In every wrestling company, some wrestlers receive larger pushes than others. It's a well known fact in wrestling that you need talent to fill every spot on the card and not everyone is going to be a main eventer. WWE is no exception to this. Over the years, the company has seen countless talented performers walk through the door. Some go on to become fixtures in the main event scene while others spend their careers floating around the mid-card, and some get treated as enhancement talent. It's the natural order of the business, and the cream always rises to the top. Though sometimes it may be pushed there regardless of what fans want.

However, there have been a number of wrestlers over the years that appeared to at one point be on their way to the top of this industry only to have the rug pulled out from under them. In a lot of instances this can be because the talent simply wasn't ready for the push they received. However, others lose their push through no fault of their own. Sometimes this is due to backstage politics and other times the company just don't book the talent in question correctly. All it takes is one questionable decision to derail a wrestlers chance at being a main event star for life.

With this in mind, let's take a look at some of the wrestlers who it appeared were destined for the big time only to end up lower down the card.

15 JACK SWAGGER

As a former All-American collegiate wrestler with an imposing build, Jack Swagger had the build and the look to make it in WWE. Despite his mic skills being mediocre, he was pushed right from the get go on the ECW brand, feuding with the newly returned respected veteran Christian for the ECW championship. He would go on to win the money in the Bank ladder match, cashing in his briefcase on Chris Jericho to become world heavyweight champion. His run as champion was underwhelming and short lived, and he returned to the midcard shortly after.

Some years later he did get a world title shot at WrestleMania against Alberto Del Rio with Zeb Coulter by his side as his popular "We the people" catchphrase got over with the crowd. However, when nothing came of the title shot after Swagger was arrested for possession of marijuana, Swagger was gradually downgraded to jobber status. In his last couple of years with the company his TV appearances were sporadic at best. He eventually asked for his release from the company.

14 BILLY GUNN

With Road Dogg as his partner as part of the hugely successful tag team the New Age Outlaws, Billy Gunn became a 7 time tag team champion. The team were an integral part of one of the most famous factions in WWE history, D'Generation-X. So when it came time for 'The One' to branch out in to singles competition, it looked as though Billy was going to receive a big push by the company.

He did at first, going on to become intercontinental champion and even winning the King of the Ring tournament. However, his push never got any further than that when the Rock cut a promo on him one night so scathing that it was difficult for his character to recover from. He would stay with the company and go on to form a tag team with Chuck Palumbo known as Billy and Chuck. The team had success but Billy never did make it to world title contention as it once looked like he would.

13 RYBACK

Ryback originally debuted as a member of the Nexus called Skip Sheffield until he suffered an injury resulting in the company repackaging him. It turned out to be the right move as Ryback started tearing through local jobbers each week chanting 'Feed me more' in the process. With a character reminiscent of Goldberg in WCW, the company were patient in building up The Big Guy and eventually he received a WWE championship match against CM Punk. He would lose due to interference looking strong in the process.

However, a heel turn saw him moved down the card where he would eventually form a tag team with Curtis Axel, forming an alliance with Paul Heyman in the process. The move didn't really work out and even though he had a spell as intercontinental champion after the company turned him face again, he never became world champion in the WWE.

12 THE GREAT KHALI

It seems so long ago now, but when The Great Khali originally appeared on WWE television he was booked as an intimidating heel. Not long after debuting for the company he won the world heavyweight championship. It was clear that the company were trying to book him as an unstoppable monster just like they had with numerous wrestlers in years gone by. However, not only did he struggle with promos because of language barriers but he was also very poor in the ring.

Shortly after he dropped the belt he was moved further down the card as it was clear that he couldn't perform at a standard high enough to warrant his spot as a main eventer. For years after his sole title reign, the company treated him as a joke and more often than not he was used in comedic storylines with the likes of Santino Marella. Once he was all done with his sporadic appearances and big part roles as comic relief he parted ways with the company.

11 WADE BARRETT

When he first arrived on the main roster of the WWE, it became clear that WWE had big plans for Wade Barrett. As the leader of the Nexus, Barrett was pushed as the main guy in the hottest faction to grace WWE in years. He was feuding with top stars like John Cena and even feuded with Randy Orton for the WWE title. However, the premature demise of the once unstoppable looking faction saw Barrett join up with a new faction called the Corre where he became intercontinental champion.

Despite several intercontinental title reigns and a highly entertaining gimmick as Bad News Barrett, it was clear that the company were never going to give the Englishman the push that it originally appeared as though he was going to receive. After being saddled with two consecutive bad gimmicks as King Barrett and a member of the League of Nations, Barrett eventually left the company having never reached the heights he could have.

10 RUSEV

Although he has always been over with the WWE crowds, Rusev has never really gotten the push that he deserves. Upon entering the company as the Bulgarian Brute with Lana by his side, Rusev became US champion early on and even competed with John Cena for the belt at WrestleMania. Once he lost that feud to Cena, he became directionless over the next couple of years despite always entertaining with the segments he was given.

His run as a part of the League of Nations faction didn't do him any favours as the faction struggled due to poor booking and WWE creative insisting on using them to make Roman Reigns look strong. After the faction disbanded, brief alliance with Jinder Mahal didn't do much for the Bulgarian either. Currently, he is teaming with Aiden English. His 'Rusev Day' chant is very popular with the fans and he remains one of the most popular stars on the roster. However, it remains to be seen if he will be rewarded with a world title reign.

9 DAMIEN SANDOW

When Damien Sandow debuted as the intellectual saviour of the masses, it was clear that the roster had a new talent with boatloads of charisma. His arrogant promos made crowds despise him. His first major title reign came when he formed the tag team Rhodes Scholars with similarly popular performer Cody Rhodes. From there, he would go on to win the money in the bank contract where it looked as though his career was about to take off.

However, in a move that surprised fans, WWE had Sandow fail in his attempt to cash in his contract when he would go on to lose a world title match to a weakened John Cena. The decision really hurt Sandow's momentum and what made matters worse, the company reduced him to comedic roles. To Sandow's credit, no matter what role he was given he made it work and ended up getting really over with the fans as stunt double of the Miz, Damien Mizdow. Shockingly, he was released shortly after that run.

8 CODY RHODES

As the son of Dusty Rhodes and a third generation superstar, it appeared as though Cody Rhodes had a bright future ahead of him in the WWE. First being paired with the experienced Bob Holly, he went on to join legacy, a faction of third generation superstars consisting of Ted DiBiase Jr. and leader Randy Orton. Similar to Evolution years prior, the group was designed to boost the profiles of its members and catapult their careers. Rhodes would go on to win tag titles in Legacy and also as part of Rhodes Scholars. He also had a lengthy run as intercontinental champion, with great character work as 'Dashing' Cody Rhodes along the way.

However, the company decided to saddle him with his 'Stardust' gimmick and despite excellent character work, it was clear that the company was not taking Rhodes seriously. He requested his release from the company and has been tearing it up on the indies and as a member of the Bullet Club ever since.

7 MABEL

In the mid 90s the WWE was in a slump. Their insistence on pushing huge wrestlers who weren't as skilled in the ring just because of their size was hurting the product and their characters were viewed by the fans as hokey and stale in a lot of cases. As an imposing figure, Mabel would go on to become a King of the Ring winner and went on to challenge Diesel at SummerSlam.

The match would go down as one of the worst Pay Per View main events in the history of the company and just like that Mabel's push was over. He would return throughout the years and reprise various midcard roles such as Viscera and Big Daddy V. Despite these runs it was clear that his moment as a main eventer had come and gone and he would never be pushed into the spotlight again.

6 SCOTT STEINER

A former collegiate wrestler and legitimate tough guy, Scott Steiner became a household name in WCW. Alongside his brother Rick, he formed one of the greatest tag teams in the promotions history. He would even go on to capture the WCW world heavyweight championship. After WWE completed the purchase of WCW, a lot of their stars started working for the rival promotion. A while after the invasion angle ended, Steiner signed with the company and immediately entered a feud with HHH for the world heavyweight championship. The feud culminated with a match at the Royal Rumble that was so bad that the company decided to end Steiner's push. It's a pity because Big Poppa Pump clearly had talent and star quality even if he was carrying a lot of injuries at that stage in his career.

5 BRAY WYATT

Upon debuting on the main roster as the leader of the cult like faction The Wyatt Family, Bray Wyatt was immediately over with the fans. His gimmick and eerie promos were something that the fans hadn't seen anything like in years and it appeared as though the Eater of Worlds was on his way to becoming a massive star. However, years of bad booking, losing feuds and cutting the same promo without ever following through on his promises made the character harder to get behind.

He did go on to win the WWE title at Elimination Chamber but yet again he was mishandled by WWE creative, going on to drop the belt to Randy Orton a month later at WrestleMania. Despite having so much potential and being one of the coolest characters in WWE in a long time, it appears as though Bray Wyatt will not reach the heights it once appeared that he would reach in WWE.

4 DOLPH ZIGGLER

Originally called up to the WWE as a member of the Spirit Squad, Dolph Ziggler has been with the WWE for a long time. Over the years he has become one of the most classic examples of inconsistent booking. At one point, The Showoff would be handed the world title on Smackdown only to lose the belt to the reinstated Edge later that night in a title reign that WWE does not acknowledge in the record books. He would however go on to win Money in the Bank, cashing in on Raw the night after WrestleMania in what was one of the loudest reactions in the history of Monday Night Raw.

However, after suffering a concussion at the hands of Jack Swagger he dropped the belt shortly after to Alberto Del Rio. Despite several intercontinental title reigns throughout the years, Dolph Ziggler has always felt like a superstar who never got the big push that he truly deserved.

3 DEAN AMBROSE

When Dean Ambrose debuted on the main roster, he did so as a member of one of the hottest factions in the company in years, a faction known as the Shield. What made the Shield so special was how well protected they were, picking up very few losses during their time running roughshod over the WWE roster. Ambrose would win the US title during his time in the group and would go on to win the intercontinental title after the group disbanded. He did also go on to win the Money in the Bank briefcase, cashing in the briefcase that same night on Seth Rollins.

What made the moment even more special was that all three members of the Shield held the belt on the same night. However, he dropped the belt to AJ Styles a few months later and would return to the midcard. He is currently injured but it remains to be seen what sort of a push he will receive upon his return.

2 CURTIS AXEL

Back during the time of the New Nexus storyline, Curtis Axel debuted under the name Michael McGillicutty. While he joined the group for a while, he was given his first singles push when he was repackaged as Curtis Axel. The third generation superstar and son of Mr. Perfect was even given Paul Heyman as a manager and it looked as though he was going to receive a huge push with the company. Shortly afterwards he would win the intercontinental championship. Despite this feat his run as champion and his alliance with Heyman proved to be underwhelming. He dropped the belt a few months later. Ever since then he has essentially been a jobber for the company. First as a member of the faction The Social Outcasts and then as a member of The Miztourage.

1 MR KENNEDY

When you think of wrestling gimmicks that give you a chance to succeed in WWE, being introduced as Vince McMahon's son is one of the better options you could have. Mr. Kennedy debuted as just that, and received a solid push right from the offset. Despite picking up a few injuries over his first couple of years with the company, he would go on to win the Money in the Bank briefcase, proclaiming that he would cash in the briefcase at WrestleMania and become WWE champion.

However, he would go on to lose the briefcase and never received his opportunity at the big time. Shortly afterwards he would injure Randy Orton's back during a match, and when Orton and John Cena complained to the boss that Kennedy was not a safe worker in the ring, his career with the company was all but over. He would be released from the roster shortly afterwards.