Good Wrestlers You've Given Up On

[Wishbone]

So it's no secret that WWE has a bad track record of running talent into the ground. Last night I found myself watching Smackdown from Tuesday and every time Bray Wyatt's face was on-screen I found myself getting frustrated and angry. I've sung Bray's praise in the past, and I think a lot of people on this forum thought he would amount to something, but WWE has torn him down so much at this point that I'm more invested in Heath Slater than I am Wyatt. So my question to all you fine gents is, what wrestlers have you given up on over the years due to bad booking, under utilization, etc?

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Dolph Ziggler. Two years in a row in the nothing going on for you ic title ladder match.

[Simple Fan]

Im a big Curtis Axel fan but damn they don't do anything with him. I thought the Mr. Irrelevant thing might have gone somewhere but one night and it was done. Hate that he wrestles in the shorts now as well. I'm to the point where I'd like to see him released and go somewhere else preferably ROH.

[Triple A]

Bored by Enzo & Cass already tbh

[Wishbone]

Yeah, I used to love Dolph but I'm finding myself almost hoping he loses at No Mercy just so I don't have to be disappointed anymore. :(

[#1-norm-fan]

Fandango. Should have been the face of the company already.

Also, Wyatt should definitely be mega-heel status.

[Lock Jaw]

Aiden English
Alicia Fox
Bray Wyatt
Chad Gable
Fandango
Jack Swagger
Kalisto
Kane
Luke Harper
Natalya
Neville
Paige
R-Truth
Randy Orton
Sheamus
Simon Gotch
Sin Cara
Tyler Breeze

[XL]

Fandango. Should have been the face of the company already.

Also, Wyatt should definitely be mega-heel status.

Still got faith they'll eventually do something with Johnny.

[Lock Jaw]

To be fair to everyone on my list, I had given up on The Miz before

[Bad News Gertner]

Ryback

[Emperor Smeat]

Ziggler. Pretty much gave up on him ever getting to the next level after how the WWE handled his push post-Survivor Series 2014. WWE made it way too obvious they weren't serious with the push and he was just taking over what was meant for Reigns the whole time.

Cody Rhodes and Wade Barrett as well before both got released.

[Shisen Kopf]

Baron Corbin..more like Baron BORIN' what a big ol piece of crap

[Mr. Nerfect]

Dean Ambrose. I was one of the guy's most vocal supporters when he was in The Shield. He exuded this confidence and charisma and looked like he belonged with the big boys. The way he'd work with them -- rolling out of the way of their offence -- made him something of an exciting yet realistic for even guys like The Undertaker.

Now he dresses in blue skinny jeans, tank-tops, is still recovering from his bromance break-up and basically plays an excited puppy/class clown. Gone is the realism from his ring style. He now dives a lot more because "he's a lunatic!" and he does that rebound clothesline every match as his opponents stand there like goofs.

His FCW promos remain the best work of his career. Now his mic work basically consists of him talking fast and calling his opponent "son" at the end. Youseewhenyougettomyleveltherearen'tanyexusessonbecausethisistheAleaguesbecauseImakeittheAleaguessoy oumightthinkaboutsavingyourmedicalbillsbypayingforanairlineticket, son.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Dolph Ziggler. I cannot believe the guy is putting up his career on Sunday and no one gives a flying fuck. 50/50 booking is good though, right, CyNick?

[Mr. Nerfect]

Kevin Owens. I think I lost faith around Brooklyn when the women's match was better than him and Balor's. To be honest, I lost faith and interest in Balor around the same time.

His look does get in the way. Sorry, but it does. He looks like a little boy playing wrestler when he's in there with anyone that is any bigger than John Cena. For him to beat them up, they've got to concede that he is better pound-for-pound than they are -- given his obvious reach and weight disadvantage. I was all-for a Roman Reigns/Kevin Owens program, but that was until I saw them in the ring together and Owens was instantly the babyface.

I find his matches repetitve and I hate the "Oh! What's this?!? A Fisherman Buster from the second rope! This has to be it!" (it's never been it) "1-2-NO! Oh my god, how badly does *literally any wrestler on the roster* want it?!?" style. There's no drama in it. The guy can tell a good story on the mic sometimes -- he's a good antagonist anyway -- but I can't buy him as a credible wrestler, and I think everyone that can is sort of looking at him through irony bribe specs, and that's a large part of why ratings are going down each week (beyond the death of cable).

[Savio]

Aiden English
Alicia Fox
Bray Wyatt
Chad Gable
Fandango
Jack Swagger
Kalisto
Kane
Luke Harper
Natalya
Neville
Paige
R-Truth
Randy Orton
Sheamus
Simon Gotch
Sin Cara
Tyler Breeze
Christian

[Lock Jaw]

I'LL MURDER YOU

[Schlomey]

There are several people in this boat for me but none more than Jack Swagger. When he was mega-heel running around ankle locking everyone in the locker room (looking at you Rey Rey) he was gold....Then he fizzled a bit..THEN he got in trouble before Wrestlemania. And since then he has had a permanent spot in the WWE dog house. No he isn't the best talker but even today he is really over in front of house crowds....with the right timing and story he could reclaim the throne.

[wwe2222]

There are several people in this boat for me but none more than Jack Swagger. When he was mega-heel running around ankle locking everyone in the locker room (looking at you Rey Rey) he was gold....Then he fizzled a bit..THEN he got in trouble before Wrestlemania. And since then he has had a permanent spot in the WWE dog house. No he isn't the best talker but even today he is really over in front of house crowds....with the right timing and story he could reclaim the throne.

Always liked Swagger. Still think he could be a good face. Should've been his generations Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

He needs to change his attire.

[Big Vic]

I notice they don't promote him as a former WHC now.

[Evil Vito]

I sometimes think that Noid will never be able to enjoy wrestling again.

[Rammsteinmad]

Dolph Ziggler. I cannot believe the guy is putting up his career on Sunday and no one gives a flying fuck.

Hadn't really considered it like that, but that's fucking right! Kinda sad that win or lose, I'm not really interested.

[Ruien]

Rusev.

[Wishbone]

I notice they don't promote him as a former WHC now.

I could swear they referred to him as a former WHC on Smackdown this week.

[Destor]

Fandango. Should have been the face of the company already.:|

[Evil Vito]

Who are you to doubt Fandango?

[Big Vic]

I could swear they referred to him as a former WHC on Smackdown this week.

I think they did when he first came over but I didn't notice it during the match.

[Evil Vito]

When Johnny Curtis won a Tag Team title opportunity for winning NXT Season 4 and didn't actually get said opportunity, he should have been given a World Heavyweight Championship match instead. And he should have won.

[Evil Vito]

SummerSlam 2011
World Heavyweight Championship
Christian (C) vs. Randy Orton vs. Johnny Curtis

[thekrow]

http://i64.tinypic.com/oa8b2x.jpg


JD Bolduc.


I hate to say it, but hes been pretty disappointing in his CHW run so far. Even his tag team title win seems mediocre and his matches have all felt the same, more or less. JD hasn't lived up to the hype and at this point, I think he is dragging David Storm down with their tag team. I can see why CHW put JD in a tag team, they realized he wasn't getting over on his own so they put him together with the already over David Storm in hopes that some of Storm's charisma and ability can rub off on JD, but so fat it hasn't happened.


I know its fashionable to hate on celebrties who become wrestlers but this isn't one of those cases. I don't hate on JD because hes a famous musician who went into the wrestling business, I hate on him because his entire run has been subpar.


At this point, I hope that since Storm and JD finally lost the gold, that David Storm can go into the singles division and maybe work his way into a main event program against the winner of the SWEDE SAVARD vs RIC ROBERTS match tomorrow October 8th on CHW Carnage.

[Black Widow]

I can't really see them doing much with Owen.

[Destor]

I can't really see them doing much with Owen.
Hart?

[Cool King]

Big Cass
Fandango
Kalisto
Sin Cara (Hunico)
Tyson Kidd
Zack Ryder

And I'm slowly beginning to give up on Nia Jax.

[Theo Dious]

Dolph Ziggler. I cannot believe the guy is putting up his career on Sunday and no one gives a flying fuck. 50/50 booking is good though, right, CyNick?

Maybe because it's 2016 and there is absolutely no suspense or intrigue around a supposed career ending stipulation?

[Cool King]

Im a big Curtis Axel fan but damn they don't do anything with him. I thought the Mr. Irrelevant thing might have gone somewhere but one night and it was done. Hate that he wrestles in the shorts now as well.

Me too.

I really though it was going to go somewhere, like he would prove everyone wrong and show that he isn't Mr. Irrelevant and win the US Title or the Tag Team Championships, but I'm still not giving up on him.

[Simple Fan]

Id like to see him as the US champion. Would be fine with them replaying his IC title win and have it be on Father's Day again. Then change the belt to what it looker like in WCW to match the one his father carried and get it to look more like he IC title. But I doubt WWE will ever do anything with him and probably be released sometime next year.

[KIRA]

Dolph's current status breaks y heart they need to take this horse out back and shoot it already and stop giving me hope.

Wade Barrett poor guy injuries just killed it for him

Cesaro

BRAY WYATT is exhibit A in my "proof that Vince is senile and a monkey could write better than his whole team with it's penis" file

Bray and Crew should have been unstoppable Bray himself should've been a monster who could be beaten but rarely just barely and not without a heavy toll on his opponents


Fandango WHY???

[Bad News Gertner]

http://i64.tinypic.com/oa8b2x.jpg


JD Bolduc.


I hate to say it, but hes been pretty disappointing in his CHW run so far. Even his tag team title win seems mediocre and his matches have all felt the same, more or less. JD hasn't lived up to the hype and at this point, I think he is dragging David Storm down with their tag team. I can see why CHW put JD in a tag team, they realized he wasn't getting over on his own so they put him together with the already over David Storm in hopes that some of Storm's charisma and ability can rub off on JD, but so fat it hasn't happened.


I know its fashionable to hate on celebrties who become wrestlers but this isn't one of those cases. I don't hate on JD because hes a famous musician who went into the wrestling business, I hate on him because his entire run has been subpar.


At this point, I hope that since Storm and JD finally lost the gold, that David Storm can go into the singles division and maybe work his way into a main event program against the winner of the SWEDE SAVARD vs RIC ROBERTS match tomorrow October 8th on CHW Carnage.

I agree. JD needs to focus on his priorities

[Fignuts]

I agree. JD needs to focus on his priorities

Like the mess he left in his parents basement.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Maybe because it's 2016 and there is absolutely no suspense or intrigue around a supposed career ending stipulation?

Possibly, but when you consider that you might not ever see someone wrestle again, you think you'd be a little sadder/invested. I think it's more that it's 2016 and no one gives a fuck.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I'm on the bubble with Cesaro. I still think the guy is a genius in the ring. Seriously might be my favorite in-ring guy ever. He doesn't even really have that many great matches -- he just adds so much depth to the "three star" shit he churns out on the reg. But I think what bothers me is that the company knows it, but they don't really care.

This team with Sheamus hasn't made Sheamus more interesting -- it has sapped my investment in Cesaro. Where is this going? Honestly, I would not be opposed to seeing Cesaro jump down to NXT (without taking a pay cut), get some new music, be the guy to take the NXT Title off Shinsuke Nakamura, and get a run as a heel down there to kind of "rediscover" himself.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Seth Rollins. Haven't entirely given up on him, but the face turn has been weak as fuck. He should have returned as a babyface. This feels like when Orton returned and was a heel for a few weeks before turning face against, coincidentally, Seth Rollins.

He had such a wonderful 2014, but 2015 (a horrendous and surreal year overall, to be honest) saw him get booked as one of the worst champions of all-time. He's got the belt meanwhile Daddy H is standing over him saying "one day you might even be as good as me." He's the fucking champion!

If he gets some steam behind him, maybe things will turn around, but how often do you see someone start off with less momentum at the start of a big face run than a few months in? And what's the end game here? Seth Rollins vs. Triple H? I saw that in 2014.

[Wishbone]

I haven't given up on Cesaro completely. I have given up on him ever being a main event player, but I still think there's hope for him to recover from this slump. The guy is still entertaining to me, and I don't roll my eyes every time he's on my screen yet like I do for Wyatt, so that's a plus. I also don't completely hate his tag-team deal with Sheamus. It's stupid, and they could be doing so much more with Cesaro, but I did chuckle a bit seeing them bickering as they got out of the car on Monday.

As for Rollins I still have plenty of hope for him. He definitely should have turned right when he got back from his injury (and Reigns should have turned heel at the same time damn it,) but I don't think what's going on right now is unsalvageable. Honestly I still believe he has the potential to be one of the top faces in the company.

Same applies to Ambrose in my opinion. The guy is still over with fans, WWE just needs to stop fucking up with him. They've got a star sitting right there ready to go and they just keep stalling him for no foreseeable reason other than to spite themselves.

[Wishbone]

On the topic of Dean I think you're right about his attire, Noid. He needs a serious makeover. I'd have loved it if he had been the one to get the updated Shield attire that Reigns did. Imagine that same outfit but with the DA symbol with barbed wire around it instead of Reigns' symbol. I think that would have looked amazing for Dean. Unfortunately I'm not really sure what they can do for him now with that look taken. I wouldn't be opposed to long tights or something, but I'm not sure Dean has the physique to pull of a look with no shirt. Maybe some torn up jeans with airbrushed on logos and stuff similar to what R-Truth wears and a sleeveless version of his t-shirt? IDK [shrug]

[Destor]

Ambrose should raid Ravens gimmick bad since he likes the grunge look so much

[Bad News Gertner]

Cesaro is boring

[Simple Fan]

Cesaro is boring

Pretty much. They have given him gimmick after gimmick and he can't get one to stick. Hell of a talent in the ring but he's best when he's in a tag team.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Lashley. But I gave up on him in 2006. He was a great technical wrestler.

[Fignuts]

I want to see Cesaro get better on the mic, because everything else is there. But at this point, I just don't think it's going to happen.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Ambrose should raid Ravens gimmick bad since he likes the grunge look so much

If Dean Ambrose was around in the Attitude era, I'm convinced he'd be a Hardcore Title scene jobber.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Mr Kennedy when he went to Raw. Matt Hardy v1 when he went to Raw.

[Mr. Nerfect]

A lot of guys lost a lot of luster when they went to RAW back in the day. Good times, no?

[XL]

This subject is a tricky one; there's not that many guys I've lost faith in in terms of they lack the aptitude to be stars, but there's a group of guys (mostly mentioned in this thread already) that I've lost faith in WWE ever getting behind.

Some one like Ziggler has gone off the boil. I'm hoping he loses at No Mercy, goes away and comes back reinvented and rejuvenated.

A guy like Cody is another tough one; he debuted far too early into his career which means he's been on TV for nearly a decade, without making that move into the upper echelon. I hope his time away from WWE helps him prove his worth, and he comes back with a bang.

Then there's guys like Johnny Curtis who WWE have done nothing with but you could make him in one night; lets say Miz defeats Ziggler and sends him packing. On SDL Miz comes out to brag, he lays a challenge to anyone in the locker room to be the next statistic in his "Never-ending Intercontinetal Championship ring". Fandango comes out, Miz can't take him seriously. "Fandango!? Do you people think Fandango can beat me?". Johnny says "No Miz. Even I don't think Fandango can beat you" goes on a quasi-shoot about WWE setting him up to fail, never taking him seriously, wasting his talent. You know how crowds eat that sort of thing up. Curtis wins the IC Title in a close-fought battle, then you keep him strong from there.

Or you have his contract "expire" on SDL, jump to Raw and repackage him there.

[Fignuts]

Ziggler's moment was Survivor Series 2014. I fully believe he could have gone on to win the rumble and face Lesnar in an underdog match akin to HBK vd Vader.

Would have been a much better story then what we got, anyway.

[Mr. Nerfect]

That's interesting. It bothered me that The Authority fired him. It sends such a shitty message when you can just fire guys like they aren't important. He was also grouped in with Erick Rowan and Ryback. They were all being jammed into that same spot. It really wasn't designed to get anyone over, which is a shame.