#9 The Renegade
Renegade is a classic example of why you don't try to fool wrestling fandom.
Back in the Pre-NWO WCW days, Hulk Hogan was feuding with the heel stable Dungeon of Doom. Yes, you read that correctly; it was actually called the Dungeon of Doom!
Hogan teased that he would have an 'ultimate surprise' for his opponents at a PPV match, and fans were treated to a silhouette of a muscular man with long hair and tassels on his arms.
Fans, of course, reacted with great enthusiasm, because it seemed a sure bet that the shadow they were seeing belonged to the Ultimate Warrior. Imagine their disappointment when instead of Warrior out came the Renegade, a cheap knockoff.
The man who played Renegade, Richard Wilson, was actually an incredible athlete who could perform a springboard elbow and moonsault despite being huge. However, fans felt forever cheated by Renegade, and despite a heavy push that included a clean pin of Television champion Arn Anderson, he failed to catch on.
Tragically, he would take his own life after being fired from WCW. One never knows what might have happened had WCW not tried to fool the fans into thinking he was someone else.
Why he was never a bigger star: Renegade's entire 'bait and switch' gimmick infuriated fans, who refused to get behind him even after he stopped dressing like Ultimate Warrior. It's a classic example of how a promotion can mishandle a good talent and lead them to ruin.