The Most Overhyped Wrestlers That Flopped In The Ring

WWE

The wrestling world has seen its fair share of excellent debuts over the years that were hyped up for weeks or even months ahead of a star entering the ring or appearing on television. From Chris Jericho and the countdown to «Y2J,» to the ominous warnings about Kane from Paul Bearer, to weeks of QR codes leading to a website full of Wyatt lore, there have been so many memorable debuts of stars who have gone on to have lengthy, successful careers. 

However, more often than not, especially in WWE and certainly back in the days of WCW, a gimmick and the talent behind it could be as hyped up as possible, then completely fall flat in front of fans for many reasons. There are instances of talent being seemingly set up for failure from the onset, from lack of in-ring training, like in Eva Marie’s case, or those who have their debuts put on ice for extended periods of time, like Glacier, because of the debut of a now-historic stable, or like Berlyn, due to real-world implications. 

Over the years there have been so many stars who have been hyped up to fans at home, only to have their pushes fizzle out within weeks. From the likes of Muhammad Hassan, to David Flair, and even Sin Cara, there are plenty of overhyped wrestlers who flopped in the ring.

Sin Cara

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Sin Cara, the former Mistico, was a huge name in Mexico and CMLL before he was brought into WWE in 2011 by Triple H to much fanfare, including a press conference in Mexico City to announce his signing. WWE wanted him to be the next Rey Mysterio, but that plan didn’t exactly pan out. 

He skipped developmental, which hindered his progress in the company, as his style of lucha libre was much different than the style of WWE stars at the time. He debuted on the main roster in April of 2011 and some of his first matches included noticeable botches, potentially due to communication issues with his opponents, as he didn’t speak much English at the time. As the botches became even more noticeable to fans, WWE altered the lighting in the arena during his matches to mimic the colors on Sin Cara’s gear, potentially to hide his mistakes.

There were rumors, that Dave Meltzer seemed to confirm years later, that the former Mistico had a big ego backstage and he walked around like he was the star despite being amongst major WWE talents like John Cena. He had heat throughout most of his run, at one point due to the fact he stopped a match with Alberto Del Rio due to a dislocated finger and others backstage thought he should have continued and worked through the minor injury.

Mistico was released from WWE back in 2014 and the company carried on the Sin Cara character with another talent, Jorge Arriaga, known as Hunico, who had previously filled in as the Luchador when Mistico served a 30-day wellness policy violation.

Emma

WWE

Tenille Dashwood, who would be known as Emma in WWE, started in Florida Championship Wrestling and moved to «WWE NXT» in 2012. She gained popularity in the developmental brand with a quirky dancing gimmick and a catchy theme song that had crowds moving along with her. Emma faced off against Paige for the inaugural NXT Women’s Championship and even though she lost, she was still beloved by crowds in Florida.

When she moved up to the main roster, her character fell flat in front of those crowds. She was only on «WWE Raw» for a year before she was sent back to «NXT,» where she turned heel. Her final feud on the brand, against Asuka, was so good she was called up to the main roster once again. However, after suffering an injury that put her on the shelf, WWE began to hype her up as a more glamorous, sexy character known as «Emmalina.» Video vignettes of Emma in bikinis on the beach played week after week, going in to month after month, and the teases went on for so long it became a joke to wrestling fans.

Emmalina finally debuted in February 2017 when she walked out onto the stage and told fans she wouldn’t actually be debuting as this new Emmalina character. She told fans that they’d now witness the makeover of Emmalina to Emma and walked offstage. In the years following her release from WWE in November 2017, Dashwood said that those in WWE realized the gimmick just wasn’t for her, so they brought the Emma character back.

Nathan Jones

WWE

Former WWE talent Nathan Jones is better known as an action movie star, to the point his photo gallery on the company’s website include images of Jones in different action flicks in addition to a few photos of him in the ring. After his time in strongman competitions where he initially made a name for himself, Jones was brought in to WWE to be a protégée of the Undertaker, which was attempted creatively, but didn’t work out. 

His character in the early months of 2003 was Hannibal Lecter-esque and he was put into a storyline with Undertaker to help him against A-Train and Big Show. Jones was initially set to team with ‘Taker at WrestleMania 19, but was pulled instead to make the bout a handicap match due to Jones not being ready to compete on such a level in the ring. Instead of appearing in a match at ‘Mania in 2003, he was sent back to OVW for additional training.

When Jones came back later that year, he was a heel who went by the nickname of «The Colossus of Boggo Road.» He was immediately put on Brock Lesnar’s Survivor Series Team and was eliminated by Kurt Angle during the match. After working with Lesnar and Paul Heyman for a few more weeks, Jones quit WWE due to the heavy travel schedule. The man meant to be the next iteration of the Undertaker would never return to WWE after his run of less than a year on the main roster, but he did begin to pursue acting full time. Jones appeared most recently in «Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,» but was also in 2021’s «Mortal Kombat.»

Gable Steveson

WWE

Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson was supposed to make a splash in WWE as its inaugural NIL signee while still wrestling at the University of Minnesota, but his career never took off before he was quietly released from the company in May 2024. Despite his previous controversies involving allegations of sexual assault while in college, he was initially signed in 2021 after appearing alongside the Street Profits at SummerSlam in a segment where he was hyped up to the crowd alongside the babyface tag team. 

Steveson was drafted to «WWE Raw» that year, but didn’t appear on the red brand despite WWE making a huge deal out of his signing. He appeared in a WrestleMania 38 segment alongside fellow Olympian Chad Gable and made a few appearances here and there, but never wrestled on WWE television. Reports began to emerge that Steveson wasn’t progressing at the pace WWE hoped while training at the Performance Center, and a Wrestling Observer Newsletter report said his performance was «poor» at the time.

He finally made his debut not on «Raw,» but on «WWE NXT» when he wrestled Baron Corbin. Steveson even accomplished something many could not do at the time; he had the fans cheering for a heel Corbin. The match ended in a double count-out and ended up being Steveson’s only televised bout. He would go on to score victories on «NXT» house shows and in dark matches before «WWE SmackDown» but was never seen on television again.

Giant Gonzalez

WWE

Giant Gonzalez is known best for two things, his absolutely atrocious airbrushed, fuzzy gear and his matches with The Undertaker. He was also known as El Gigante during his time in WCW and in both promotions, the Argentinian was billed at exactly eight-feet-tall, though he was actually 7’7″. Gonzalez received over a year of training before debuting in WCW. At one point, he feuded with Ric Flair over the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.

He signed with the then-WWF in 1993, which is where he received his now-iconic airbrushed muscles. He was almost immediately put into a feud with Undertaker and eliminated him from that year’s Royal Rumble match. The pair squared off at WrestleMania 9 where Gonzalez lost after knocking Undertaker out with chloroform. The pair fought again at SummerSlam and the feud came to an end, and with it, the rest of Gonzalez’s WWF career. He would go on to have a few more matches, but nothing else took off for him, and he left the company in October 1993.

Gonzalez wrestled for NJPW and another Japanese promotion until his official retirement from wrestling in February 1995, where he lost to the Great Muta in his final match.

Berlyn

WWE

Alex Wright’s «Berlyn» gimmick is yet another example of a character who failed to get over due to a delay in their debut. He was once viewed by Ted Turner’s promotion as the next best young prospect, but when his natural good looks were replaced with a darker mood, mohawk, sunglasses, goatee, and trench coat, things started to go south. Berlyn would also only speak in German, further confusing audiences.

Berlyn was set to debut in the spring of 1999 with his darker look, but the Columbine school shooting earlier in the year forced the promotion to delay his debut, as his trench coat-wearing aesthetic seemed a bit too similar to the shooters’ depictions. His in-ring debut also fell flat when it finally happened. Berlyn was meant to face Buff Bagwell at Fall Brawl, but Bagwell refused to lose to him and missed the show. Berlyn would face Hacksaw Jim Duggan, who no-sold all his offense despite taking the pin.

The gimmick continued to be unpopular, though WCW attempted to push him after his beginnings with the gimmick were a disaster, but he never got over with fans. Berlyn would take a few months off WCW TV before coming back in 2000 under his real name to team with Disco Inferno and reunite as the Boogie Knights.

Eva Marie

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Former collegiate soccer player and fitness model Eva Marie’s run in WWE seemed like it was set up for success, as she impressed WWE talent scouts almost immediately and was brought in to the company around the time E! Network reality series «Total Divas» was getting underway. However, Marie’s integration into the company seemed based solely on the show, and she wasn’t given enough time to properly train in the ring to become more than a reality TV star.

Marie briefly worked with Brian Kendrick ahead of her in-ring debut in 2013, ruffling the feathers of some of her «Total Divas» castmates who weren’t awarded the luxury of one-on-one training. However, when she debuted, fans immediately knew she lacked in-ring ability and started to boo «All Red Everything.» Marie worked on «WWE NXT» for a number of months before going back up to the main roster. She was released from WWE in August 2017, but would return in June 2021 after weeks of «Eva-lution» promo videos airing on WWE.

Once again, as fans remembered how she lacked ability, Marie failed to get over. WWE even attempted to turn her gimmick into a character who avoided in-ring action at all costs, from traffic jams to wardrobe malfunctions, to Marie teaming up with Piper Niven, then known as Doudrop. Marie left the company for the second time that November, but has expressed her love for WWE.

Glacier

WWE

Fans of WCW heard the words «Blood Runs Cold» for weeks before being introduced to Glacier, a Mortal Kombat Sub-Zero ripoff. Mortal Kombat first hit the arcade scene in 1992, and Glacier, whose real name is Sugar Ray Lloyd, was introduced to wrestling fans in 1996 after weeks of video vignettes that weren’t exactly film-quality on WCW programming. Lloyd was introduced to Eric Bischoff by Diamond Dallas Page and even worked a program with Muta on the independent scene, so not being able to work wasn’t his issue.

Glacier’s debut in the company was delayed for the shocking reveal of Hulk Hogan as «The Third Man» at Bash at the Beach that year. By the time Glacier debuted, the fans were over the vignettes and his expensive laser light show entrance wasn’t as exciting as the company hoped it would be. Fans were also much more invested in the realistic stable of the NWO.

He floundered on the mid-card for a while, but remained undefeated, and wasn’t handed his first loss until September 1997. Following a knee injury that took him out of the spotlight even further, Glacier was booked to lose to even lower-card opponents in early 1999 so WCW could officially get rid of the Glacier character and give Lloyd something new. He would re-debut as Coach Buzz Stern in August that year, with his Mortal Kombat character just a bad memory.

David Flair

WWE

David Flair was not the child of Ric Flair who would ascend to stardom despite being older than his sister, Charlotte, and the first Flair child to get between the ropes. David appeared in WCW and even feuded his father, but he never aspired to become a professional wrestler in the first place. David debuted in the ring just before his 20th birthday in early 1999 and became the youngest WCW United States Champion in history during his run with the company.

Despite winning a championship, feuding with his famous dad, and even getting involved in a romance angle with Stacy Keibler, his real-life girlfriend, David’s career never took off. He was bounced around from feud to feud so fast it was difficult for fans to get behind him in any one storyline. David was also completely green when he started in WCW, as he had no prior wrestling training at all. His training likely happened on the fly while in the ring on episodes of «WCW Monday Nitro.»

He was never truly over in WCW, but his contract was picked up by the then-WWF in May 2001. He was sent to OVW until late 2002, when his developmental contract was dropped. David Flair would come back to job to the Undertaker and did a series of dark matches in May 2003, but his wrestling career never really panned out, and what he did accomplish is overshadowed by his famous father and sister.

Muhammad Hassan

Muhammad Hassan is likely the most controversial talent who had his push abruptly dropped for real-world reasons. Hassan, whose real name is Marc Copani, appeared in WWE from 2004 to 2005 and despite being born in Syracuse, New York, to a family of Italian descent, portrayed an Arab-American who wanted relief from prejudice and stereotypes following the September 11 terror attacks.

Hassan would berate the «Raw» announcers and others for how he believed they characterized Arab-Americans. His character caught national attention for all the wrong reasons during his feud with the Undertaker in July 2005. Hassan’s manager, Daivari, was placed in a match with Undertaker and was quickly defeated. Hassan came out to «pray» on the ramp and five masked men dressed in all black and wearing ski-masks, armed with weapons including piano wire, beat down Undertaker. They then lifted Daivari above their heads and carried him away. The episode was taped on July 4 and aired on July 7, the day of the London bombings. The episode aired unedited in the United States and garnered national attention to the point the network no longer wanted Hassan and Daivari on WWE programming. 

Hassan was written off television in a loss to Undertaker that sent him to a hospital, in storyline, and instead of getting a gimmick change, he was never seen on WWE programming again. He was released from his contract in September and announced his retirement from professional wrestling shortly after.

Lars Sullivan

WWE

Lars Sullivan is another former WWE talent who had the look that Vince McMahon loved. He was a big guy who did well at the Performance Center, but things fell apart for him quickly when he was called up to the main roster. His very short run was overshadowed by controversy as well as mental health issues. WWE promoted his debut for a few weeks, but when it came time in January 2019, Sullivan reportedly walked away from the arena due to an anxiety attack.

Sullivan didn’t debut until April of that year on «WWE Raw» by attacking Kurt Angle. He would receive a heel push, but on June 10, he suffered a knee injury that put him on the shelf. In addition to his mental health struggles, in May 2019 it was revealed Sullivan had made racist, sexists, homophobic, and other offensive posts between 2007 and 2013 on a bodybuilding forum, including some posts that had been written after he signed with WWE. Sullivan apologized for his actions and was fined $100,000 by the company and required to go through sensitivity training.

Sullivan’s final match came on October 23, 2020, on «SmackDown» and he was quietly released in January 2021. Sullivan reportedly asked WWE for his release due to his ongoing issues with anxiety.