Being on the receiving end of a push is never guaranteed to end up favorably for WWE Superstars. Throughout the course of WWE history, there have been plenty of talents who were expected to reach main event status, but couldn't consistently stay there barring a few appearances. Various factors come into play to determine who becomes a successful main eventer, as opposed to not. For instance, some Superstars like Roman Reigns have the company's full support regardless of their match quality and crowd reactions.

Even if those wrestlers aren't perceived so well by the fans, the company makes sure to establish them as main event Superstars. But there are times when the company has completely dropped the ball with a wrestler, ruining all main event momentum of a WWE Superstar. And then there are others who simply weren't good enough to stay in the main event picture for too long, as they were clearly more suitable for a lesser role. Having experienced the best that WWE has to offer, many of these wrestlers have gone on to disappoint in the independent circuit by failing to add to their legacy.

Instead, some of them try to make a career by living through their fame to get a booking. But the simple fact that these names were once headlining in the WWE - even if for a brief period - doesn't guarantee that they will become a draw elsewhere. Here are 15 WWE main event flops who can't even fill gymnasiums anymore.

15 Chris Masters

Early in his career, Chris Masters drew comparisons to Lex Luger who had a similar physical appearance and attitude. He had an impressive rookie years, largely thanks to the success of the Mastlock challenge. But once the buzz had gone away, Masters found it hard to remain relevant on the roster. And for some time, he was involved in high level matches, some of which were for the WWE Championship.

But Masters may not have been ready for the limelight, which is why he returned a much improved wrestler in 2009. Sadly, his second stint didn't last too long as Masters was never deemed worthy as a main eventer again by management. To his credit, he has kept his name relevant through his work in the independent circuit, but Masters definitely isn't the one drawing in the fans. While he may be getting booked to be apart of the show, Masters still finds himself far away from the top positions on the card.

14 Mr. Kennedy

Many fans were convinced that Mr. Kennedy was the future of the WWE and sure to succeed if given the opportunity. To his credit, he did get over and earn the chance to establish himself as a main eventer - but it was luck that derailed his main event push. Kennedy even won the Money in the Bank briefcase, and was expected to cash it in against The Undertaker. But an injury led to some creative changes, as the company had Edge won the briefcase from Kennedy.

Not long afterwards, he was let go from the WWE. He didn't go on to achieve that level of success in TNA, where he mostly had some mediocre years before his departure. Kennedy still gets in the ring from time to time, but he is lucky to even have a microphone these days given the budget of the small promotions he has worked for.

13 Vladimir Kozlov

If you missed out on the Vladimir Kozlov era, then you will be happy to know that it was your average push of a foreign heel that turned into a comedy act after a few months. Not only was Kozlov headlining WWE Shows among top Superstars at the time, but he even got a victory over The Undertaker. A remarkable feat that he clearly wasn't worthy of having given how limited he was inside and outside the ring.

It's no surprise that his wrestling career has practically been non-existent since his departure from the WWE, as Kozlov failed to capture the attention of fans even when he was put in some remarkable situations.

That goes to show that making it to the WWE is not enough for long term success in the wrestling industry, as fans are quick to move on to the next Superstar especially if you fail to make a lasting impression.

12 Jack Swagger

Jack Swagger is living proof that you need more than wrestling talent to make it in the industry. Fans believe that he was pushed to the top of the mountain to replace the empty void previously left by Kurt Angle. But despite being handed one title after another, Swagger's overness never truly changed. By the end of his WWE stint, he was lucky to even feature in their programs as his role had greatly diminished by then.

His departure from the company hasn't put his career back on track, as Swagger failed to remain relevant outside of the WWE. And that is possibly why he seems to be going a career change as Swagger began training to fight for Bellator MMA. That is probably the best career move at this point, and if he happens to succeed, then his wrestling career may also benefit.

11 The Great Khali

Considering his fast rise to the top, The Great Khali was expected to be in the main event longer than he was. And that's not due to his talent as he clearly showed very little on the mic and inside the ring, but his size was more than enough for Vince McMahon to hand him the belt. But as fans continued to reject Khali and he continued to regress in the ring, his character underwent some changes to become a comedy act.

From dominating The Undertaker on weekly basis to dancing around like a goof, The Great Khali's legacy would have probably been much better if he had left following his main event run. In the past few years, Khali has a made few appearances across the independent scene and the few people who attended those shows got to witness an even slower than usual Khali chopping his opponents.

10 Carlito

Unlike many names on the list, Carlito certainly had the potential to succeed in the main event. But given the circumstances, he fell flat and was immediately sent back to the mid-card division. But throughout 2005 and 2006, Carlito did feature in the main event including as one of the challengers for John Cena's WWE title in an Eliminnation Chamber match. But he would never reach those heights again, as management moved on from Carlito soon afterwards.

Since his departure from the WWE, Carlito has remained active on the independent scene.

He has had some success in Puerto Rico, but certainly not enough to make up for his past letdowns. And while he may not be performing in front of sold out arenas, Carlito does seem more happy than ever given that he didn't have the greatest of times in the WWE.

9 Hardcore Holly

Most WWE fans have forgotten by now that Hardcore Holly once had a failed run in the main event. After being injured on the hands of Brock Lesnar, the WWE decided to make a storyline out of it by inserting the returning Holly into the title picture. What transpired was one of the worst and most forgettable main events in WWE history, as the 2004 Royal Rumble featured one hell of a disappointing title match.

Holly was never particularly over with the fans although he was respected, but certainly not enough to be pushed to the top. And given how quick it happened, that may have hurt any chance of Holly being a legitimate success as a main eventer. While he doesn't look to different from his WWE days - barring the noticeable tattoos - Holly is now performing for small audiences instead of selling out arenas.

8 Buff Bagwell

Buff Bagwell's main event run in the WWE lasted one night only, as Vince McMahon wanted to test the waters for a potential WCW brand. He booked the infamous match between Buff Bagwell and Booker T on Raw, which would single handedly sway McMahon's opinion regarding WCW. Many of the angles were immediately dropped, while some WCW stars such as Booker T had to make their back up to the top.

As for Bagwell, he was largely blamed for the failure of the main event, and ended up being released from the WWE. Fast forward to 2018, Bagwell has now transitioned from his career as a professional wrestler to a gigolo, which is probably paying the bills given the status of his career as Buff Daddy. He still gets in the squared circle from time to time, but Bagwell is only booked by small promotions in the United States.

7 Heidenreich

When the WWE recruits someone to have a rivalry with The Undertaker and face him at WrestleMania, then you know that major plans are in store. Such was the case for Heidenreich who was brought to SmackDown in 2004 in hopes of creating a great rivalry against Taker. Despite the WWE's efforts, Heidenreich was never taken seriously by the fans as most of their creative teams had to be planned.

He did get to be apart of the main event for some weeks thanks to The Undertaker, but Heidenreich would be released from the company within two years.

And after failing to challenge Taker, he went on a journey that was filled with random booking including his partnership with The Animal. Very little is known about Heidenreich's whereabouts in 2018 although it appears that he remains active for lower tier promotions, which can barely draw in an audience.

6 Scott Steiner

Scott Steiner's introduction in the WWE was well received by fans, who were excited to see another WCW talent joining the roster. He was immediately pushed to the main event, challenging Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship. Their rivalry was disastrous in the eyes of fans at the time, claiming that the two Superstars had no chemistry. Steiner was also working through some injuries, and looked far away from his best level.

The developing storyline didn't help matters either, and once Triple H came out on top, he moved on to other competition while Steiner never got a taste of the main event scene again. He would quickly fall down the card, and never recover from the main event push that went all wrong. These days, Steiner is still able to earn some bookings but photos suggest that he is having a tough time filling in gymnasiums.

5 Ryback

For a few years, it appeared as if Ryback was headed to the top since he had the support of the company. Despite engaging in some high profile rivalries, Ryback found himself stuck in the very same position on the card. His brief main event run didn't produce the most memorable moments, and it seems like management quickly dropped their plans for him. Having been involved with the likes of John Cena and CM Punk, Ryback didn't take advantage of his opportunity as he failed to truly get over with the fans.

But he has a different side to the story, claiming that he had been held back by the WWE creative team. With management not having intriguing plans for Ryback in the future, as well as some negotiation disagreements, the relationship between both sides took a turn for the worse as Ryback ended up leaving the WWE. Since then, he hasn't set the world on fire either so perhaps they were right after all.

4 Elijah Burke

The New Breed brought some hope to keep the ECW brand alive, but that didn't last too long as all members would leave soon afterwards. Elijah Burke was initially the leader of the group with a bright future ahead of him. Somewhere along the way, it seems like WWE dropped their interest in testing the waters with Burke. And he was released from the company overnight, as he went to work for TNA before facing into obscurity.

Burke is still active on the scene from time to time, but not exactly involved in any major shows either.

Like many Superstars from his era, he may have had a more memorable career if he arrived a few years afterwards. Not many Superstars from the ECW brand ended up being a success in the long run, as the majority were either dropped or became main event flops like Elijah Burke.

3 Snitsky

Snitsky came to the WWE at a time when big men were in demand at the company. Several Superstars had been introduced during a span of two years, all of whom shared a similar physical appearance. To his credit, Snitsky's career certainly turned out to be much better than that of Mark Jindrak, Luther Reigns or Nathan Jones, but most fans were never fond of Snitsky either.

He was involved in some major angles, including the Kane and Lita storyline, before heading to ECW for a brief run in the main event. Snitsky was pushed multiple times during his career, but he never truly established himself a legitimate force. He always ended up being a comedy act in one way or another. More recently, Snitsky is still competing in the ring from time to time but he has become an even lesser draw than before - if that's even possible.

2 Tatanka

For a very brief period, Tatanka had a taste of the main event scene following his undefeated streak in the WWE. But it became clear that he didn't belong there as Tatanka quickly fell down the card. When Vince McMahon gives an undefeated streak to a Superstar, it usually means that he likely sees them as a major player in the company. And while Tatanka wasn't terrible, he simply wasn't good enough to lead the way especially since many other Superstars rose during those years.

Surprisingly, Tatanka is still wrestling for local promotions - all of which probably don't combine to equal the average attendance of a WWE show.

In a different timeline, Tatanka may have gone on to be given the title as stranger things have happened. But it's probably for the best that WWE never put the belt on him.

1 Billy Gunn

Billy Gunn was lucky enough to have been pushed by the WWE throughout various periods of his career. From his time in D-Generation X to his solo run, Gunn never managed to get over enough with the fans to turn into a main eventer. But he was inserted into the scene, all of which backfired on the WWE. Unlike many members of DX, Gunn's popularity always had a ceiling as he couldn't get past it.

These days, Gunn is still active and remains on top shape but sadly, the demand for his services isn't so high. It's been some years since his last run with the WWE, and he had practically become a jobber by the time he left. From a main eventer project to released, Gunn's story is one that has become too familiar with fans over the years.