WWE's PG Era has seen a lot of great wrestlers get their push, etching their name into wrestling history. The likes of Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and Charlotte Flair have all enjoyed successful pushes within this period of time. However, not every attempted push has gone to plan during this time.
There have been plenty of wrestlers that WWE has attempted to push during this era, but for whatever reason, it hasn't ended up working. Whether it be because of injuries, poor storylines, or that fans just haven't bought into the idea, there have been some pushes that just haven't gone to plan, no matter how hard the company has tried.
10 Hideo Itami
NXT has played a huge part in the PG Era of WWE. Many wrestlers have gone from the black-and-gold brand to have great success on the main roster. One man that WWE really tried hard with was Hideo Itami.
He was someone that the company was desperate to make a big star and WWE really pushed Itami when he first arrived. However, injuries really stopped this from working out, with Itami having several opportunities that just didn't go to plan.
9 Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett won the original season of NXT, back when it was still a game show. He was quickly pushed by the company on the main roster as well, being the leader of Nexus, which should have led to him becoming the first British-born World Champion.
However, that didn't end up working out for him. Once the group was defeated, the fan connection quickly dropped and Barrett spent the rest of his career in the mid-card of WWE.
8 Lord Tensai
One thing that WWE loves is a monster heel. It's easy to push someone like this as the storyline writes itself, as they can come in and bully whoever the target is. That was what WWE attempted with Lord Tensai.
After dominating in Japan, WWE brought Matt Bloom back, but things didn't work out for him. He was a top star early on, getting to work with John Cena, but it didn't take long for him to end up becoming a comedic star instead.
7 Kane
Kane is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, and a rightful Hall Of Famer. However, his best work came during the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras. The company attempted to give Kane another push during the PG Era, but this time it didn't work out.
WWE brought back the mask and gave Kane the big push with the Embrace The Hate gimmick. However, while it was exciting at the start and made Kane relevant again, it didn't take long for him to drop down the card, with his best moments being behind him.
6 Ezekiel Jackson
Ezekiel Jackson was another top star in WWE at one point who creative seemingly had big plans for. His physicality and strength were a big deal for him and that led to WWE making him the final-ever ECW Champion.
Jackson was also pushed on the main roster, as a member of The CORRE, getting to be Intercontinental Champion as well. However, the push didn't last and he ended up being a forgotten man.
5 Kharma
Kharma is a push that WWE fans were excited about. She had dominated in TNA and was one of the top stars in the Knockouts Division, so her joining WWE had the potential to be a big deal.
However, that didn't end up taking place due to issues outside of the ring. Kharma became pregnant, and while she sadly lost the baby, Kharma didn't end up getting a proper run in WWE, having only worked one match during her time with WWE despite the big push.
4 Fandango
Remember when Fandango debuted in WWE? He got the chance to have his first match at WrestleMania 29, which saw him defeat Chris Jericho. Fandango's song then became a major hit around the world, but that momentum didn't last.
Despite the early push and confident start, it quickly went away with Fandango struggling to continue gaining the same level of booking throughout his entire run, eventually returning to NXT.
3 Vladimir Kozlov
At one point in his career, Vladimir Kozlov was brawling and defeating The Undertaker, working with Triple H and Edge. However, by the end of his career, Kozlov was involved in comedy spots that were forgettable.
His push didn't sustain, which is mainly because his matches were rather dull to watch. While he had a couple of entertaining moments, it wasn't a memorable run for him overall, despite WWE's best attempts.
2 Jack Swagger
Jack Swagger is someone that WWE attempted to push on a couple of occasions. They gave him the ECW Championship, the MITB briefcase, the World Heavyweight Championship, but things just didn't work out for Swagger.
While Swagger was talented in the ring, his character didn't connect with fans at all. Fans just didn't care for him as a main event wrestler, which was showcased by his fall from grace in the booking department.
1 Ryback
"The Big Guy" Ryback had everything that WWE typically looks for in a top-level WWE Superstar. He had the physicality and the connection with the fans, but this was a push that didn't work out at all.
Despite an early push to the main event scene with CM Punk and John Cena, that didn't end up lasting. He ended up falling down the card, eventually becoming a pre-show wrestler that was let go from the company.