Wrestlers WWE Totally Gave Up On For No Reason (2024)

Before now, it was very common for a wrestler to start receiving a massive push in the WWE, potentially resulting in a midcard title reign or even chances against some of the top talent in the company, before they suddenly fell off the face of the planet. There are plenty of examples of this, as it happened all the time with new wrestlers coming in, tag team wrestlers becoming singles stars, or whatever reason could be thought of.

This can still happen today, as recently seen with DIY becoming the WWE Tag Team Champions before losing the belts shortly after their victory. Let's dive into the history of the WWE and find some prominent examples of stars who had the ability to become a success (to varying degrees) before they were dropped with no explanation.

Zack Ryder Was Riding Waves Of Hype From The Internet

Captured The United States Title For His Troubles

• Started the Z! True Long Island Story series on YouTube.
• He and his show became a huge hit with fans and the internet.
• Crowds were begging to see Ryder succeed.

Let's start with the most well-known example of this trend happening, Zack Ryder in 2011. Due to his YouTube show, Z! True Long Island Story, becoming a huge hit online, people started attending shows, cheering the loudest anytime he would appear, and begging for him to show up whenever he wasn't booked. Chants of "We Want Ryder" would fill the arenas and his merch was constantly selling out despite him not wrestling much at the time.

Despite the company seemingly not wanting to push Ryder, the WWE eventually gave in and made Zack the United States Championship at the end of 2011. The hype didn't last as WWE gave up on him, made him drop the belt to Jack Swagger, and started involving him in the John Cena vs. Kane feud. Being attacked by Kane several times , put into a wheelchair, and having his crush kiss Cena and turn on him made fans give up on any hope that he was going to succeed.

Shad Gaspard Had The Makings To Become A Singles Star

His Feud With JTG Was Rushed

• Cryme Tyme was pretty popular despite never finding championship success.
• Shad Gaspard was a decent wrestler who had an amazing look.
• When the duo broke up, their feud lasted a couple of weeks.

Starting in late 2006, Shad Gaspard and JTG were brought up to the main roster after a stint in Ohio Valley Wrestling and immediately scored wins over the World Tag Team Champions and the rest of the division. The team was massively over with the crowd but ended up getting released less than a year after debuting.

Luckily, they were able to return in 2008 and go right back to where they were, becoming huge fan favorites once more. Finally, the time came for them to break up, and it seemed that Shad would be the one to become a star as he was the bigger member, had an amazing look, and was solid between the ropes. For whatever reason, the following feud between Shad and JTG was quickly rushed, and both men went on to do not much of anything. Shad would be released from his WWE contract in November 2010.

Ultimo Dragon Is Considered One Of The Greatest Cruiserweights

Somehow, WWE Fumbled The Ball With Him

• Ultimo Dragon was one of the most decorated cruiserweight wrestlers in the 1990s.
• Signed with WWE in 2003 and seemed like he was going to be a vital asset to the Cruiserweight division.
• Requested his release at the start of 2004 due to creative issues.

One of the most legendary masked wrestlers in the sport finally signed with the WWE during the Ruthless Aggression era and seemed like he was going to become a huge success in the company. Ultimo Dragon started well enough with some strong wins and amazing performances with the likes of Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, and Tajiri.

For unknown reasons, Ultimo Dragon wouldn't be booked for months out of the blue before getting a WrestleMania 20 match where he tripped during his entrance. He'd have a couple more matches before requesting his release, due to WWE wanting to unmask him.

Sean O'Haire Had A Fresh And Unique Gimmick

Worked With Roddy Piper Before His Release

• Started a very interesting new character that hadn't been seen before.
• Partnered with Roddy Piper.
• Dropped the character soon after debuting.

Keeping with the Ruthless Aggression era, Sean O'Haire was brought in from WCW after the purchase and teamed with Chuck Palumbo before losing the WCW World Tag Team titles. At the start of 2003, Sean would have vignettes promoting his new "Devil's Advocate character" that quickly became popular with the audience.

He had an amazing look for the time and was quickly paired with Roddy Piper, aiming to become an amazing heel. Randomly, his gimmick was dropped and Piper was released from the WWE, leading to any chance of Sean getting a push to dwindle. This left O'Haire on his own to mostly work on Velocity before being involved in a motorcycle accident. He'd be sent back to OVW upon recovering before getting released.

Keith Lee Was A Star In NXT

The Main Roster Didn't Have Anything For Him

• Lee held the NXT Championship and NXT North American Championship.
• Had some amazing moments at Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble.
• Keith Lee was called up to the main roster in early 2020.

Watching Keith Lee on NXT was a totally different experience from watching him on Raw in 2020. He seemed like he was going to start well enough, as his first main roster feud was against Randy Orton of all people, and he even scored a win against him at Payback. After the win, he started competing for the WWE Championship and was treated like a big deal.

COVID would stop Keith from doing much as 2021 started, but when he returned, he was healthy and looked just as ready as he was before the illness. WWE gave him a gimmick change and a new nickname in homage to Bearcat Wright, which resulted in not much besides fans complaining about the change. Lee would be let go in November of that year.

Kerry Von Erich Went From Undefeated To Losing To Midcarders

Lost His Streak And Everything Went Downhill

• The Texas Tornado debuted and went on an undefeated run.
• Captured the Intercontinental Championship during his undefeated streak.
• Lost the belt and started to lose to anyone above jobber status.

Most wrestling fans have heard about the Von Erich family and know their story to some degree. Kerry Von Erich, also known as The Texas Tornado in the WWE, seemed like he was destined to be the biggest star of the family. After numerous titles in his home promotion of World Class Championship Wrestling, he joined the WWE and quickly found success via a winning streak.

Kerry would even capture the WWE Intercontinental Championship, reigning with the belt for a few months. He had some great showings at the Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and WrestleMania 7 before his status on the card seemed to drop drastically. Kerry would face names like Barry Horowitz, Kato, and Skinner, earning wins over them, but whenever he faced bigger names, Kerry would consistently be on the losing end.

Chris Masters Had The Look And Character

Masters Made The WWE Champion Pass Out

• Started the Master Lock Challenge which lasted for over two years.
• Was feuding with major names like Shawn Michaels and John Cena.
• Had a lot of feuds for titles, but never won any.

, Chris Masters was a massive man with decent in-ring work during the mid to late 2000s. His Master Lock Challenge saw many wrestlers fall victim to the hold and even set him up for major feuds against names like Shawn Michaels and WWE Title shots against John Cena.

Often feuding against champions for whatever title was available, Masters wouldn't find any gold himself. His Master Lock Challenge came to an end more than two years after it started when Bobby Lashley broke out of the move. This marked his downfall as he was then drafted to SmackDown during the 2007 WWE Draft and wouldn't make many appearances besides trying to restart the Master Lock Challenge.

Damien Sandow Became A Comedic Highlight Of Any Show

Had Two Opportunities That Were Dropped

• Won the Money in the Bank briefcase after teaming with Cody Rhodes for a year.
• Lost to John Cena after cashing in and was moved to a lower card status.
• Revived his career when teaming with The Miz.

Damien Sandow had a couple of attempts at a career in the WWE before landing the "Intellectual Savior of the Masses" gimmick. This would see him take off as he formed a relationship with Cody Rhodes and even captured the Money in the Bank briefcase in 2013. Sandow attempted to cash in on an injured John Cena for the World Heavyweight Championship, but would become the first person to lose the cash-in via pinfall.

Getting dropped down the card considerably was a massive letdown for fans, but Sandow came back to prominence with an interesting gimmick of being The Miz's stunt double. Once the duo broke up, their feud didn't meet expectations and Sandow was once again pushed down the card and began teaming with Curtis Axel, who was impersonating Hulk Hogan.

Gail Kim Won Championship Gold In Her Debut

Was Let Go Out Of Nowhere

• Won the WWE Women's Championship in her debut match.
• Was prominently featured in title feuds after losing the belt.
• Fired and told that the WWE wanted to go in a different direction with the division.

After only being in the wrestling business for a couple of years, Gail Kim was brought into the WWE and immediately found success when she captured the WWE Women's Championship in her debut match. She only held the belt for about a month before dropping the title to Molly Holly, but remained a top star before shockingly being fired .

It turned out to be for the best as the women's division started to not be focused on or respected, while Kim went to TNA and helped start their Knockouts division. Kim did make a return to the WWE years later, but that went nowhere near as good as her first run.

Hade Vansen Was Set To Feud With The Undertaker

Never Made It In The Ring

• Had a short run in OVW before getting called up.
• Was going to have a gimmick similar to Christopher Daniels' "Fallen Angel" in TNA.
• Had a vignette before getting released.

What could have been with Hade Vansen as he showed promise while working on the indie scene and training in OVW? A knee injury took Vansen away from training for a year, but the hype that WWE management had on him was still strong as he was called up to SmackDown in early 2009.

One promo aired on SmackDown teasing his arrival and a bit of his character before it was confirmed that he was released from his contract. The supposed idea was for him to debut and feud with The Undertaker while having a gimmick that was reminiscent of Christopher Daniels in TNA around the time.