It's generally accepted that reaching WWE is the holy grail for any professional wrestler who laces up their boots. The promotion has been the gold standard of the industry for decades. It's been the ticket to fame, fortune, and glory for many performers, making them household names and pop culture heroes over the years. A select few have even gone on to mainstream success in television, motion pictures, and endorsements. It's truly a place where all your dreams can come true.

Well... at least for some. Unfortunately, for every John Cena or Roman Reigns, there are scores of wrestlers who weren't able to capitalize on the opportunities afforded to them in World Wrestling Entertainment. Whether it was because of their personal failures, or dark forces working against them politically, there have been many performers who learned the hard way that the promotion just isn't for everybody.

10 Chris Harris

TNA Tag Team Star Never Took Off in WWE

After making a name for himself in TNA Wrestling as part of the tag team America's Most Wanted with James Storm, Chris Harris was ready to try his luck as part of the World Wrestling Entertainment roster. While many fans assumed the duo would the promotion together, the Wildcat jumped ship first. It turned out to be a disastrous career move.

Harris showed up out of shape and was given the generic name Braden Walker and one of the worst catchphrases ever ("Knock, Knock... I'm Braden Walker, and I'm going to knock your teeth down your throat"). He eventually had two televised matches and was out of the company within eight months. He never returned to full-time activity in TNA and faded from the spotlight thereafter.

9 Daniel Puder

Running Afoul of Kurt Angle Ruined the Rookie's Career

Daniel Puder's WWE story has been well-documented, so his inclusion on this list shouldn't be a surprise. As the $1 Million Tough Enough Winner, the former mixed martial artist received a four-year WWE contract and an immediate place in the spotlight. That ruffled the feathers of several veterans, who felt like Puder hadn't paid his dues.

That began on a November 2004 episode of Smackdown, when he got into a shoot challenge with the legendary Kurt Angle. While the match was supposed to show the Olympic Champion's superiority over the Tough Enough students, it didn't go as planned. Instead, Puder locked Angle in a kimura, and the ref was forced to make a quick count to save the situation.

Angle's anger backstage was evident, and Puder knew he would be the subject of some payback. That came during that year's Royal Rumble match, in the form of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Bob Holly all being in the ring at the same time as Puder. They mercilessly chopped the youngster to pieces before eliminating him. The former MMA fighter was then relegated to developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling, before being released by the company in 2005.

8 Rene DuPree

The Canadian Star Was Buried by Some of His Co-Workers

As the son of legendary French-Canadian wrestler and promoter Emile DuPree, Rene Dupree was one of those young prospects who seemed to wear a 'can't-miss' label. He found his way to WWE at the tender age of 19, and many felt the handsome, 6'3", 240-pound prospect was a potential WWE Champion someday.

He was placed in a high-level heel tag team, La Resistance, which played off anti-French sentiment at the time of the Persian Gulf War. This put him in the ring with legends like Mick Foley and The Rock, but it also put a huge target on his back. DuPree was the victim of constant hazing and harassment from multiple veterans - most notably Bob Holly.

DuPree has addressed his time with WWE multiple times on his current podcast, Cafe de Rene, where he revealed that Holly and other veterans took liberties with him in the ring, looking to hurt the young wrestler on purpose. The pain of DuPree's time in the promotion must have been pretty significant: he still has a beef about it in 2025, and he has called Holly out on several occasions over the years.

7 Kronik

There Were no High Times for the Team in WWE

The tag team of Bryan Clark and Brian Adams - collectively known as Kronik - was a pair of massive veterans who mowed down opponents in the latter stages of WCW. In fact, they were probably the best tandem active in the dying days of the promotion. Both men had prior stints in WWE, so it was no surprise when they made the transition following the buyout of World Championship Wrestling. They weren't brought in immediately but negotiated a return shortly after the deal was finalized.

With their gimmick relying on multiple marijuana references, they seemed like a perfect fit for McMahonland during the Attitude Era. They were proven performers, had the size and the gimmick, and they could have helped revitalize WWE's tag team division. Instead, the buzz surrounding this duo wore off quickly.

Caught up in the confusing and convoluted era of pro wrestling at the time, Kronik was never able to find their spark. Despite being two-time WCW World Tag Team Champions, they never struck gold in WWE, and they were gone after only a handful of matches. Neither man worked for another major American promotion again. Adams would tragically away in 2007 at the age of 43.

6 Low-Ki

The Veteran Was Positioned as a Rookie in WWE

Low-Ki may be one of the greatest enigmas in pro wrestling history. As one of the most talented performers of the early 2000s, he was the first-ever Ring of Honor World Champion and a standout in TNA Wrestling. Combining awesome aerial skills with martial arts mastery, he seemed destined to be a WWE Superstar someday.

Despite being a bit undersized by WWE standards, Low-Ki was eventually signed by the company and renamed Kaval. However, despite his many accomplishments on the indies and the international circuit, the promotion treated him more like a regular rookie on the rise than a venerable veteran. He won NXT Season Two, but his WWE career never took off with the promotion. Some cited that he may have had a higher opinion of his talents than management did. At the same time, he was also viewed more as a 'TNA guy'.

He would last less than two years in WWE, and he never returned to the same level of prominence in TNA, despite multiple returns to that promotion. In many ways, his crash-and-burn with World Wrestling Entertainment defined his career, as he often departed companies almost as quickly as he ed them.

5 Serena Deeb

The Mat Master Never Had the Chance to Showcase Her Superb Skills

Today, Serena Deeb is known as one of the veteran technicians and trainers in professional wrestling today. She has traveled the globe, winning championships in multiple promotions. Since 2020, she has worked for All Elite Wrestling as both a coach and part-time performer. But in 2009, she ventured into the ranks of WWE. Within a year, she had been promoted to the main roster and was part of CM Punk's Straight Edge Society. In a memorable moment, she volunteered to have her head shaved on live TV as part of that storyline.

Unfortunately, losing her locks didn't garner any love from the company. Despite her excellent technical skills, Deeb rarely had the opportunity to showcase them. Instead, she spent most of her time in the shadows of her fellow SES . She may have skinned her scalp for WWE, but they gave her the short haircut in the end.

4 Monty Brown

The Former NFL Star Was Renamed, Repackaged, and then Released

Former NFL player Monty Brown seemingly came out of nowhere in TNA Wrestling and looked like a superstar right from the start. He had the look, the legitimate athletic background, and a football-inspired finisher, 'The Pounce'. He seemed earmarked to eventually be the champion in the promotion, but the former Buffalo Bills linebacker decided to jump ship and ink a deal with WWE in 2006.

Re-packaged as 'Marcus Cor Von', he was assigned to the promotion's relaunch of the ECW brand, but he inevitably went nowhere with the company. Brown, who had been named Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Rookie of the Year Award in 2004, was out of wrestling altogether by the end of 2007. Truth be said, Brown was released after taking three months off for "family issues", and retired from pro wrestling immediately after WWE terminated his contract. The story (which he has not confirmed) is that he decided to retire to take care of his sister's kids after she ed away. However, had he stayed with TNA, he would likely have been a World Champion at least once. Instead, he never won that singles belt, or any other championship in either of the two promotions.

3 Diamond Dallas Page

His WWE Entrance StalledHhis Career

As one of the biggest stars in WCW, Diamond Dallas Page was incredibly popular with the fans and an innovator in the ring. His charisma and connection with the audience made him the 'People's Champion' of that promotion in many ways. His world-famous Diamond Cutter was the hottest finishing move in the industry for a time in the late 90s.

Perhaps that's why it's so puzzling that the former three-time World Champion was brought into WWE as a mystery stalker of The Undertaker's then-wife, Sara. Originally, it was positioned that Page had made the move just as a way to play mind games with The Dean, but the storyline soon evolved into one of very disturbing and lurid details. DDP was transformed into a lovesick man who resembled a serial killer more than a main event performer.

It completely deflated any push that DDP could have had in his new home. Despite this, he would go on to win the European Championship and hold the Tag Team Titles with Chris Kanyon before retiring due to chronic back issues. But he never achieved the megastar status he had with WCW ever again. On a positive note, though, WWE would eventually reward him for his career achievements by inducting him into the Hall of Fame in 2017.

2 Buff Bagwell

The Promising Former WCW Star Fell Quickly in WWE

Marcus Alexander Bagwell was a golden child in World Championship Wrestling beginning with his arrival in 1991 at the tender age of 21. With his good looks and impressive physique, he quickly became one of the company's highly-positioned babyfaces. Eventually, he would make the move of a lifetime when he turned heel and ed the nWo. Still, he always seemed destined for a stint in WWE someday.

He got that opportunity when WCW was purchased by the Biggest Sports Entertainment Company in the World. Many predicted that Bagwell would become a much bigger star as part of the promotion's creative machine. Unfortunately, his debut match with Booker T was deemed awful, with Buff taking most of the blame. He would be terminated shortly thereafter due to booking issues (involving his mother, no less), and a physical altercation with Shane 'Hurricane' Helms.

Following his departure, Bagwell would appear for TNA Wrestling in its early stages, but his time working for any major promotions was over. Personal issues and the stain of his WWE failure certainly played a huge role in that.

1 Ronda Rousey

Former UFC Champion Disliked Pro Wrestling and Its Fans

Ronda Rousey may have made the single greatest debut in the history of WWE when she teamed with Kurt Angle to take on Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania 34. The crowd roared when she made her entrance, and she performed well for someone in their very first match, and on a huge stage.

The former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion was a worldwide celebrity and an MMA legend, trained in the art of judo. She was also perfect for WWE: she was photogenic, already a mainstream superstar, and she had a legitimate fighting background.For a while, the company fed her opponents and titles as they positioned her as the number-one female in the company. Soon, however, the luster wore off. As she looked to start a family, Rousey began taking extended time away from the ring. That wouldn't have mattered if she didn't also attack the wrestling industry and its fans at the same time. In multiple social media interactions, she referred to wrestling as 'fake'.

In short, Rousey got a taste of life in the WWE, and she grew to despise it. She may be the greatest example on this entire list of someone who was handed the keys to the castle, only to toss them away. While Rousey surely made a lot of money in the WWE, her behavior and comments tell people that she probably regretted getting involved with pro wrestling at all.