WWE is generally considered as the pinnacle of Sports Entertainment. The superstars become renowned all over the world and are considered to be superior to wrestlers from other promotions.
While the notion might not be accurate from a talent perspective, the company as such is the best in the world as far as exposure is concerned. So what about those guys who were huge in other promotions, but remained mediocre in the WWE?
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Dean Malenko was universally acknowledged as one of the greatest technical wrestlers of his generation and was a big star in WCW,albeit in the cruiserweight division. But his WWE career never really took off and his talents were not properly utilised by the company.
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This list takes a look at five other wrestling legends who couldn’t make it big in the WWE for one reason or the other.
#5 Ultimo Dragon
A legend in Japan who also made his name in Mexico, Ultimo Dragon was one of the best light heavyweights of all time, considered at par with Rey Mysterio. A legend who once held ten concurrent championships from various promotions, the Dragon made his name wrestling in the Mexican promotions CMLL,AAA and the Japanese promotion NJPW and WAR.
His popularity reached the United States and he was signed on to WCW where he won the WCW Cruiserweight title as well as the Television Championship.
He signed a deal with the WWE in 2003 and was widely cheered on by the fans who recognised his legacy. However, his tenure lasted only one year and he made one of the most infamous Wrestlemania botches at Wrestlemania XX where he tripped and fell during his entrance.
The Dragon never captured gold in the WWE, but remains a legend nevertheless.
#4 DDP
Diamond Dallas Page was the only main event WCW Superstar other than Booker.T who decided to sign with the WWE immediately after the promotion closed down. The man who should have been one of the main players in the Invasion angle was. however, reduced to the status of stalking the Undertaker’s wife and later, losing to a then singles wrestling novice Christian.
A rarity in the world of pro-wrestling, Page started out as a manager and turned wrestler at the age of 35 – very late for his profession. But he became immensely popular and won three WCW World titles in addition to becoming the WCW triple crown champion.
But Page’s career never took off in the WWE and after his angle with the Undertaker ended, he had the ignominy of being stuck as a bit player in the Last chance battle royal at Survivor Series where the WWE vs WCW ended.
#3 Raven
Another legend who did not get his due in the WWE was Raven. Even though recognised by the company as the most decorated wrestler in its history, 27 out of Raven’s 32 championship runs were with the WWE Hardcore title which was defended 24*7 in the company and many of those reigns lasted just a few minutes.
WWE fans would remember Raven for being just another ‘hardcore’ wrestler, but he was much more than that in ECW. In the Philadelphia promotion, Raven’s character was that of a depressed, nihilistic sociopath who would quote philosophical verses and end with the now legendary ‘Quote the Raven, ‘ never more’’ phrase.
He was one of the first men to utilise psychology into his angles and his Raven’s nest group became immensely popular, but sadly he was never given much of a chance to develop his character in the WWE.
#2 Terry Funk
The original hardcore legend and the most beloved US wrestler in Japan, Terry Funk raised the bar for hardcore wrestling with his death matches in the land of the rising sun. Mick Foley has stated numerously as to how he was influenced by the style of Funk.
Funk was also an NWA legend and it was with his appearances that the fledgeling ECW initially made its name. However, the legend was misused in the WWE,with his initial run coming in 1985 and his second one in 1997.
Funk was renamed ‘Chainsaw Charlie’ on his return to the company and he did capture the tag team titles at Wrestlemania with Mick Foley, but it could have been so much more.
Funk had a storied career that has lasted more than 50 years and he still wrestles occasionally.
#1 Vader
Now, Vader did become a huge star in the WWE and had feuds with the likes of Yokozuna, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, but he still finds a place in this list because of the terrible manner in which he was booked during his final months with the company.
Vader had become a legend in NJPW and WCW with memorable clashes with the likes of Antonio Inoki, Stan Hansen, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. The man was known for his toughness and one infamous match had him suffer a broken nose and a detached eye – A detached eye!!!!! – at the hands of Stan Hansen. But Vader simply pushed his eye back into the socket and continued the match.
The same guy was made to lose to the likes of a still green Edge and then lower mid carder Bradshaw during his final WWE days and even tapped out to Ken Shamrock.
