5 WWE wrestlers who became main eventers despite the odds

WWE is the biggest game in town when it comes to professional wrestling and it has been for a while now. Just because a wrestler makes it to the promised land doesn't mean they can then rest on their laurels once they're there, however.

As most who have competed in WWE will tell you, getting there is only half the battle. Once you're under the command of Vince McMahon you have to work even harder than you ever have before in order to progress up the card and maintain your spot.

That being said some Superstars are natural headliners. You just need to take one look at them and you know that one day they'll be main eventing pay-per-views. That's not the case for everyone though and here are just five examples of Superstars who defied the odds in order to make it to the very top.

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#5 Mick Foley

Mick Foley

Mick Foley does not look like a professional wrestler. If the fans think that, then chances are Vince McMahon is definitely thinking it. That has not stopped Mick from having one of the greatest WWE careers of all time though.

He may not have had the chiselled look that went hand in hand with being a pro wrestler at the time that he rose through the ranks, but what he had more of than any of his peers was heart. Mick truly gave the fans everything during his in-ring career, physically, mentally, and emotionally, and it ultimately paid off.

Mick would sleep in his car for the majority of his time training to become a professional wrestler. He epitomises someone who was never supposed to make it in the industry yet ploughed ahead and achieved the unthinkable anyway. 30 years later he's a former WWE Champion and deserved Hall of Famer.

#4 Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal

Whether you love him or hate him, it's rapidly approaching the point where you have to respect him. Earlier this year, Jinder Mahal won the WWE Championship and on top of that, he has now held the title for longer than Roman Reigns and Ric Flair ever have.

Before his latest run, Jinder was effectively a nobody in WWE. Previously, he was remembered for being 1/3rd of the comedy trio 3MB along with Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre. That's not what he'll be remembered for any longer.

Jinder has risen to the very top of the company in quick fashion. One week he was losing short matches on SmackDown Live, the next he was the number one contender to the WWE Championship. Mahal should act as an example to all Superstars in WWE right now that no matter where you are on the card you never know where you might end up a month or so from now.

#3 CM Punk

CM Punk with the ECW Championship

This will likely not come as a surprise to most of you reading this, but CM Punk was never supposed to make it in WWE. The Straight Edge Superstar hit a glass ceiling in the company's reboot of ECW and that's all Vince McMahon ever really wanted from him.

For Punk and his good friend Paul Heyman, however, that wasn't good enough. Paul pushed and pushed for Punk to be treated as something more in WWE. Eventually, Heyman's nagging and Punk's hard work earned him exactly that.

Punk has been very open about what Triple H and Vince think of him, and in turn what he thinks of them. Since he never headlined WrestleMania, Punk thinks he didn't really make it in WWE, but he did. No one holds the WWE Championship for 434 straight days without being able to be considered a pretty big deal.

#2 John Cena

John Cena

One man you probably weren't expecting to see on this particular list. It's true though, there was a time when John Cena didn't have the full force of WWE behind him and even he had to prove himself.

Cena started his life in WWE alongside some formidable talents. Signed to OVW in 2000, it was there that he would train alongside Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Batista. Believe it or not, out of those four it was Cena that was considered to have the least potential.

Big Match John toughed it out though and has arguably gone on to become even bigger than those Superstars he started WWE life with. 17 years after his OVW days he is still very much on top of the company and has 16 World Championships to his name.

#1 Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan

There really was only ever going to be one man that topped this list. Just a few years ago, Daniel Bryan captured the imaginations of everybody in the WWE Universe. From there he took them on a journey that he, they, or WWE will never forget.

There has been a lot of talk about Superstars not fitting WWE's mould throughout this list. Well, no one screams that more than Bryan. Short and undersized, there was no way that Vince McMahon ever had big plans for Daniel when he first signed.

Bryan and his fans weren't having it though. The former indy star went toe to toe with the McMahons as fans demanded to see Bryan deservedly reach the very pinnacle of the company. Eventually, they gave in and at WrestleMania XXX, Bryan had his long-awaited crowning moment, winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.