There are a few wrestlers who burst on the scene every couple of years who look like they are surefire stars in the making. They always look the part and usually have many of the intangibles that it takes to become stars in the industry.
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Sometimes these breakout wrestlers end up reaching their potential, but more often than not they end up being stuck in the middle cards after their quick start begins to fade. This is usually the case for a variety of reasons, but the main one is that they are missing the "It" factor to become a true generational star.
10 Ezekiel Jackson
Ezekiel Jackson burst onto the scene as a yoked out beast who certainly looked like he could go head to head with anybody in the company. He debuted as The Brian Kendrick's bodyguard before dominating his opponent in singles competitions after being drafted to the ECW brand in 2009.
Jackson is most remembered for being the final ECW champion, after beating Christian for the belt on the final episode of ECW in February 2010. While he also had an Intercontinental Championship reign later in his career, his days of being a force were already behind him after ECW was canceled.
9 Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin looked like a star in the making when he debuted in the WWE in late 2002. He allied with Charlie Haas very early in his career, and the two men won the WWE Tag Team Championship a little over a one month after his TV introduction. He may not have reached superstardom like many thought he would but he did fare better than his counterpart after the two split-up.
He became a fan-favorite when he began feuding with Triple H and his heel stable Evolution after being drafted to the Raw brand in early 2004, and he was heavily involved in the main event scene as a result. This is when he seemed to reach his ceiling, as his greatest claim to fame was a long Intercontinental Championship run. He was widely considered one of the best mid-card talents during his time with the company. Despite not winning the world title, he became a three-time IC Champion, former United States Champion, two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, and most recently he became a three-time 24/7 Champion.
8 Vader
Vader's inclusion on the list is not as much of a knock on his all-time legacy as much as it is on the impact that he had in WWE. Many consider him to be one of the most dominant heavyweight wrestlers of all time, but he struggled mightily to make his mark during his time in WWE.
He debuted in the company with an unbelievable amount of hype in 1996, and he looked like an absolute force early in his career. He was feuding with some of the top names in the industry becoming frustrated in his inability to win important matches. He soon faded into mid-card status as a result and only wrestled for the company for three years before moving on to All Japan Pro Wrestling.
7 Maven
Maven was the winner of the inaugural season of WWE's Tough Enough, so he naturally was surrounded by a lot of hype when he debuted on the main roster in 2001. He feuded with some huge names in the company early in his career, including The Undertaker and Tazz.
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His greatest claim to fame was a brief (and pretty terrible) Hardcore Championship reign when he still looked like a budding star who was ready for a massive push. Nevertheless, he settled into a role as a mid-carder after his quick start began to fade in 2004, and he was out of the company completely just one year later.
6 Vladimir Kozlov
Vladimir Kozlov was a complete force in his first year with the company, as he ran through his Smackdown competition with ease. He was heavily involved in the WWE Championship picture in 2008, feuding with the likes of Triple H and Jeff Hardy in the process.
He began to lose much of his momentum after being drafted to the ECW brand in 2009, although he still looked unstoppable against many of his lesser opponents. He never again entered the main event scene, and his only championship victory was when he won the tag belts with Santino Marella in 2010.
5 Ted DiBiase Jr.
Ted Dibiase Jr. had a lot going for him when he made his WWE debut in 2008. His father was a WWE legend, he was able to hold his own in the ring with sharp wrestling skills, and he had enough charisma to cut a solid promo. His lineage allowed him to be team up with fellow multigenerational talents Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes and form Legacy. Legacy enjoyed a relatively short-lived (but extremely successful) run but Dibiase was unfortunately unable to match the success of the stable after they disbanded in 2010.
Just how high were the hopes for DiBiase early in his career? He was gifted a starring role in WWE's film The Marine 2 very early on in his career on the main roster. McMahon would not have made that decision unless he saw something special in the upstart rookie.
4 Evan Bourne
Evan Bourne looked like the next great high-flying star when he debuted in ECW in 2008. He featured an array of aerial maneuvers and was one of the most exciting wrestlers to watch each week. He had an opportunity to win the ECW Championship just months after his debut when he was voted into the spot by WWE fans at the 2008 Cyber Series pay-per-view.
He continued to rise in the company when he won the tag belts with Kofi Kingston in 2010, but that was unfortunately where Bourne peaked in his WWE career. He disappeared from television after two failed drug tests and was out of the company just one year later.
3 The Great Khali
At one time, The Great Khali was one of the most intimidating men in the entire company. He feuded with some of the top names in the industry, including The Undertaker and Rey Mysterio, and even became one of the most unlikely world champions of all time.
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His wrestling style was eerily similar to what one would expect from Lurch from The Addams Family had he stumbled his way into a wrestling ring, yet he received a massive push and was seen as an unstoppable force for a long stretch early in his career. In the end, Khali was undoubtedly one of the least feared and most feared wrestlers of all time.
2 Wade Barrett
It seemed as though the future of the company had arrived when Wade Barrett and his upstart Nexus faction took WWE by storm in the summer of 2010. They terrorized the entire company and looked like they could not be stopped before John Cena put their momentum to a screeching halt at the 2010 SummerSlam pay-per-view.
Barrett, whose claim to fame was a handful of Intercontinental Championship reigns and his leadership role in The Nexus, was able to stick around for a few years. Nevertheless, he was never able to reach true superstardom in the company like many expected him to.
1 Umaga
Umaga, who was undefeated nearly a full calendar year after his debut, looked like an unstoppable force when he burst onto the scene in 2006. He actually had a pretty long run of relevance compared to many of the other wrestlers on the list, but he was still unfortunately unable to reach continuous main event level status in the company.
In 2007, he was featured in one of the marquee matches of WrestleMania 23, representing Vince McMahon in the Battle of the Billionaires against Donald Trump and his pick, Bobby Lashley. During his time with the company, Umaga became a two-time Intercontinental Champion but was never able to grab the brass ring and become WWE Champion.
He may have been able to eventually reach his potential if he did not fail a drug test and refuse to attend rehab in 2009. Instead, he is remembered as one of the greatest "What if's" in recent memory.
