forming that "Show-Gunns" tag team in the later half of 2001. Edge won the King of the Ring and had quite a bit of mid-card success (he won something like two Intercontinental Championships and the United States Championship), but didn't really start his major ascension until 2002 in his feud against Kurt Angle.

But the point is -- a lot of potential was wasted with the Alliance angle, and a lot of guys essentially became mid-card fodder when they could have been used more productively. DDP and Booker T were two of the more grossly misused performers of 2001, in my opinion, and would have made adequate replacements for Stone Cold Steve Austin (who was now a heel) and The Rock (who was out until around SummerSlam, I believe).

All you had to do is have DDP run in and give people Diamond Cutters, and the merchandise would have flown off the shelf. Depending on how well that did or did not get over, you can then make an informed decision about how you use DDP. The WWE didn't even try it.

[Fox]

Regardless of what led to him getting opportunities, you have to accept that DDP ran with those opportunities. He was HUGE, and I heard someone reference the Diamond Cutter and DDP as late as 2006 in general conversation. DDP found his way onto the pulse of people. You say that guys like Austin, Rock, Triple H and Angle were around, but The Rock was actually out making movies at this time, Triple H was injured and Austin and Angle were both heels.

Instantly becoming the top guy is one thing, but being used to your strengths and with the intent of making money is another. Vince's pride had him treating the WCW guys like shit when he really needed to generate new stars to replace the absence left by guys like The Rock and Triple H. Listen to the pop when DDP revealed himself to the WWE fanbase. They went NUTS. People knew who DDP was, and were entirely keen and willing to get behind him in the WWE. Listen to the reaction when Booker T showed up and put Austin through the announce table. Both DDP and Booker T had the potential to make huge amounts of revenue for Vince McMahon, but he chose to bury them with comedic beat-downs and such -- to the point where DDP's greatest singles success was winning the fucking European Championship, and Booker T's greatest success came five years down the track.

Now they did have a lot of guys put to the back-burner in 2001 with the huge array of talent coming in. Big Show and Billy Gunn essentially became non-existent for a while, which led to them forming that "Show-Gunns" tag team in the later half of 2001. Edge won the King of the Ring and had quite a bit of mid-card success (he won something like two Intercontinental Championships and the United States Championship), but didn't really start his major ascension until 2002 in his feud against Kurt Angle.

But the point is -- a lot of potential was wasted with the Alliance angle, and a lot of guys essentially became mid-card fodder when they could have been used more productively. DDP and Booker T were two of the more grossly misused performers of 2001, in my opinion, and would have made adequate replacements for Stone Cold Steve Austin (who was now a heel) and The Rock (who was out until around SummerSlam, I believe).

All you had to do is have DDP run in and give people Diamond Cutters, and the merchandise would have flown off the shelf. Depending on how well that did or did not get over, you can then make an informed decision about how you use DDP. The WWE didn't even try it.

This.

People just don't see it though because they're blinded by the facts of what really happened. It is BECAUSE DDP, Rhyno, Raven, Booker T, Shane Helms, Kanyon, Taz, Mike Awesome, Sean O'Haire and Lance Storm were all down graded from their positions in WCW that people (like Tedious) don't see the potential of what could have been. "Oh, they were just mid-carders and were never going to make it in the WWF." You have been trained to believe this because of how they were portrayed on television. Had DDP been pushed to the main event as a face and had an amazing 5-year run against the likes of Angle, Benoit, Austin, Rock, Undertaker, Kane, and Triple H, then they would be singing an entirely different tune. The difference, I think, Noid, is that you and I can see the potential of what could have been.

Of course, we have very differing opinions on one Val Venis... but still.