Wrestlers That Were Future Stars Who Ruined It For Themselves

The wrestling world is not an easy one to crack into at the top level, as there are very few spots at the top of the industry. However, sometimes people come along and appear to be guaranteed stars for the future as they possess all of the natural attributes to make it in the industry.

Many of those then go on to achieve exactly that, but unfortunately, others end up completely ruining their potential for themselves. Whether it’s things they do inside the ring or a bad choice in their private lives, certain wrestlers who could have been big stars ended up watching the dream implode in front of their faces.

UPDATE: 2024/04/17 20:00 EST BY BENJAMIN VIEIRA

While professional wrestling has created many top stars, there are far more than never reached the top of the mountain. Some wrestlers’ careers get derailed due to circumstances outside their control, such as not following kayfabe or backstage politics. But, some have been able to rebuild and achieve success. However, others committed gross and disgusting acts that made no one ever want to see them again. And rightfully so. There is no room in professional wrestling for bigotry or abuse and wrestlers must be held accountable for their actions.

Enzo Amore Has Burned Many Bridges

He Was Released From WWE In 2018

• Enzo Amore was signed to WWE from 2012-2018.
• He is a former WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
• He currently wrestles on the independent scene.

There weren’t too many in WWE at the time of Enzo Amore being in the company who quite had the natural charisma on his level. He was infectious, could get anything over, and worked the crowd like a dream.

However, amidst allegations late on in his WWE career, Amore kept his private life a secret from WWE, and whilst he would come on fairly positively in the aftermath, it led to his time in the company coming to an end. He would further burn bridges when he invaded Survivor Series, and hasn’t really made any big strides in the business ever since. He could have been a top name given how popular he was (and how hateable he could be as a heel) but unprofessionalism got in the way.

Big Bill Has Had A Resurgence In AEW

He Struggled With Personal Issues Off-Screen

• Big Bill was Enzo Amore’s tag team partner in WWE.
• He had issues with alcohol and had attitude issues backstage.
• He is a former AEW World Tag Team Champion with Ricky Starks.

Enzo Amore’s former tag team partner Big Bill (Big Cass in WWE) was someone who was also his own worst enemy. WWE clearly liked him, and it is little surprise given his huge frame and height, but life on the road led to alcohol issues, and it led to a bad attitude backstage.

Big Bill’s conduct, such as going off script in a segment on SmackDown, led to him getting released and spending years in purgatory. He has since seen a resurgence in AEW where he looks ten times better, but he could have been a major player in WWE if he had sorted things out.

Marty Jannetty Never Achieved Success Like Shawn Michaels

He Was A Controversial Backstage Figure

• Jannetty teamed with Michaels as a member of The Rockers.
• The team broke up in 1992.
• He is a former WWE Intercontinental Champion.

Although Shawn Michaels was clearly the one with more talent out of The Rockers, on talent alone Marty Jannetty should’ve still become a singles star in WWE, with him showing many glimpses over the years of just how good he could be.

Unfortunately for him, behind the scenes he has always been a controversial figure. Lawsuits, personal issues, releases, fights, breakdowns, and so much more have dominated his story. He could have been a surefire success but he unfortunately ruined it. He was given numerous chances with multiple stints in WWE but he always found a way to sabotage himself.

Teddy Hart Ruined His Own Career

He Has Numerous Accusations Made Against Him

• He is the grandson of Stu Hart.
• He formerly competed in MLW.
• Hart has been involved in countless legal issues.

The Hart family is one of the greatest in wrestling history, and simply coming from that lineage gets wrestling fans excited about the prospects of a talent. That was certainly the case with Teddy Hart, which was helped by the fact that he is a gifted worker.

However, his erratic behavior has cost him a successful career in wrestling. Whether it was not showing up to events, bringing lots of people with him, or some of the various allegations that have been tabled against him over the years, Hart has blown his own career.

Nothing Worked Out For Lars Sullivan In WWE

He Had Wrestled Mostly In NXT

• Sullivan wrestled for WWE from 2012-2021.
• He posted a number of bigoted comments online.
• He has stated that he is likely done with professional wrestling.

Lars Sullivan might not have been a technical mastermind inside the ring, but there’s no doubt he had a future as a monster powerhouse in WWE. Vince McMahon was a fan of him, which is why he was pushed so heavily from the moment he arrived on the main roster.

However, offensive comments that he made in the past online resulted in him being heavily fined, and after that Sullivan didn’t return. Dealing with anxiety as well it quickly became clear that working for WWE wasn’t something that would work out for him.

Lio Rush Has A Ton Of Potential

His Attitude Has Been An Issue For Many

• Rush has wrestled for WWE, TNA, and AEW.
• He is a former WWE Crusierweight Champion.
• He is a former TNA X-Division Champion.

Lio Rush is someone who is still young enough to eventually live up to his potential consistently, because there is no doubt that he is an incredibly gifted performer. Unfortunately, his runs with the two major promotions on American television simply haven’t worked out.

In WWE he was accused of having attitude problems and there were issues behind the scenes that have since been cleared up. While after his AEW spell, he also went after Tony Khan online about his handling of Big Swole.

Serena Deeb Was Released For Not Keeping Kayfabe

She Was A Member Of The Straight Edge Society In WWE

• Deeb has wrestled in countless promotions over the course of her career.
• She was in WWE from 2009-2010.
• She is a former NWA Women’s Champion.

Serena Deeb has had a great career, and most fans have been able to see exactly what she is capable of due to being part of the AEW roster. However, Deeb should have gone on to much greater heights, and her time working in the Straight Edge Society was the moment to do it.

WWE brought her into the group and that was a positive sign as it led to good exposure. Unfortunately, she was caught drinking alcohol in real life while playing a gimmick that was straight edge, which ended her run.

Mr. Kennedy Was Let Go Due To Backstage Politics

He Had A Ton Of Potential In WWE

• Mr. Kennedy wrestled for WWE from 2005-2009.
• He was a former WWE United States Champion and Money in the Bank winner.
• He was repackaged as Mr. Anderson in TNA.

Mr. Kennedy had already won the Money in the Bank briefcase, and while he didn’t get to cash it in the signs were there that WWE wanted him to be a big deal. Unfortunately, he dropped Randy Orton on an episode of Raw, with the Viper landing high up on his neck/head, and that brought an end to his run.

While Kennedy was an unfortunate victim of backstage politics at the time, but it was a position he put himself in with that move, as safety inside the ring is ultimately paramount.

Mark Jindrak Was Slatted To Be A Major WWE Star

He Was Supposed To Be In Evolution

• He was with WWE from 2001-2005.
• He has wrestled in CMLL and AAA.
• He wrestled his last match in 2018.

Batista had a Hall Of Fame career in the wrestling business, and a large reason for that was the launching pad that the Evolution faction provided him. However, while he was always the originally planned muscle of the group, when he got injured, the company did shift gears to Mark Jindrak.

He even filmed pre-tapes for being in the faction, which would have been a game-changer for him, especially due to how talented he was inside the ring. However, his backstage behavior was something that led to Triple H shutting down the idea.

Bart Gunn Was Dealt A Bad Hand

He Was Not Supposed To Win The Brawl For All

• Gunn wrestled for WWE from 1993-1999.
• He held the World Tag Team Titles three times with Billy Gunn.
• He wrestled for NJPW and TNA.

Bart Gunn was put in a very unfortunate situation with the dreadful Brawl For All tournament, and while him winning the shoot tournament is something that should have been rewarded, in the end, he cost himself his career in the business as a top star.

WWE didn’t plan for him to win, but because the tournament was legitimate Gunn provided an upset. As a reward, he was fed to Butterbean in a real boxing match and made to look ridiculous as he was knocked out, destroying his career in the process.

Marty Scurll’s Past Was Addressed During The Speaking Out Movement

He Was A Former Booker For ROH

• Scurll wrestled for NJPW, ROH, and NWA.
• He was aligned with The Elite.
• He continues to wrestle on the independent scene.

When AEW was created, most fans thought it would be a matter of time before Marty Scurll brought his unique character to the roster, and there were even reports that WWE had an interest in him. He had been a top star in NJPW and ROH, and the future seemed bright for Scrull.

However, his name was brought up in the Speaking Out movement, and the wrestling world rightfully decided to stop booking him for major opportunities. While he does still compete on the independent scene, he will never reach the heights he could have, which is the right call.

The Velveteen Dream Has Been Involved In Numerous Scandals And Issues

He Was Released From WWE In 2021

• He was signed to WWE from 2015-2021.
• He was a part of the NXT brand.
• He has been arrested on more than one occasion.

The Velveteen Dream is someone who was pushed massively during his time in NXT, and most fans thought it was only a matter of time before he would be part of the main roster and enjoying success. He had a great combination of in-ring talent and charisma, but issues in his personal life brought an end to his run in the business.

The Velveteen Dream was named in the Speaking Out movement that took place across the wrestling business, as he was accused of sending indecent images to a minor. Since leaving wrestling, he has also been involved in other issues, having been arrested multiple times.

Tessa Blanchard Ruined Her Own Career

She’s A Former TNA World Champion

• She is the daughter of Tully Blanchard.
• She wrestled for TNA.
• She had feuded with and defeated Sami Callihan to become TNA World Champion.

When Tessa Blanchard began picking up attention in the wrestling world it was clear that she was a fantastic in-ring performer who brought intensity and quality. She won fans over and became one of the top stars for TNA, with rumors that both WWE and AEW were desperate to sign her.

Fans began speculating about how her career could play out and the dream matches that awaited. However, it was then revealed she had made racist comments to another wrestler, and her time in the spotlight rightfully came to an end as every top promotion refused to work with her.