It's always been risky to sign major names in the wrestling world as a positive outcome may not always be in the books. While many have lived up to their deal in past years, there has also been some who turned out to be a waste of investment. WWE and WCW were notorious for recruiting top talents from the outside with attractive offers on the table.
Unfortunately, many of these names couldn't pan out despite their past achievements as well as popularity among fans.
10 Flopped In WWE: Kharma
Kharma was one of the WWE's biggest signings from TNA before the late wave of AJ Styles, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode. Having made her mark elsewhere, there was plenty of anticipation as she had what it takes to push the division forward. Despite getting off to a promising start, Kharma's run was slowed down by injuries that forced her to sit out for some time. And then had a baby just as she was starting to get fully healthy, putting her out for the remainder of the year. It was an unfortunate timing of events that led to Kharma's underwhelming stint.
9 Flopped In WCW: The Ultimate Warrior
The Ultimate Warrior was a big signing for WCW on paper even if he was years removed from his prime. Having teased the possibility of a deal in the past, it finally materialized in 1998 when Warrior came back to interrupt old foe Hulk Hogan. While the crowd did pop for the beloved Warrior, his act was clearly out of date for the late 90s. He would only wrestle in a few matches for the promotion, all of which were downright bad. Warrior, nor fans, were satisfied with how his tenure played out for WCW, but at least he did earn a major paycheck.
8 Flopped In WWE: Vader
From the early to mid 90s, Vader was one of the most dominant wrestlers in the world. He was one of the few performers who got over in Japan and then the United States, becoming one of the better in-ring talents.
As a multiple time World Champion, Vader was undoubtedly a big get for the WWE in 1996. He couldn't replicate the same success achieved in other promotions due to backstage politics, and some fall outs with fellow WWE Superstars. Vader still had many memorable matches while a member of the roster, but he wasn't nearly as big of a deal.
7 Flopped In WCW: Mike Awesome
ECW had plenty of main eventers who left the promotion during the Monday Night War, among them was Mike Awesome who shockingly appeared on WCW to assault Kevin Nash. What made it even more shocking is that Awesome was still reigning ECW Champion, although his contract had already expired days prior. Once the situation was cleared up between the two companies, Awesome was free to officially join WCW. Given that the promotion died just a year later, Awesome probably regrets turning his back on ECW to this day. He was booked terribly in WCW with a questionable gimmick that didn't do him any favors.
6 Flopped In WWE: Scott Steiner
One of the few WCW main eventers that WWE was able to acquire, Scott Steiner was supposed to have a far better stint. His debut was met with a huge pop from the crowd, leading to his inclusion as the number one contender for Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship.
Not only did the latter get the best of Steiner in every contest, but their chemistry was way off. Soon afterwards, Steiner dropped quickly through the card to become a forgotten act by the time of his release in 2004. Although his WWE journey didn't have many highlights, his debut will always standout.
5 Flopped In WCW: Ted DiBiase
Not only did fans believe that Ted DiBiase's tenure with WCW was a flop, but those feelings are mutual with him. He was originally given a major role as the fourth member of the original nWo, becoming the official spokesman for the stable in the coming months. Some conflicts between his vision and that of Eric Bischoff led to a change in DiBiase's role, as he left the faction to join forces with The Steiner Brothers. DiBiase was already limited by then as he was years retired from in-ring competition, but at least he still earned a big paycheck for a forgettable role.
4 Flopped In WWE: DDP
The fans completely lost it upon seeing Diamond Dallas Page for the first time ever in a WWE ring. What followed in the aftermath was the worst case scenario for a former WCW star as he was buried during his run. Fans never took him seriously again thanks to the storyline featuring The Undertaker and his wife. Things would only get worse before they got better as DDP was given a new character to re-brand him. Coming out to the ring with a grinning smile every week, DDP's new persona made sure to turn away any fan he had left from WCW.
3 Flopped In WCW: Davey Boy Smith
With the aftermath of Survivor Series in 1997, it was only a matter of time before The British Bulldog left the WWE to join Bret Hart in WCW. He had been a member of the roster in 1993 where he managed to raise his profile around the country. But the same cannot be said for his return four years later, as his run is mostly forgotten by fans.
He had feud with Steve McMichael that never picked up any steam before he became allies with Jim Neidhart. Within a year, he was already out of the company due to mounting injuries and creative issues.
2 Flopped In WWE: Sting
A long-life dream had finally come true for wrestling fans when Sting made his WWE debut at Survivor Series in 2014. It was the biggest free agent signing in modern history, and one that was guaranteed to be historic. Fans wanted to see the highly anticipated match between The Undertaker and Sting, which sadly never came to fruition. The disappointment would only grow worse when Sting lost to Triple H at WrestleMania 31 with many accusing WWE to bury WCW one last time. His final match took place shortly afterwards at Night of Champions, suffering a career-ending injury during his match with Seth Rollins.The signing was a disappointment for all sides involved.
1 Flopped In WCW: Bret Hart
With a yearly salary of $2.5 million, and coming off a WWE Championship reign, Bret Hart had all the momentum in the world to completely swing the favors in WCW's direction. The entire wrestling world was excited to see Hart join WCW following the controversy surrounding his exit, but the company failed to capitalize on it. Hart was booked badly from day one as he would play a second fiddle role on the roster. After being inserted into the nWo fold and missing some major opportunities along the way, it became clear that Hart had flopped in WCW - albeit through no fault of his own. But at least he did get to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship twice prior to his career-ending injury.