The end of the decade is the perfect time to look back and reflect on the most interesting stories in wrestling. Quite a few wrestlers would see things play out in a way no one saw coming when they debuted. WWE had high hopes for certain performers that just never lived up to the expectations or the noteworthy push they receive. Meanwhile, others hit a home run despite WWE not seeing much in them.

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We will look at both the overachievers and underachievers from the 2000s. All the wrestlers involved pulled off a surprise for better or worse during their time in WWE. The overachievers proved that you could find success even without a huge push. Fans would see the underachievers disappoint in big moments. Find out what caused the stories to play out the way they did. These are the five biggest overachievers and underachievers of the past decade.

10 Overachiever: Bray Wyatt

The start of Bray Wyatt’s decade in WWE as Husky Harris gave little faith that he would ever get a noteworthy push. A transition into the Bray character with the Wyatt Family at his side essentially saved his career as Husky was going nowhere fast.

The look of Wyatt wasn’t the WWE ideal with most signings of the time having the look of Randy Orton. Bray proved all his doubters wrong by finding main event level success in the decade. The rebranding as The Fiend made Wyatt an even bigger star closing the 2010s as the Universal Champion.

9 Underachiever: Alex Riley

Alex Riley had the look WWE wanted out of their talents in the early half of the 2010s. The development of Riley saw him become The Miz’s full-time manager/protégé for quite some time. Riley helped Miz in moments against top names like The Rock, John Cena and Randy Orton

The eventual splitting of the two saw Riley turn face and receive a huge push. Riley flopped as a singles talent with fans refusing to buy into him. Another stint in NXT saw him once again fail to step up as WWE released him for dropping the ball with the final chance.

8 Overachiever: Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan was never WWE’s first choice to become a main eventer and world champion. The smaller size and different look of Bryan made it a tough start for him with Vince McMahon reportedly not viewing him as a superstar.

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Bryan eventually caught on with the audience and was too good to deny. The fans essentially forced WWE’s hand into pushing Bryan into the main event of WrestleMania 30 with heckling chants and hostile reactions to others. Bryan ends the decade as arguably the top star of the decade which no one saw coming.

7 Underachiever: Brodus Clay

The size and versatility of Brodus Clay made him an interesting prospect for WWE. A short run as the enforcer for Alberto Del Rio ended with a repackaging of Clay. WWE ran vignettes teasing his return for weeks with the portrayal of an intimidating figure.

Clay would shock everyone when the reveal was a comedic dancing gimmick. The group of Clay with Naomi and Cameron as his backup dancers had WWE hoping the strange idea would connect. Brodus instead flopped in the role and was released relatively quickly.

6 Overachiever: Kofi Kingston

WWE used Kofi Kingston as a solid mid-carder for most of the 2010s. The emergence of New Day raised his popularity as all three members would become a top act together in the tag team division. Kingston still appeared to have a ceiling on him from rising to the top as a singles star.

An injury to Ali gave Kofi a spot in the Elimination Chamber 2019 match and a gauntlet match as well. Kingston had two star-making performances that made the fans demand his push. The rise of Kofi came out of the blue with the end goal moment of him winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35.

5 Underachiever: Cameron

The signing of Cameron saw WWE instantly add her to the main roster with a spot on the Total Divas reality show. WWE believed Cameron was going to become a massive star and one of the faces of the women’s division for the rest of the decade.

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Cameron unfortunately never had the experience before debuting in WWE to improve. The matches were dreadful, and she couldn’t live up to the hype. WWE sent her back down to NXT, but it wasn’t enough to save her. Cameron would get released to lose her WWE spot before the decade even ended.

4 Overachiever: Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens was always viewed as an unlikely talent to get signed by WWE. The success of Owens in Ring of Honor earned him a WWE tryout. Owens revealed that the decision came down to Triple H making the call to add him to NXT.

Many people didn’t want Owens to get signed due to his look. They were all proven wrong when Owens instantly became a massive star for NXT and moved to the main roster in record time. WWE has seen KO become a consistent upper card talent able to deliver in any role they ask of him. Not bad for someone that was one “no” vote away from being turned down.

3 Underachiever: Wade Barrett

Wade Barrett was among the first young talents to get a massive push at the start of the decade. The Nexus faction received an amazing start led by Wade Barrett. Fans were captivated by the takeover angle of the young talents looking to gain control in WWE.

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Barrett clearly was the main choice by WWE to become a major star. Singles matches against John Cena and Randy Orton in his first year showed how much WWE believed in Barrett. Unfortunately, he never progressed at the level WWE wanted from him. Barrett would remain a mid-carder for years before leaving the company in 2016.

2 Overachiever: Becky Lynch

The importance of Becky Lynch in the women’s evolution was never as high as her peers like Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss. WWE viewed Lynch as a relevant but secondary star for the women’s division. Becky changed that all in 2018 with her character adding more realism.

The fire of Lynch was shown with promos cutting down anyone in her way and declaring that she was the best thing going. Becky blossomed into the top star in the women’s division and arguably on the entire roster. The first-ever women’s WrestleMania main event saw Lynch win the Raw and Smackdown Women’s Championship each in a turn of events no one expected a few years prior.

1 Underachiever: Jack Swagger

Jack Swagger was a huge priority for WWE at the start of the decade. A massive win saw Swagger become Mr. Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 26 and cash in days later to defeat Chris Jericho for the World Championship. WWE wanted Swagger to become a massive star for the rest of the decade.

Things didn’t work out that way as Swagger wasn’t ready for the role. WWE would give up on his title reign after about two months dropping it to Rey Mysterio. Swagger received a few more noteworthy pushes that flopped each time. The hopes of WWE never were fulfilled by Swagger during his time in the company.

NEXT: 10 2010s Wrestlers WWE Expected To Be A-Listers