5 careers that didn't live up to the potential

Professional wrestling isn’t all about the glitz and glamour. While WWE Superstars are often seen as real-life superheroes, being a WWE Superstar is especially tough on the performers.

Traveling 200 odd days a year, and working even on holidays isn’t something everyone signs up for, but that is the price wrestlers have to pay to make a name for themselves in the largest sports entertainment organization on the planet.

Even when wrestlers make it to WWE, there is no guarantee that they would succeed in the company. While professional wrestling is a cutthroat business, only the strong survive in WWE. The creative team doesn’t always come up with good storylines, and the Superstars have to make several sacrifices to push and prod their way to stay relevant in the company.

However, not everyone has been successful in growing their reputation in WWE. In this video, we take a look at 10 Superstars whose careers were ruined by WWE, either because of horrendous booking, or because they ran into issues with the management.

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#5 Hideo Itami

Itami has struggled in the WWE due to injuries

Before Itami signed with WWE, he was one of the biggest names on the free market. There seems to be a pattern developing with the major independent stars that sign with WWE. While WWE is usually known for banning dangerous moves and keeping things relatively simple, performers who have excelled on the independent scene often find themselves in the examination room in the company.

Itami was no different. WWE believed that he would finally be the Superstar that would unlock the Asian market for the promotion.

Itami’s stint on NXT saw him climb the proverbial ladder, only to be brought down by injuries and booking decisions that didn’t exactly help his cause.

Hideo had the world at his feet while competing on the independents, but now finds himself relegated to 205 Live. Though Itami competed on RAW on a few occasions, it doesn’t bode well for the Japanese Superstar to be competing on a brand that remains an afterthought in the organization.

#4 Diamond Dallas Page

DDP was a success in WCW

From winning the World Heavyweight Championship in WCW to stalking a Superstar’s wife in the WWE, it was a quick fall from grace for Diamond Dallas Page. Towards the end of the millennium, DDP found himself main-eventing WCW pay-per-views, and battling for the top title in the promotion.

So when WWE decided to bring DDP to the company after WCW folded, many believed that he would compete for the WWE title.

However, those sentiments were quickly rebuffed, as DDP was revealed as a stalker, who was stalking then Undertaker’s wife, Sara. While the storyline had the potential to put DDP over as a credible threat, The Undertaker completely destroyed Page, and the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion was even pinned by Sara on WWE TV!

Page left the company in 2002, just a year after signing with the company, and although he did compete in TNA Impact Wrestling for a brief period, it was obvious that his wrestling career had run its course, and he promptly decided to retire from the wrestling business.

#3 Zack Ryder

Former United States Champion - Zack Ryder

Zack Ryder wasn’t supposed to be famous; he was just another lower mid-carder than was languishing at the bottom of the totem pole in the WWE. Ryder, at least in WWE’s eyes, was yet another generic lower mid-card talent that had nothing to offer, and did not stand out from the pack.

This was when Ryder decided to take matters into his own hands and used social media to show the fans what he was capable of.

Ryder’s rise to fame resulted in the fans chanting his name in the arenas, while the creative team believed that he was nothing more than a curtain jerker.

WWE finally decided to put the United States title on Ryder, but the WWE took the hottest commodity in wrestling, and completely killed his momentum. Not only that, but they also took over his YouTube show, and managed to ruin the single best thing on social media for the WWE fans!

Furthermore, WWE used Ryder’s popularity to further storylines involving Cena, and for his troubles, Ryder was pushed off staircases and the entrance ramps.

#2 Wade Barrett

Wade Barrett had great success with the WWE early on in his career

When Barrett led a group of unknown Superstars against the marquee names in the promotion, many viewed it as a stroke of genius. WWE rarely took chances, but their decision to book Nexus as an unstoppable faction paid dividends, at least in the beginning.

And then, John Cena happened. For a good decade, everything that Cena touched in WWE turned to ashes. Cena also gained notoriety during this time as someone that buried talent, and when Barrett defeated Cena, forcing him to join Nexus, the fans believed that the WWE would book Barrett as a legitimate main eventer.

And boy, were they wrong! John not only got his revenge, but he proceeded to single-handedly dismantle the hottest faction since the New World Order! Barrett then underwent a gimmick change, but never really recovered from his devastating loss.

As Bad News Barrett, WWE once again had the chance to hit the reboot button with Wade, but that never happened either.

This resulted in Barrett leaving the WWE, and he has largely stayed away from in-ring competition since.

#1 Muhammad Hassan

Imagine Muhammad Hassan's character in the WWE now

Back in 2004, WWE had struck gold. Not since the days of Sgt. Slaughter and The Iron Sheik had there been a Superstar that rubbed the WWE fans the wrong way, with his anti-American sentiments.

Muhammad Hassan was everything WWE needed; his character was relevant, and at a volatile time when the patriotic fervor was at an all-time high in the United States, Hassan’s rants against the country made him one of the most hated villains in the modern era.

Hassan wasn’t a seasoned performer, but the way he carried himself made him a bona fide Superstar. He had all the qualities to become a world champion in the WWE, and if reports are to be believed, he was in line for a major push in the organization.

However, the London bombings in 2005 forced WWE’s hand, and the promotion decided to kill the Hassan character. Hassan, who was at the top of his game, was sent back to WWE’s developmental territory, before being released from the promotion.

He subsequently retired from professional wrestling, and a potential main event talent succumbed to the political pressures, thus prematurely ending a promising career.