The 1990s were truly astounding to watch for how that decade changed the business. At the start of the decade, there were still various territories kicking around and WCW was still going under the NWA banner. As the decade went on, WWE and WCW became the big powerhouses while ECW would shift things up. The decade went from cartoonish characters to more attitude and amazing to see just how titanic the shifts in content and presentation would become over a ten year span. Numerous stars were created in that time, many of which are still around as this decade remains a magical one for many wrestling fans. However, there was also a lot of bad stuff, especially the year of 1995 as too many times the big two companies let their fans down, with both products insulting the fans' intelligence.

That comes to the workers as well. Numerous times, the companies tried to give major pushes to newer stars but it didn’t work out. Other times, veterans were given a new character but failed to click. Sometimes, it was bad booking and other times it was the worker themselves with issues that ruined their drive. They had such huge promise but failed to connect for various reasons to be a huge disappointment both for the company and the fans. Each year had slews of examples but a few stand out from the pack big time. Here are the most disappointing wrestlers for each year of the 1990s in both WWE and WCW to showcase how rough this decade could be for many a worker.

20 1990 WWE: Kerry von Erich

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For years, both WWE and WCW had courted Kerry Von Erich. In his prime, he was a good worker with amazing charisma and was even briefly the NWA Champion. Even after his 1986 motorcycle accident, Kerry was still doing his best to make himself a star. Early 1990 had him in rough shape in USWA but he was open to joining WWE.

He was pushed hard as the “Texas Tornado” and just weeks after his debut, he beat Curt Hennig at SummerSlam for the Intercontinental title. It was hoped Kerry could blossom in the role and be a top star for WWE. However, his personal life was a mess, which affected his ring work. After a few months of lackluster matches and other problems, he dropped the belt back to Hennig and slumped in the ranks. Kerry’s WWE run was a huge letdown for his fans.

19 1990 WCW: El Gigante

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WCW had gigantic hopes for this guy (no pun intended). Signed by Turner in hopes of becoming an Atlanta Hawks star, Gigante quickly proved height doesn't equate to basketball talent. They thus tried to make him a wrestler, pushing him majorly as a star. Given he was of such immense height, he could make a good heel but WCW instead presented him as a face. Allied with the “Dudes with Attitudes,” Gigante quickly set the bar as one of the single worst wrestlers ever seen.

His feud with Ric Flair was painful to watch and fans never turned toward him. His work in 1991 was even worse and he would leave WCW for his infamous run in WWE as Giant Gonzalez. Considering such high hopes for him in WCW, having him be this bad was a letdown.

18 1991 WWE: Ricky Steamboat

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Ricky Steamboat had been a great star for WWE in the late 1980s, including putting on the classic WrestleMania III match with Randy Savage. He had spent time in JCP/WCW, winning the NWA World title and was still a great star. In 1991, Steamboat returned to WWE with the promise of getting a new push. He was given an outfit as simply “The Dragon” and a routine of breathing fire before audiences. Steamboat didn’t like it that much and instead of being used as a top star, he was just mid-card fodder. Steamboat clearly didn’t enjoy it at all and just six months after joining, he returned to WCW. His debut had him winning the tag team titles with Dustin Rhodes and showcasing how badly WWE misused him.

17 1991 WCW: The Diamond Studd

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For years, Scott Hall was a guy who had the goods to be a superstar but just couldn’t quite fully break through. He tried various gimmicks but none of them really took. After a long time away, Hall showed up in WCW as the Diamond Studd. He had slicked back hair, a good build and an arrogant manner. With Diamond Dallas Page at his side and a cool finisher, Hall looked like he finally was getting on track.

Yet WCW didn’t give him the right opponents to let him really show off more. He had what it took but was just one of numerous guys in WCW who were brushed aside and ignored. Hall would take the act to WWE, give it a few twists and become Razor Ramon. Thus, his WCW run is more disappointing given what a huge star Hall would become.

16 1992 WWE: Sid Justice

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Almost since his debut, folks were calling Sid the next Hulk Hogan. He wasn't great in the ring but had a good build. He had come into WWE as a face which didn’t suit him well. In early 1992, he was turned heel by costing Hulk Hogan the Royal Rumble and then turning on him in a tag match. This set up a big 'Mania main event which was marred by a bungled finish but still had promise for Sid.

The plan was for him to then face The Ultimate Warrior and remain a heel. However, Sid’s attitude combined with some off-camera issues sent him crashing down fast. He was cut from WWE and would bounce around before heading to WCW for an infamous run. Given how much WWE pushed him as the next huge heel, Sid’s brief run in this year makes him a major letdown.

15 1992 WCW: Jake Roberts

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“The Snake” had been a very dependable guy for WWE for a long time. A terrific heel and amazing on the mic, Jake’s DDT and other moves got fans on his side majorly. In early 1992, a combination of Jake’s issues and a major offer from WCW combined to have him leave WWE. Jake had a few months before his debut, during which Bill Watts took over WCW. Watts literally tore up that plush contract and pushed Roberts to sign a lower deal. Jake still had a big debut, laying out Sting and was primed for a major feud.

However, this involved the “Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal” bout that was a total travesty. Almost immediately afterward, Jake’s infamous demons came calling and caused him to leave WCW mere months after his debut. For such a great opening, Jake’s WCW tenure became truly disappointing.

14 1993 WWE: Lex Luger

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For years, Luger had been pushed as a true successor to Hogan. He had a terrific build and his run as WCW Champion had been decent. Luger debuted in WWE in 1993 as The Narcissist. It was a promising act, and could have worked out had it been built up more. But then Vince decided to turn Luger into his new mega-patriotic hero. Given a monster push (including the Lex Express bus tour), Luger was set up to face Yokozuna for the WWE title at SummerSlam. In one of the worst last-minute decisions ever, Vince had Luger only win by count out, yet Luger celebrated as if he'd won the title. Instantly, Luger lost credibility with fans. WWE kept pushing him for a time but the damage was done as Luger could've been a top level WWE star but came off very poorly.

13 1993 WCW: Fred Ottman

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It’s hard to get more disappointing than one of the most infamous botches in the history of wrestling. Fred Ottoman was Dusty Rhodes’s brother-in-law, best known as Tugboat/Typhoon in WWE. As Dusty was working with WCW again in 1993, he talked the higher-ups into the idea of creating a brand new challenger for Vader. The idea was Ottoman coming out as the partner for Sting, Davey Boy Smith and Dustin Rhodes at War Games, get the win and be pushed to face Vader.

His debut was to take place in a “Flair for the Gold” interview segment against the heels. Instead, in a classic moment, Ottoman tripped on a board and his helmet flew off and squandered his entire push in seconds. Given how much WCW invested in this guy, Ottoman’s botch made him a bigger letdown.

12 1994 WWE: Undertaker

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As 1994 began, fans were hoping WWE would finally pull the trigger and let The Undertaker have a run as champion. Wildly popular, 'Taker was a huge star and with Luger failing, he seemed like the best bet to beat Yokozuna. They had a casket match at the Royal Rumble, which should've had Taker going over. Instead, he was beaten down by a dozen guys and tossed into the casket. That led to the bizarre sight of 'Taker levitating to the heavens. For months, he was gone, as the angle was done for him to recover from an injury. An Undertaker figure seemed to join Ted DiBiase only for that to be an imposter and set up a lackluster SummerSlam main event. Even afterward, 'Taker was just in minor bouts before getting a casket rematch with Yokozuna, and was passed over by Diesel as the next WWE Champion. 1994 was simply not one of The Deadman’s better years.

11 1994 WCW: Vader

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For almost all of 1993, Vader had dominated as WCW champion. He was astounding in battles with Sting, Cactus Jack and others and truly over as a monster. As 1994 began, Vader had lost the belt to Ric Flair but still majorly in the mix and it looked like he could be a huge contender once more. Then Hogan came in and everything changed.

Vader went from main event PPVs to being pushed into the lower card with stuff like the “International Championship” feud with Sting and feuding with the Guardian Angel. He did win the U.S. Tile at Starrcade but it was a bad match where Jim Duggan actually put in more effort than Vader. In many ways, 1994 was the beginning of the end for Vader as a monster star thanks to the changes in the company.

10 1995 WWE: Dean Douglas

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Shane Douglas had worked with WWE briefly in the early '90s as a babyface. After a run in WCW, he remade himself as the “Franchise” in ECW. He was a great heel in his prime and carried himself well, so it’s no wonder WWE came calling. However, WWE doesn’t hold back in calling Douglas’s run a total flop. He was given the gimmick of Dean Douglas, a teacher whose big promo move was scratching his nails on a chalkboard. He was okay in the ring but far from the great worker he’d been before.

Douglas also clashed with The Kliq too much which led to how he was given the IC title when Shawn Michaels was injured only to lose it 15 minutes later to Razor Ramon. Douglas returned to ECW and fans can’t disagree with his own assessment on how bad his WWE run was.

9 1995 WCW: Renegade

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1995 was not a good year for WWE but WCW was worse in many ways. Despite having some good workers, the company was riddled with an outdated product and made some unimaginative moves. Among them was The Renegade, as WCW really thought they could make this absolute Ultimate Warrior rip-off a star. They pushed him hard, giving him quick victories and then winning the TV title off of Arn Anderson. Despite all that, fans just didn’t take to him at all and the boos grew louder and louder. There were huge cheers when he lost the belt to Diamond Dallas Page and Renegade slumped badly. Even in a year packed with bad stuff, the Renegade push was a huge backfire for WCW.

8 1996 WWE: Vader

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On paper, Vader should've worked perfectly in WWE. He was still a fantastic worker and his presence fit perfectly with WWE pushing monster guys. The first stumbling block was Vader needing time off for surgery so they had the idea of him “suspended” for attacking Gorilla Monsoon. He was rushed back to action a bit early and while effective, he wasn’t used as well as he could've been. Arguments rage on whether he was originally booked to beat Shawn Michaels for the title or not, but coming up short at SummerSlam hurt him badly. That was followed by more missteps like losing a feud with Sid and slumping poorly. Given what he was bringing into the company, Vader’s tenure in WWE marks one of the bigger disappointments of the time.

7 1996 WCW: Glacier

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It’s hard to get more disappointing than a guy hyped for a long while falling on his face. For months in 1996, WCW ran promos with a guy dressed like Sub-Zero from the “Mortal Kombat” games and uttering the line “blood runs cold.” His entrance was good with blue lights and smoke and him doing martial arts moves. Then he started wrestling and it became obvious he didn't belong in a ring. Even a cheap martial arts B-movie wouldn’t accept his moves as it was evident he was all flash and no substance.

WCW had spent tens of thousands of dollars on his costume without bothering to see if he could live up to the push. He couldn’t as he was nothing more than a jobber and showed how elaborate promo videos don’t always make a big star.

6 1997 WWE: Faarooq

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Ron Simmons had been a major star for WCW for several years, and was the first black WCW World champion. He had joined WWE in 1996 as Faarooq but won no fans thanks to his laughable “gladiator” costume. In 1997, he remade himself into a militant figure leading the Nation of Domination. He had a major feud going with Ahmed Johnson and it looked like he was going to improve with his new gimmick. Then Ahmed was turned heel to join the Nation, robbing them of a key foe.

The Nation was then dragged into the “Gang Wars” storyline that dominated too long with Faarooq being wasted in tag matches and various brawls. It was a shame that such a talented worker as Simmons was saddled with all this to make ’97 a letdown year for him.

5 1997 WCW: Prince Iaukea

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It’s always risky trying to push a guy too far and too fast. It’s also a bad idea to do a knee-jerk reaction to what another company is doing. In early 1997, Rocky Maivia unexpectedly upset Triple H for the IC title. Determined to one-up WWE at anything, WCW had TV champion Steve Regal defend the TV title against low-level cruiserweight Prince Iaukea. Regal was looking forward to facing Rey Mysterio at an upcoming PPV and treated his Nitro match with Prince as a warm-up. Instead, Iaukea rolled him up to win the title. His reign was just six weeks before losing to Ultimo Dragon. From there, Iaukea slumped down the ranks, unable to win either the TV or Cruiserweight titles. He later infamously became “The Artist” in a bad run. Had he remained a low-level guy all year long, it would be one thing, but making him TV champion just made Iaukea’s 1997 more of a letdown.

4 1998 WWE: Steve Williams

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The “Brawl for All” remains one of the biggest debacles of the Attitude Era. Even WWE is completely up front about that. It was set up for a good friend of Jim Ross's, as his old buddy Steve Williams was being set up as the next challenger for Steve Austin. To sell him as more of a monster heel, WWE came up with a competition that mixed boxing and MMA, which was all a shoot. The plan was for Williams to win it and then be sold as the next big heel. Plans went down the drain, as Bart Gunn threw the entire script out the window by knocking out Williams with ease. That combined with an injury brought Williams down and he would leave for WCW the next year. How is that run anything but a disappointment?

3 1998 WCW: Ultimate Warrior

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You can understand the reasoning. For years, fans had wanted the rematch WWE denied them of Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior facing off. Given Warrior’s bizarre reputation, WCW was wary but thought it’d be worth it to sign him to a major contract. His debut morphed into a wild twenty-minute rant that went off the rails quickly. Then he began following Hogan with bits ranging from stupid (showing up in a cloud of smoke at War Games) to baffling (appearing in a mirror before Hogan). Their Halloween Havoc match was one of the worst major PPV battles of all time. Even Hogan admits it was a botched affair and takes a lot of the blame for it. Warrior was soon gone, meaning WCW spent millions for a complete debacle that left fans massively let down after such a long wait for this rematch.

2 1999 WWE: Big Show

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It’s forgotten how Paul Wight was actually a very athletic worker in his early days. For someone so huge, he was capable in the ring and even able to throw dropkicks. He’d received some solid pushes in WCW but by early 1999, he realized things were going downhill and got out while he was bankable. His WWE debut was during a huge cage match between Steve Austin and Vince McMahon where he tossed Austin through the cage to let him win. Show was then put into a series of bad feuds with Mankind, Rock and others. He and Undertaker did win the tag titles but the two reigns were each barely a week long.

Show was slumping poorly and one would think it would pick up with him winning the WWE title at Survivor Series. Instead, it was a bad run that included the infamous bit of Bossman crashing the “funeral” for Show’s dad. His later WWE work would be better with multiple titles but given his potential, Show’s first year in the company was a disappointment.

1 1999 WCW: Master P

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In the annals of bad mistakes made by WCW, this remains one of the biggest. For some bizarre reason, they thought the best way to spark up was to inject some music culture into the company (ignoring how that had already failed with KISS). So for a huge multi-million dollar contract, Master P was brought in as the leader of a group called the No Limit Soldiers. They came out singing rap and yelling “Hoody Hoo!” constantly. They were set up against another faction, representing country music, led by Curt Hennig and Barry Windham. The fans actually backed the latter more than the Soldiers thanks to them being outnumbered. Since this wasn’t the plan, WCW basically scrapped the feud just as it was getting hot. The Soldiers were disbanded by the end of the year to make this another colossal waste of money for the company.