5 WWE Superstars whose careers failed to take off despite being crowned King of the Ring 

#1 Wade Barrett - 2015

Wade Barrett

When Wade Barrett made his main roster WWE debut in 2010, he had future main event player written all over him. He shined with the Nexus, and looked great in his main event WWE Championship matches that same year.

Things went downhill after the Nexus ended in 2011. It wasn't all bad as Barrett did become a 5 time WWE Intercontinental Champion, but he never came close to how he was used in the Nexus ever again. The King of the Ring tournament would return for the first time in 5 years in 2015, and Wade Barrett would enter and win the crown, defeating Neville in the finals.

This would be one of the foolish times where WWE decided to add the king moniker to the winner's gimmick, and Barrett would wear the crown and cape to the ring every week. What followed, was a losing streak. Barrett would go onto lose not just every high profile match he had following his coronation, but almost every match he had. Barrett would finally depart WWE just after WrestleMania 32 in 2016, 11 months after becoming King of The Ring.