WWE is considered the peak of professional wrestling. It is where almost every wrestling star of today dreams of working so that they can build their career in the business. Almost all of the most well-known professional wrestlers of today have competed in the company and WWE have continued to expand their brand all over the world. WWE is highly criticized by fans though because sometimes they will give up on stars that have a lot of potential.
Given that they have an ever-expanding roster, they need to be picky about who gets the top spots in the company. They can not please everyone, but sometimes, they seem to miss something that the fans see. If WWE just doesn't see the star power in a superstar they will not push them to the level that the fans see. The fans have a lot of power in getting stars over. For example, Daniel Bryan was so loved by the fans that they didn't give WWE a choice other than to make him one of their top stars. Overall though, if they don't get to that point, WWE has a habit of dropping stars before they even get the chance to shine.
10 Trey Baxter
As part of the NXT program, at one point WWE was looking to hire young talented wrestlers from the independent wrestling circuit, in hopes of grooming them into their own stars. Trey Baxter was one of those stars. He was given his WWE try-out in October of 2020 and was signed by the company in early 2021.
He competed in the NXT Breakout Tournament, making it to the semi-finals only to lose to Odyssey Jones. From there he would compete on numerous episodes of NXT and 205. He shocked fans with his high-flying and fast-paced style. Unfortunately, WWE released him in November of 2021, but this allowed him to return to the independent scene and continue to put on great matches under the name Blake Christian.
9 Damian Sandow
Damian Sandow is responsible for putting on one of the best matches in John Cena's career when he unsuccessfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract against Cena in 2013. He also has the weird experience of being a very talented star that WWE gave up on twice. The first time was when he signed with the company in 2003.
He worked as one of the top stars in WWE developmental program OVW for many years but made his official main roster debut in 2006 under the name Idol Stevens. Even though he was a competitor for the WWE Tag Team Championships, he and his partner were sent back down to OVW, then released in 2007. When he re-signed in 2010, he had a better run for 6 years but despite being a fan favorite, WWE stated he did not fit into their plans and released him in 2016.
8 Luke Gallows
One-half of the Impact Wrestling tag team The Good Brothers and founding member of The Bullet Club faction Luke (D.O.C) Gallows has worked for WWE multiple times without success. He first signed with the company in 2005 but made his main roster debut as Fake Kane in 2006. He would then become Festus, who was a character that was considered an inbred southerner.
After that ran its course Gallows would become a member of CM Punk's Straight Edge Society before being released from the company in 2010. On his own Gallows became a top star in every other promotion he worked for. WWE decided to hire him back after finding success in other companies but gave up on him once more releasing him in 2020.
7 Karrion Kross
Karrion "Killer" Kross was one of the hottest free agents of 2020 and many felt he had all the potential to be WWE's next huge star. Starting his wrestling career in 2015, Kross rose to fame by competing for promotions like Lucha Underground, Impact Wrestling, and AAA. He signed with WWE in 2020, along with his wife Scarlett Bordeaux.
The two had one of the best entrances in NXT history, and he quickly became the NXT Champion. From there he made his main roster debut while still as the NXT Champion. WWE faced a lot of backlash due to them taking away a lot of what made him special in NXT. He was then shockingly released in late 2021.
6 Zack Ryder
Even though Zack Ryder was with WWE for most of his career, it became obvious that they gave up on him during the early days of his career. Ryder did win multiple championships but they never truly committed to any of them. He was kept around due to being a fan favorite more than anything else. Despite begging for more, they never let him reach his full potential with the company.
Since leaving, he has really proved them wrong. He has won championships in multiple different promotions under his real name Matt Cardona. He has completely rebranded himself and shown WWE they should not have given up on him. Currently, he is one of the top heels in professional wrestling and he was able to do it all on his own.
5 Isaiah "Swerve" Scott
Starting his career in 2012, Isaiah "Swerve" Scott spent many years on the independent circuit before signing with WWE in 2019. He spent time on and off television while being a member of the NXT brand. He would eventually win the NXT North American Championship as a member of the Hit Row faction. After being brought up to SmackDown, WWE decided to release all of the members of Hit Row.
Fans were shocked to hear of Swerve's release as many felt that he had the potential to be a top star in WWE. He eventually returned to the independent circuit before being signed to AEW under his other persona Swerve Strickland. He is now in one of the top tag teams in the promotion and put on an amazing showcase at Double or Nothing 2022.
4 Dr. Death Steve Williams
One of the toughest wrestlers throughout the late 80s and 90s, Dr. Death Steve Williams tested the line between reality and story while he was in the ring. He made a name for himself in WCW, and in All Japan Pro Wrestling before officially signing with WWE in 1998. He was entered into the Brawl For All competition which pitted the wrestlers together in real fighting bouts.
Though many expect Williams to win, he did not make it passed Bart Gunn, which caused a lot of controversy backstage. Williams was supposed to be one of the WWE's next biggest stars but this loss made him look weak. Ultimately this mixed with an injury led to WWE releasing him in 1999.
3 Keith Lee
Currently serving as Swerve Strickland's tag team partner in AEW, many fans feel that WWE did not give Keith Lee a well-deserved shot in WWE. Making his WWE debut in late 2018, he spent most of his time on the NXT roster. He was the NXT champion and had some great matches in the developmental promotion.
Once he made it to the main roster, he appeared to be lost in the shuffle. It seemed like WWE did not know how to book him, so between that and some health issues, Lee was taken off of TV. He was eventually released which was disappointing because he only spent a few months on the main roster.
2 EC3
Ethan Carter III spent most of his career as a top star in the Impact Wrestling/TNA promotion. He played one of the greatest characters that the promotion had seen, which was a big reason WWE signed him in 2018. He took that character to new heights once he joined the NXT brand, and was quickly put into the NXT main event picture.
EC3 was brought onto the main event roster in late 2018 but was not given the chance to truly show his character on screen. He had a great match with Dean Ambrose, but that did not lead to much for him. He was then put on the lower level of the card before being released in 2020.
1 Harland
When Parker Boudreaux signed with WWE in 2021, he made huge news because of his resemblance to former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. He was talked about heavily on social media as many pushed for WWE to hire the former college football star. Once they did, they gave him the name Harland and put him on the NXT 2.0 brand.
He did not have any wrestling experience prior to signing with WWE but his look made him a star. Many wanted to see him pushed just like Brock Lesnar was in the early days of his career. For a variety of rumored reasons, WWE did not see the star power in Boudreaux that everyone else did and released him just about a year after his signing.