Mount Rushmore: Biggest Examples Of Wasted Potential In WWE
WWE is one of my favorite spectacles. However, throughout the company's history, there have been numerous instances where a wrestler's potential was utterly squandered. In my view, wasted potential doesn't refer to poor booking decisions or mishaps by the company. Rather, it's about the wasted opportunities that the professional wrestlers brought upon themselves.
So, after some thought, who would be on my Mount Rushmore of WWE's Biggest Examples of Wasted Potential? I've made my four selections, and I'll share them with you below.
Velveteen Dream
The Velveteen Dream was once one of WWE's top prospects in the NXT system. He had everything that you want in a young pro wrestler. He got the in-ring work, Carisma, was good cutting a promo, and even got the amazing gimmick that was an inspiration to musician Prince.
He was one of the top acts in NXT with amazing week after week amazing matches and stories. The one that stands out was his feud with Aleister Black. It was freaking amzing and Dream came off amazing in the feud. Dream wanted Black to respect him and say his name. All resulting in a match at NXT Takeover: War Games which is one of my favorite matches NXT ever did. Black would win the match, but Dream would also win as Black would acknowledge him saying "Enjoy Infamy.... Velveteen Dream". Which made Dream made man and got over in WWE.
Along with a reign as the WWE NXT North American Champion, it was looking like the Velveteen Dream was going to be a tremendous star and potential face of the company. Then the Velveteen Dream became the Velveteen Nightmare.
Multiple allegations came out where Dream was accused of sending inappropriate photos of himself and message to underage boys and girls, including a video clip where he asked one of them what school that they went too. Dream would later admit that the photo was his, but it was sent without his consent.
Now WWE did investigate this and found no wrongdoing. Mainly because the accusers had suddenly vanished, never responded to their calls, or spoke out again. Although it was reported that one accuser said he was never contacted when WWE investigated.
Yeah, this still feels very fishy to me. Along with that alleged car accident that Dream was in when this whole thing occurred. That was the real reason WWE held him out, not due to the allegations, but with whatever that car accident was.
Velveteen Dream did return to WWE, but he could never escape the allegations. Fans even got #FireVelveteenDream to trend all over social media, which did not put WWE in the best light. WWE realized he was toon toxic and with other behavioral/drug issues WWE just decided to cut all ties with him.
The other behavioral/drug issues stemmed from a notable story where Dream alleged to have filmed WWE superstars using the bathroom at EC3's house, without consent. Which is a very illegal and disgraceful thing for him to do.
Some don’t believe this is true, as many forget Velveteen Dream once concussed EC3 in a match and they had heat with each other since. However, I believe EC3’s story. Before all of these allegations came out, there were rumors of Dream having a ton of heat backstage with others. Plus, Sean Ross Sapp confirmed that this story was true and off the record.
It's such a stunning fall from grace for the Velveteen Dream. Here was a guy at one point was called "The One'' by John Cena and even Shawn Michaels gave him so much praise. This guy had the world by in his hands, with the potential that he had but he flushed all that right down the commode.
Along with his other drug issues, the assault arrests and the court of public opinion against him, I don't see how he ever returned to the WWE or pro wrestling ever again. It seems like he has taken accountability for his actions apologizing to the public and even going on Chris Van Vilet's podcast to clear the air with everything, but it was too little too late.
Enzo Amore
Let's get to the guy who was one of the best one the microphone I have heard in the mid to late 2010's in WWE. Enzo Amore. Enzo Amore is known for being in the awesome Enzo and Big Cass tag team and was one of my favorite tag teams in the Black and Gold era of NXT. Especially with the way Enzo cut a promo it was always funny and made me connect to them.
Enzo and Big Cass eventually got called up to the main roster and they were one of the more over tag teams in the WWE. They were expected to get the tag team championships, until Enzo got concussed by The Vaudevillians in the 2016 Payback PPV.
Expectations were high for Enzo's return and a significant tag team run. However, it emerged that Enzo Amore was challenging to work with backstage, leading to him getting kicked out of the locker room by Roman Reigns. WWE appeared to prefer Big Cass over Enzo Amore, prompting the dissolution of their tag team. The split was executed well, but the subsequent feud lacked substance. It led to a rivalry between Big Cass and Big Show, which abruptly ended when Cass suffered an ACL injury during a match with Enzo on Raw.
Once that concluded Enzo kept being a problem in the locker room and WWE decided to demote him to the Cruiserweight division and even won the championship. Which was a bad idea because Neville aka Pac from AEW would request his release from the company as a result of this.
Enzo was still being pushed and was getting a lengthy championship run. Then the sexual assault/harassment allegations came out with Enzo. Which pretty much ended his WWE career, even though the chargers were eventually dropped. WWE released him due to all the baggage that came with Enzo. Plus, it probably was not a good idea on his end that he also failure to inform WWE of the investigation.
Ever since leaving WWE, he has mainly been in the Independent Cricut as nZo. He has appeared in MLW and NJPW, but he has not really shined or impressed. At least there more impressive than his awful rap album/songs.
Now Enzo Amore was terrible in the ring, but where he shines is on the microphone. It was such wasted potential as Enzo could have legit been a tag team champion and a legit great manager in WWE. Unfortunately, Enzo has nobody to blame but himself for his downfall with how many backstage issues that he has had. Just so much wasted potential with Enzo, it is such a shame.
Marty Jannetty
I'll keep this brief as I have a more detailed article reviewing the "Dark Side of the Ring" episode on Marty Jannetty. The most apparent aspect is that Jannetty epitomizes wasted potential in the wrestling industry.
He was an excellent performer in the ring, and with The Rockers tag team, he could have been a significant figure in WWE. However, he would never have surpassed Shawn Michaels, as Jannetty's charisma wasn't on the same level as Michaels'.
Jannetty received opportunity after opportunity from WWE, but he squandered them all. Whether it was arrests or drug issues, Jannetty couldn't stay out of trouble. Even though he held the Intercontinental title, it wasn't for long because WWE didn't trust him. Vince McMahon hired and fired Jannetty multiple times, but Jannetty couldn't maintain his discipline.
It's a situation of immense, squandered talent, and when his in-ring career concluded, he gained infamy for his behavior on his Facebook account, including claiming that he made a man disappear. The only thing I wish would disappear is his Facebook password, so he can no longer access the platform to post the disturbing content he shares.
Matt Riddle
Matt Riddle's significant decline in WWE occurred nearly a year ago, marking a recent event. Not long ago, Matt Riddle was among my favorite professional wrestlers in WWE, known for his exceptional personality. Vince McMahon clearly enjoyed promoting him and seemed poised to establish him as a potential face of the company. Nevertheless, Riddle's potential was ultimately squandered for various reasons, many attributable to Riddle himself.
Matt Riddle's downfall began during the Speaking Out Movement when he was accused of sexual assault by independent pro wrestler Candy Cartwright. It was a particularly nasty allegation, and Riddle admitted to having an affair and cheating on his wife with Cartwright. He claimed to have informed his wife and attempted to cut ties with Cartwright, but she continued to make contact.
It is evident that Cartwright was harassing Riddle and attempting to tarnish the reputation of Matt and his wife. However, neither party emerges positively from this situation. Although the lawsuit was dropped and Riddle faced no punishment, his personal life deteriorated.
It has been known for some time that Riddle had drug-related challenges. His persona in WWE portrayed him as a constant marijuana user who was perpetually high. He faced multiple suspensions for drug use, and Riddle himself confessed to using cocaine. His reliability was compromised due to the extent of his intoxication, and this issue was not limited to his WWE career but also extended to his time in UFC.
What also didn't help was how he acted behind the scenes. Riddle clearly rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Three names that comes to mind is Goldberg, Seth Rollins, and even Brock Lesnar. All three clearly had an issue with the guy and it wasn't a surprised that a few of them refused to work with him.
All these issues he had even got worse the moment he got into a nasty divorce with his wife. Which added on to the many issues that this man had during WWE. It also was problematic that Riddle was also getting in a relationship with a trainwreck adult film star and even had a kid with one. Which is never a good look either.
His career was essentially over with WWE after Endeavor's acquisition, especially since he had departed on bad terms during his UFC tenure. He anticipated his release, sensing it was inevitable once the acquisition was complete.
It didn't help that Riddle was involved in an incident at JFK Airport, where he alleged that a police officer had sexually assaulted him. Riddle posted a photo of the officer, which he later removed. It emerged that Riddle had caused a disturbance while deplaning, and was clearly under the influence of narcotics.
Subsequent investigations revealed that Riddle was at fault, and WWE decided to part ways with him. He had been afforded numerous opportunities, and his contract was terminated on September 22, 2023.
What a shame considering his talent as a professional wrestler, his history as a US champion, his role in revitalizing Randy Orton's career with the RKBro tag team, and being a favored athlete of Vince McMahon, who had envisioned him winning the Royal Rumble and headlining a main event pay-per-view, only to find himself unemployed.
In WWE, the adage 'never say never' often applies to returns, but with the recent UFC and WWE merger, Riddle's return seems unlikely. I hope Riddle can overcome his challenges and improve his personal life, as it's disheartening to witness such talent go to waste. Currently, he stands on my Mount Rushmore of what could be considered some of the most squandered potential in WWE history.
So, that is my Mount Rushmore of the biggest examples of wasted potential in WWE Ever. Do you agree? I would love to hear your choices for the biggest examples of wasted potential in WWE. Please share your thoughts in the comments and remember to like the article as well.
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