When it comes to the WWE, it is true that you either leave a hero or remain long enough to become the villain. There have been a number of current and past Superstars - many of whom are considered to be legends - who dragged their careers for too long and it ended up affecting their overall legacy.

And it wasn't exactly a great sight to see them struggle to keep up with the pace as these wrestlers refused to call it a career despite their prime days being behind them. Some of them happened to be major draws, so it is understandable as to why the WWE kept them around them. And you have others who simply provided a veteran presence among younger Superstars, which is always crucial in the locker room.

While these names were fortunate enough to be employed by the WWE for multiple years, not everyone enjoys the same treatment from the company. In fact, there are plenty of Superstars who weren't around for too long as the company gave up on them for various reasons. But they remain popular among fans due to their potential, as well as moments of brilliance during their time in WWE and elsewhere.

Some of these Superstars experienced bad luck during their time with the company, while others remained under the radar for the most part. With today's list, we look at 15 wrestlers Vince gave up on way too soon and 15 they kept for too long:

30 Too Soon: Muhammad Hassan

You won't find many Superstars in WWE history who were able to generate as much heat as Muhammad Hassan did in his one year stint with the company. Although he was being pushed into the main event scene with a possible title run in discussion, Hassan was written out of the show during a feud with The Undertaker.

The network had requested for Hassan's character to be taken off television, forcing the WWE to quickly give up on him.

While the company did plan to bring him back under a different character, Hassan lost interest in wrestling and decided to leave the industry behind.

29 Too Long: The Great Khali

The Great Khali's WWE career spanned nearly a decade despite only being pushed seriously in his first two years with the company. Upon arriving to the WWE, Khali immediately began feuding with The Undertaker and went on to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. Despite the company's constant attempts to get him over with the fans, Khali was never able to establish himself as a top Superstar and fell down the card soon after his title reign. He would become a comedy act for the majority of his career and remained on television for far too long when it was obvious that fans had no interest in him.

28 Too Soon: Mordecai

Mordecai received plenty of hype prior to his debut with vignettes airing on SmackDown. WWE wanted Mordecai to eventually engage in a storyline with The Undertaker, believing that he could attain success with a similar dark gimmick. He certainly had an interesting look and a fitting music for the gimmick, but the fans didn't exactly respond to Mordecai's debut. It certainly didn't help that he was still green in the ring and learning on the go - which ended up being the reason Mordecai was taken off television. If he had been booked stronger instead of squashing random jobbers on SmackDown, then Mordecai may have had a longer run.

27 Too Long: Ric Flair

While The Nature Boy is still in the conversation for the greatest wrestler of all-time, there is no doubt his legacy took a major hit as he dragged his career longer than he should have.

He was a shell of himself during his final WWE run and still managed to get an incredible send-off with his retirement match.

If he hadn't joined Evolution in 2002, Flair may have faded away from relevancy much sooner as he had been struggling to fit into the modern WWE. And while it is sad to say about someone as great as Flair, it was clear that the company kept him around for too long.

26 Too Soon: Chris Masters

Despite receiving a major push early in his career, WWE appeared to have given up on Chris Masters as a main eventer after a year and ended up placing him in the tag team division. He ended up being released from the company shortly afterward, and returned two years later on Raw. Masters had significantly improved in the ring but the WWE never truly got behind him again. A few years later, Masters was name-dropped by CM Punk in a promo, claiming that he is one of the hardest working Superstars and yet he never gets an opportunity to show his worth. Perhaps if Masters hadn't been as green in the ring during his rookie year, then he may have reached greater heights of success.

25 Too Long: Hardcore Holly

It is truly impressive that Hardcore Holly managed to remain 15 years on a WWE roster. Considering his lack of accomplishments and memorable moments, you would think that he was an all-time great based on his longevity. WWE did attempt to push him up the ladder a number of times but Holly failed to even establish himself a mid-carder. He had a short run as a main eventer in 2004 when he challenged Brock Lesnar for the WWE title, and it turned out to be one of the least anticipated main events in WWE history as Holly had never connected with the fans.

24 Too Soon: Paul Burchill

On paper, Paul Burchill's pirate gimmick was silly to say the least. But professional wrestling has always been known for ridiculous characters and Burchill's character was no exception.

Fans were cheering for Purchill who definitely sold the gimmick as well as he could, but it was short lived as the WWE had a change of heart.

Burchill would end up dropping the pirate act to be repackaged, although he never picked up steam in his remaining stint with the company. If he had been booked better, Burchill could have had success with the gimmick and dropped it once he established himself among fans.

23 Too Long: Kevin Nash

Kevin Nash has never been a world class talent in the ring, but at least he was charismatic enough to be a popular WWE Superstar. And for the longest time, Nash was able to remain healthy but that changed as soon as he began his second WWE run. Nash was inserted into several major storylines although he had lost most of his following by the early 2000s. Not to mention that he was an injury prone by that time and an unreliable performer, so it was surprising that he remained on the roster until 2004. It was even more surprising that WWE chose to bring him back in 2011 for a brief run, including feuds with CM Punk and Triple H.

22 Too Soon: Carlito

Carlito shone as a heel on SmackDown with an impressive debut as he defeated John Cena for the WWE United States championship. He was well on his way to reach the main event until his face turn on Raw slowed down his momentum. Carlito would soon become a tag team wrestler prior to his release from the company. There have always been rumors about Carlito's lack of worth ethic creating issues behind-the-scene, but WWE didn't put their faith in him. Despite having a decent all-around career in the WWE, he didn't quite reach the high expectations for him to become a top tier Superstar.

21 Too Long: Hornswoggle

When Hornswoggle was introduced to the WWE Universe as Finlay's partner, he gained instant popularity with the fans. At the time, his appearances were brief and interesting enough to make him a full-time Superstar. But WWE soon began overusing his characters in storylines from winning the Cruiserweight Championship to being Vince McMahon's illegitimate son.

Hornswoggle would somehow manage to stick around in the WWE until 2016 when he was released from the company.

By the time, the character had ran its course a long time and yet WWE continued making Hornswoggle a prominent part of their programming.

20 Too Soon: Damien Sandow

Damien Sandow's release from the company came off as a surprise as he had gotten very popular with the fans. There are some who believe that Sandow could have attained main event status if the company had more faith in him. He had gotten over with different characters in his short stint in the WWE but that wasn't enough to keep him around. Since leaving the WWE, Sandow hasn't exactly set the world on fire so it is unlikely that he will return in the future. But he surely could have been a much bigger name if the WWE had given him a proper push.

19 Too Long: Kane

Now that Kane is busy serving his community, he may finally soon be done with the WWE after 22 years with the company. Kane had been among the top Superstars during his early years in the WWE and continued to be a relevant figure later on, but it became evident that he didn't have much to offer as he remained on the roster for too long. Even the crowds stopped reacting to Kane years ago, which confirms that he should have retired earlier.

18 Too Soon: Elijah Burke

Elijah Burke was a prominent figure on the ECW brand as he led the New Breed stable. He showed potential to become a great all-around Superstar, but his career never really got off the ground.

He would only last in the WWE for two years without getting many opportunities to advance.

Burke wasn't too far away from taking the next step and the general belief among fans was that WWE gave up on him too quickly, as he could have achieved much more.

17 Too Long: Val Venis

When Val Venis came to the WWE, he was among the top intriguing characters on the roster for a while. And he used to be involved in storylines that were suitable for his character during the Attitude Era. But as WWE began to shy away from Venis' antics, he took on a lesser role and eventually become a jobber. He did manage to remain on the roster until 2009, which was a few years too long as Venis had lost all credibility by the mid 2000s.

16 Too Soon: John Morrison

John Morrison was supposed to be among the top Superstars of his generation, and while he had a decent career in the WWE, as well as away from the company - he never reached his full potential. Morrison had the talent and appearance to become one of the faces of the WWE, but his former relationship with Melina was said to have sabotaged his tenure with the WWE. At 38 years old, he is still young enough to return to the WWE for some unfinished business.

15 Too Long: Mark Henry

Mark Henry's career was filled with ups and downs as the big man had struggled to find his place on the roster early in his career. And after spending years jumping from one character to another, Henry finally found a suitable gimmick upon his re-introduction to SmackDown in 2006.

He would go on to be a top force for the next few years, but he didn't exactly contribute much since 2013.

But he did manage to remain on the WWE roster until 2017 and was inducted into the HOF this year.

14 Too Soon: Matt Morgan

Matt Morgan only lasted two years in the WWE prior to his release with his biggest push coming in 2005 as Carlito's associate. Unfortunately for Morgan, he was stuck with a stuttering gimmick that made it impossible for him to make any significant impact. His release came as a surprise since WWE appeared to be high on him, and many thought that they could just re-package him with a new character. Morgan has gone on to have a successful career outside of the WWE, which confirms that the company gave up too soon on him.

13 Too Long: Alicia Fox

Alicia Fox has exceeded expectations by lasting a decade in the WWE. Most female Superstars tend to be around for a few years before leaving the industry but Fox has stuck through with the WWE in different eras.

Now that she is considered a veteran, Fox still has a role to play on the roster although it's no longer significant due to the rise of the division.

One could even argue that Fox is fortunate to still have her job with the company based on what she has contributed in the past few years.

12 Too Soon: Mr. Kennedy

While a strong case could be made that Mr. Kennedy sabotaged his own career, it is also true that WWE gave up on him too soon. He didn't do himself any favors by violating the company's wellness policy, but it was his botch against Randy Orton that led to his release from the company. Fans believed that WWE was too harsh on Kennedy especially since they had already invested so much in him as he had shown the potential to be a top Superstar.

11 Too Long: Santino Marella

When Santino Marella made his WWE debut, most fans thought that he wouldn't be around for too long since it appeared that he had no character. But Marella would soon establish himself as one of the top Superstars on Raw before turning into a popular comedy act for the next few years.

It would have probably been for the best if he had left the WWE a few years earlier than he did, as the company ended up overusing Santino when he was no longer as over.