5 WWE rookies who didn't last long in the company

#3 Colt Cabana didn't last long in WWE

After spending years carving out a name for himself on the independent scene, Colt Cabana finally made his way to the WWE main roster in August 2008.

During his time on the independents, Cabana displayed his talent both in the ring and on the microphone. The Chicago-native enjoyed success in many different promotions, including Ring of Honor, where he held the Tag Team Championships on two occasions.

There was little doubt that Cabana had the talent to contribute in WWE. He simply needed an opportunity. After debuting under the name Scotty Goldman on an episode of SmackDown, though, it quickly became apparent that Cabana's new character was not going to be a priority for WWE.

WWE removed ALL Scotty Goldman content off the network!!!!Update: whoops, it was never on there.

— Colt Cabana (@ColtCabana) November 28, 2014

Goldman lost to The Brian Kendrick in his first appearance on the blue brand, and was rarely featured afterwards. Whenever Goldman did make a WWE television appearance, however, it was in a losing effort.

By February 2009, barely six months after his SmackDown debut, Scotty Goldman was no more. WWE announced that it had come to terms on his release from the company, something which likely came as a relief in some ways to Cabana.

Speaking on Reddit in 2013, Cabana suggested that key members of WWE creative had never been high on him from the very beginning.

"Lol… Scotty Goldman was NOT Gold …….man. I was signed because 10 WWE wrestlers recommended me who had known me for years. NOT because I was scouted or known about. The higher ups didn’t really know me OR get me. I don’t think WWE higher ups ever understood the reason why people like me."

Welcome to Team #AEW @ColtCabana is #AllElite pic.twitter.com/a4UuJNzQiu

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 2, 2020

Cabana received another crack at international television exposure, though, when he signed with AEW last year. Cabana is currently a member of The Dark Order faction, and appears far more regularly than Scotty Goldman ever did on SmackDown.