The 2010s are coming to an end, and WWE has seen many ups and downs over the decade. They relied on a few big names like John Cena, Roman Reigns and the mighty Brock Lesnar to serve as the faces of the company. However, not every wrestler will have a fantastic career offering a glittering path to success. WWE both overrated and underutilized many wrestlers throughout the ten-year journey of the 2010s.
The ones that WWE wasted could have been bigger stars, due to their talent and short-lived moments of greatness. There are also countless stories of wrestlers being overrated and/or overused by WWE’s strong booking. Let's take a look at some talents from both ends of that spectrum.
10 Wasted: Luke Harper
The return of Luke Harper is allowing him to end the decade with a stronger push teaming with Erick Rowan. Unfortunately, the rest of the decade would not see Harper get the same level of respect or opportunity on the main roster.
Harper often impressed fans, with incredible matches and moves from someone of his size. A short program involving AJ Styles and Randy Orton proved he could do well against main eventers. Harper should be a far bigger star at this stage of his career.
9 Overused: Sheamus
WWE expected Sheamus to become a fixture in the company’s future. The prior decade ended with Sheamus winning the WWE Championship from John Cena in shocking fashion. Sheamus continued being pushed in the main event scene with a few more title reigns.
Fans never connected with Sheamus at the level WWE wanted from him. Sheamus had one last chance in the main event picture, winning the WWE Championship in 2015. The run flopped and Sheamus was better off back in the tag team picture.
8 Wasted: Fandango and Summer Rae
Fandango and Summer Rae worked well together, with their comedic gimmick. Fandango often left fans laughing after his dance routines, but he had strong potential at once. The debut match of Fandango came at WrestleMania 29, in which he defeated Chris Jericho.
Fandango had the magic combination of charisma and in-ring skill, with fans enjoying his theme song enough to get him over. Summer added a lot to the act as well, but sadly, WWE dropped the ball by ending the push early.
7 Overused: Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin is one of the more recent instances of WWE sticking with someone they believe in despite a few failures. The NXT run of Corbin proved that WWE’s vision of former NFL stars learning at the Performance Center would pay off.
Corbin received a few major opportunities, such as winning the Money in the Bank contract, feuding with Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship and retiring Kurt Angle. All three moments ended with fans disappointed. King Corbin winning the King of the Ring will just continue his huge push.
6 Wasted: John Morrison
WWE tested the waters with John Morrison potentially moving into the main event picture, but it never worked out for him. Morrison always had great matches and was a valuable member of the mid-card section on WWE’s roster.
A couple of matches with Sheamus, John Cena and The Miz proved that Morrison could entertain when getting the main event matches. WWE just didn’t believe in him and always sent him back to the mid-card. Morrison will look to finally become a main eventer with his reported return to WWE.
5 Overused: Jinder Mahal
Jinder Mahal received one of the strangest pushes in WWE history in 2017. The work ethic and physique of Mahal contributed to Vince McMahon going all in on him following the superstar shake-up. Mahal moved to SmackDown and instantly won a #1 contender’s match for the WWE Championship.
A shocking win over Randy Orton made Mahal the WWE Champion as fans looked on in confusion. Unfortunately, the title reign of Mahal didn’t do that well, featuring disappointing matches against Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura. WWE then ended the push that should have never happened.
4 Wasted: Emma
The matches between Paige and Emma in NXT played a huge role in WWE starting to book the women’s division with credibility. Emma had a peculiar dancing gimmick that did not work on the main roster. A return to NXT allowed her to change character to an effective heel.
Emma’s great in-ring work was always overlooked by WWE, as they didn’t have much planned for her. WWE eventually released Emma before she could accomplish much of note on the main roster. Emma is now competing to great results in Impact Wrestling and the indie scene, under her real name of Tenille Dashwood.
3 Overused: Nikki Bella
Nikki Bella became the centerpiece of the women’s division in the 2010s, despite many lackluster moments. WWE had Nikki end AJ Lee’s Divas Championship reign, with plans to make her the champ for a long time.
The Bella Twins had their good moments, but the overall work of Nikki couldn’t compare to the upcoming stars of the women’s division. Nikki broke the Divas Championship record for longest reign with the title, but fans would have probably been better off seeing others getting a chance in that time.
2 Wasted: Evan Bourne
The talent of Evan Bourne made his ladder matches must-see television. Bourne’s high-flying skills soon won the audience over. Standout performances against John Morrison, Randy Orton and a few others made Bourne a rising star.
WWE, however, never truly committed to pushing him. Bourne’s best run in WWE came when he teamed with Kofi Kingston. WWE clearly didn’t want to push him higher, despite the success.
1 Overused: Alberto Del Rio
WWE pushed Alberto Del Rio very heavily during the first half of the decade. Del Rio won the Royal Rumble match within a few months and became WWE Champion in his first year on the main roster. WWE would see him win both world titles with a sustained push.
Fans eventually grew tired of Del Rio and were bored of his matches. His second WWE run was worse, as he looked like a shell of his former great self. Del Rio had some real stinkers and found his push ending. Del Rio would request his release after violating the wellness policy.