The long and storied history of WWE has seen a string of in-ring legends having careers that spanned across several decades. Superstars like The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, John Cena, and Triple H have been a part of several eras, and have carved a niche for themselves throughout their illustrious careers.
On the other hand, there have been a bunch of Superstars who didn't make as much of an impact as the ones mentioned above. For every main event Superstar, the company always had a bunch of mid-card and lower-card acts who would help the headliners get over with the fans. Many of these Superstars never managed to break the ceiling, and disappeared from WWE TV with no explanation given from the company as to their whereabouts. Some were released without the company giving a kayfabe reasoning for the same. Let's take a look at 5 such Superstars.
#5 Mason Ryan
After a two-year stint in Florida Championship Wrestling, Mason Ryan made his way to WWE's main roster. He made his Monday Night RAW debut on the January 17, 2011 edition of the show, interfering in a match pitting John Cena and CM Punk. Following the interference, Punk recruited him in the Nexus by handing him a Nexus armband. Ryan participated in the 40-Man Royal Rumble match soon after, aided CM Punk in eliminating a bunch of Superstars, before being thrown out by John Cena.
Following the Over The Limit PPV, Ryan suffered an injury and was out for several weeks. He didn't do much for the remainder of his main roster run, although he was a part of Team Orton that took on Team Barrett at Survivor Series 2011. Ryan was quietly moved to WWE NXT and was never heard of again, on the main roster.
#4 Kerwin White
Chavo Guerrero was a mainstay in WWE's Cruiserweight division for years on end and won the WWE Cruiserweight title on four occasions. In early 2004, Chavo feuded with his uncle Eddie Guerrero, with the latter defeating Chavo at the 2004 Royal Rumble PPV. A year later, Chavo took on the gimmick of Kerwin White, a conservative, middle-class, Anglo-American character. He donned the persona soon after receiving a beating at the hands of The Mexicools. The next few weeks saw Guerrero driving to the ring in a golf cart, plus dying his hair blonde.
On November 13, 2005, Eddie Guerrero passed away after suffering a heart attack. The same afternoon, Chavo addressed the press along with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and confirmed Eddie's death. On the following episode of SmackDown, Chavo returned to his old self and defeated JBL, using Eddie's finishing move Frog Splash as a tribute to him. The Kerwin White character was silently dropped and the character was never mentioned again. He wrestled in WWE as Chavo for the next 6 years, before being released.
#3 Rikishi
Rikishi made his way to WWE in the early 90s along with Samu, and the duo was named The Headshrinkers. Years later, Rikishi aligned with Scotty 2 Hotty and Grand Master Sexay. The trio's antics included dancing in the ring after their matches. Too Cool quickly turned into a popular comedy act. Years later, Rikishi reunited with Scotty 2 Hotty and the duo won the SmackDown Tag Team titles on the road to WrestleMania 20, by defeating The Basham Brothers.
They successfully defended the belts in a Fatal Four-Way Tag Team match at WrestleMania, defeating The APA, The Basham Brothers, and The World's Greatest Tag Team (Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin). Mere days later, Rikishi and Scotty lost the Tag Team titles to Charlie Haas and Rico, following Benjamin's move to RAW in the WWE Draft. In July, WWE quietly released Rikishi, and Scotty was left on his own. Scotty went on to wrestle on WWE's Velocity and Heat brands and was released in 2007.
#2 Kenzo Suzuki
Months before WrestleMania 20 aired, Kenzo Suzuki signed a contract with WWE and moved to Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE's developmental territory, in February. The original plans for Suzuki were for him to debut on WWE RAW, and don the gimmick of an anti-American Japanese patriot, but the gimmick never saw the light of day. Suzuki and his wife Hiroko soon made their debut on SmackDown. Suzuki's SmackDown debut saw him defeat Scotty 2 Hotty, after which he kicked off a feud with WWE veteran Billy Gunn. The rivalry culminated in a match at The Great American Bash 2004, with Suzuki picking up the win.
Months later, Suzuki won the Tag Team titles with Rene Dupree by defeating Billy Kidman and Paul London. They held the belts for around two months, before losing them to Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio. Suzuki also feuded with John Cena for the United States title but failed to win the belt. In March 2005, he suffered a collapsed lung and was immediately moved back to OVW after he recovered. Suzuki was drafted to RAW during the Draft Lottery but was released in July, without ever making his debut on the Red brand.
#1 Mordecai
Soon after WrestleMania 20 in 2004, WWE began airing vignettes, teasing the arrival of Mordecai. The sinister entity was a religious zealot character, and he claimed in his promos that he would rid the world of sin. Mordecai made his WWE debut at the Judgment Day PPV, swiftly defeating Scotty 2 Hotty. He went on to condemn the WWE Universe for committing sins and led the audience in prayer on several occasions.
Mordecai started a rivalry with Hardcore Holly soon after and defeated him at The Great American Bash PPV. He lost to Rey Mysterio on the following episode of SmackDown and was never heard of again. In reality, Kevin Fertig had engaged in a bar fight, and Vince McMahon wasn't happy at what had happened. Mordecai was never mentioned again on TV. He was slated to kick off a feud with The Undertaker on the road to WrestleMania 21, culminating in a match at The Show of Shows, but the bar fight ended his career before it took off.