It's no secret that Vince McMahon hasn't always been the most forgiving man throughout WWE history. He has been willing to put some misunderstandings behind him, while others have carried on for a long time. Following the demise of WCW, many of their top talents were recruited by WWE.
The company was accused by plenty of fans of sabotaging their careers due to the bitter rivalry that was the Monday Night Wars. Many of these names had previously left WWE to jump ship, creating a rocky relationship with the company. Here are 10 wrestlers that WWE signed just to bury them.
10 Scott Steiner
When Scott Steiner appeared on WWE programming for the first time since the death of WCW, he was greeted with a massive ovation from the audience. That led the company to push him as a main event star, especially since Raw was lacking in faces at the time due to injuries and recent departures. Given how Steiner was booked in his feud against Triple H, it's safe to assume that WWE had no interest in truly putting him over. He was used to extend Triple H's dominant run and came off the feud struggling to find a place on the roster.
9 Booker T
Booker T had made his mark in WCW towards the end of its run as one of the top names in the company. It was undoubtedly meant to be a disrespectful moment when The Rock asked him "Who in the blue hell are you?" upon his arrival. Things would only get worse from Booker after he dropped down the card fast and wasn't booked properly despite being over with the fans. It would take him some years to work his way up to the top, but not before he had been buried by The Rock, comedic segments, and later on Triple H.
8 Sting
Vince McMahon had been recruiting Sting long before WCW came to an end, but the latter always resisted a move as he questioned the former's motives. Believing that McMahon was only interested in making WWE look stronger than WCW, he rejected all offers to join the company until 2014. Fans had thought that McMahon would've been over the Monday Night Wars by now, but it's evident by the outcome of Sting's match against Triple H that such wasn't the case. Many fellow Superstars such as Hulk Hogan and Scott Hall have also expressed their surprise in seeing Sting accept the result, as it was clear that McMahon wanted to get one over WCW for the final time.
7 Scott Hall
As one of the hottest Superstars at the time, Vince McMahon had every reason to be upset with Scott Hall for leaving in his prime years. He would play a major part in shifting the ratings in WCW's favor throughout the Monday Night War, so it's not surprising that Hall didn't last long in his second stint with the WWE. He was booked to lose to a WWE-made star in Steve Austin, as well as other talents from the company. After just a few months into his stint, Hall was released from his contract. As soon as the WWE buried whatever credibility that Hall had left by 2001, they parted ways with him.
6 Christian
Christian rejected a contract extension with the WWE in 2005 to shockingly ink a deal with TNA. The move would do wonders for his career, as he became a main eventer for the first time, winning a World Championship along the way. Four years later, Christian was brought back to WWE, and it couldn't have been more uneventful. He was used on the dying ECW brand with terrible commentary to completely ruin the moment. After wasting Christian in ECW for numerous months, he was finally moved to SmackDown where he was constantly held back from reaching the top. He was finally awarded two World Heavyweight Championship reigns that were forgettable and short.
5 Public Enemy
As one of the most influential tags team in ECW, there was plenty of buzz when Public Enemy joined WWE. At the time, the company was aiming to strengthen the tag team division, and it appeared to be the perfect fit for both sides. Soon enough it became clear that WWE had no plans for the tag team going forward, as they were only to be used to put over the competition. That led to the infamous beatdown on the hands of The Acolytes, which spelled the end of the road for Public Enemy. Seeing as WWE had no issue in what transpired in the ring, it's likely that they had been signed just to get buried.
4 Buff Bagwell
While all the names listed here were buried by the WWE to an extent, none of them had their careers crushed similar to Buff Bagwell's trajectory. He would last just one week with the company, featuring in one of the most uneventful and stale main events in Raw history. Many believe that WWE wanted to make WCW stars look bad on purpose, which is why they had an unprepared Booker T and Bagwell compete in front of a rowdy crowd. Not only was Bagwell let go instantly by the company, but he was unable to get his career back on track since then.
3 Kevin Nash
The entire nWo could be included on this list as the group was made to look weak on purpose during their WWE tenure. Hulk Hogan lost more matches in his first year back than he had throughout the majority of his career. Scott Hall jobbed to Steve Austin at WrestleMania and was never made to look strong at any point. As for Kevin Nash, he fell from grace as a former multiple time World Champion to an upper-carder. He lost nearly every important match upon his return while putting over younger Superstars, making it clear for all to see that former WCW stars stood no chance in their new home.
2 Ric Flair
Ric Flair had been one of the most iconic stars from WCW when he joined the WWE. Although he had been a member of the company during the 90s, Flair was much more known for his work outside of Vince McMahon's empire. Flair was treated like a mid-carder during his WWE comeback, playing the role of Triple H's sidekick in Evolution. He also had some embarrassing losses that aren't befitting of Flair's legendary status and had fans calling for his retirement. While many former WCW stars still enjoyed a push to the top, Flair never got a taste of the main event scene again.
1 Diamond Dallas Page
From being one of the top faces of WCW to an afterthought in WWE, there has never been a bigger burial than that of Diamond Dallas Page. His unmasking received a major pop from the crowd, but it all went downhill from there after being booked as the stalker of The Undertaker's wife. The two superstars would engage in a feud where Taker completely dominated and humiliated DDP on a number of occasions. As for the remainder of his stint, DDP took on a ridiculous gimmick that sent him straight down the card before his eventual release. The use of DDP was among the main reasons behind Sting's hesitance to join the WWE for so long.