Fifteen WWE Superstars Who Didn’t Click

Over the past fifty or more years, there have been a lot of superstars who have come and gone through WWWF/WWF/WWE. Indeed there have been many wrestlers who have showed up and been big time. Yet there are going to be a lot of WWE Superstars over the years who don’t really catch on with the fans. They show up for a little bit but they quickly flame out. Let’s take a look at fifteen WWE Superstars over the years who have had a cup of coffee with the company and given the amount of success, they should have been paid with a cup of coffee. Some stuck around for a few matches but others upwards to a year or so. Yet it was a dismal failure in many ways.

Braden Walker

 

Starting with perhaps the most obvious pick, as Chris Harris as part of America’s Most Wanted was part of one of the greatest tag teams in wrestling history. As Braden Walker, he was kind of a joke and obviously spent more time at the buffet room than the weight room. You could call him the Marty Jannetty of AMW but that would really be an insult to Marty Jannetty.

 

Phantasmo

 

The amazing magician of wonder, who pulled off two magic tricks, first being lifting enhancement talent Tony Devito’s underwear through his gear in a magic wedgie. The other naturally disappearing shortly after that match, never to be seen again.

 

Kizarny

 

A man who spoke in carny and made his debut on Smackdown in 2009, beating MVP when he was on his losing streak gimmick. Naturally fans and WWE officials judged this gimmick to be stuzipid and he got future endeazivored.

 

Who

 

Playing off the famous Abbott and Costello Routine, “Who’s on First” Who graced WWF fans in 1996, not really doing all that much. According to Vince Russo, his wearing of red and yellow was a riff on Hulk Hogan. He had matches with Marc Mero and the Undertaker. Who was Jim Neidhart under a mask.

 

Mordecai

 

Moredcai was a strange gimmick, played by long term developmental prospect Kevin Fertig. He was brought in as the white light to purge Smackdown from the darkness and was scheduled to feud with the Undertaker but that never happened. He had a few matches and was sent back to OVW, released, and later brought back on ECW, as Kevin Thorn

 

Ricky Ortiz

 

The man who would rally up and have his rally towels showed up on ECW in 2008. He was Atlas Ortiz for one week but his name was changed, due to the debut of Tony Atlas. Had a bit of an undefeated streak but lost his first match to Jack Swagger. Drafted to Smackdown to do nothing of note and then was squashed out of the company by the Great Khali. Now has surfaced in the Urban Wrestling Federation.

 

Kenzo Suzuki

 

Suzuki actually is one of the loosest fits on this list, but the original idea for him was to be brought in as the reincarnation of Emperor Hirohito and feud with World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit. I’ll let that sink in for a minute. Vignettes were aired for a couple of weeks but that was stopped. This is during the same era where they wanted to bring in Heidenreich as a frozen Nazi. Showed up on Smackdown, teamed with Rene Dupree to win the tag belts and feuded with John Cena. Then disappeared to Velocity and I believe was drafted to RAW towards the end, but was Trevor Murdoched, getting wished the best in his future endeavors.

 

Lance Cassidy

 

This singing cowboy was played by Steve Armstrong, brother of current referee Scott Armstrong and of course Brian “BG James/Road Dogg” Armstrong. He had a handful of matches. There was a match rumored for the 1993 Royal Rumble where he would face Max Moon or Terry Taylor but it never took place. He never appeared on Pay Per View.

 

Brakkus

 

A big juiced up competitor was a hot prospect for WWF in the mid 1990s. He was sent to ECW for a feud with Taz. When he showed up on television finally, he lost to Savio Vega in the Brawl for All and that was it for him.

 

Jesus

 

No not that one, rather the man who was Carlito’s bodyguard and stabbed John Cena in a night club. Lost to Cena at Armageddon 2004 and was injured and then later released. Aaron Aguilera, the man behind Jesus, now competes under the name Zodiac in All Japan as part of the Voodoo Murders.

 

Big Bully Busick

 

Before there was Bully Ray, there was Big Bully Busick, a man who terrorized little children and popped balloons at ringside, because he was in fact a bully. Then Sid stood up for the little children and stomped the bully and that was the end of him. He was the master of the stump puller but never really got on Pay Per View, even though he was scheduled for the WWF Survivor Series 1991, but replaced at the last minute. Managed by the only male wrestler man enough to become WWE Women’s Champion, Harvey Wippleman.

 

Outback Jack

 

Australia was big in the United States in the 1980s, and the World Wrestling Federation tried to cash in on the fab with Outback Jack. The fad had died down by the time the man actually made to debut. Maybe won less than a handful of matches but was mostly an enhancement talent before he disappeared into the night.

 

Ryan Braddock

 

Brought onto Smackdown in 2008 and wrestled some matches. He was just a guy who showed up and wrestled. He was long time Developmental Prospect Brad Bradley, who was also a fixture of the Midwest independent scene for years. Actually not too bad but he just showed up and did things.

 

DJ Gabriel

 

Obviously not to be confused with current Smackdown superstar, Justin Gabriel, he competed on ECW and really didn’t do much of note, other than team with Alicia Fox in a feud with the Burchills of Paul and Katie Lea(now Winter in TNA). And he danced a lot. After an injury, he was finally future endeavored at the beginning of 2010 after the fans long since forgotten him.

 

Hade Vansen

 

In December of 2008, a mysterious vignette on Smackdown aired, interrupting the show, of a man known as Hade Vansen who said that he had walked through the darkness his entire life. This was to set up a feud with the Undertaker, for a match between Hade Vansen and the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 25. After the first vignette, the character was pulled when Vince McMahon said that it didn’t make any sense for a guy fresh out of developmental to have a Wrestlemania feud with the Undertaker. And we got that awesome Undertaker against Shawn Michaels match, so I say that this was a good decision on the part of Mr. McMahon. Vansen would only get one vignette and then he would be done. If this is not the most prime example of a WWE stint that flamed out quickly, I don’t know what is.