The WWE has witnessed some great wrestlers steal the show on the biggest of stages in front of the biggest of crowds, while others have simply let the whole wrestling world down. As they say, some were just not cut out to be WWE stars.
For every Shawm Michaels there is a Lex Luger and for every Undertaker there is a Giant Gonzalez. While the wrestlers may not be at fault for the bookings that the WWE makes, but you cannot deny that they were just not good enough to entertain the fans.
Here we take a look at the 10 WWE wrestlers who can’t wrestle:
#1 Batista
Dave Bautista has made a career out of his stint with the WWE. Following his run with the WWE, the former Evolution member has featured in numerous movies and has a few of them in the pipelines too. However, it is no denying that Batista was pathetic at wrestling.
If not for his Batista Bomb (basically Sitout Powerbomb) and Spinebusters he didn’t have much in his armoury. The six-time World Champion learnt so much less from Ric Flair that it was ironic as The Golden Boy is considered one of the best to ever grace WWE.
Currently, he is away from the WWE and is working on his upcoming movie – Kickboxer: Vengeance and that’s where he should be – away from the WWE. His lowest Wrestling Observer match rating was -1.5 for his bout against The Great Khali at SummerSlam 2007.
#2 Tatanka
It is nothing short of exemplary how Tatanka has managed to stay associated with the WWE for so long. Even now, he is signed with the company in a legend’s contract. Yes, Tatanka, real name Chris Chavis, last featured for the company at this year’s Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal and was one of the last contestants to be eliminated.
However, during his time with WWE – three of those stints – he has had minimal to no impact. The Native American was assigned a very good gimmick by the WWE creative, but he never did justice to it as his lack of in-ring expertise came to the fore every now and then. It is no wonder the WWE released him twice and he could never make it at any of the rival promotions including TNA.
#3 Goldberg
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion is an enigma and one of the most feared personalities in the history of the company. Goldberg was capable of truly golden moments but was let down by his technique, or lack thereof.
Remove his Jackhammer Slam and the Spear and you are left with 'Goldust' minus the charisma. Even Goldust had command over more moves than Bill himself. Known to many as a very stiff performer and one exposed to have very few tricks under his belt, it was not a surprise when his short stint with WWE came to an end.
It is expected that Goldberg will make a comeback to WWE in the near future, I hope not, for the future of the wrestlers currently in contract with the company as Goldberg is one of, if not, the most dangerous in-ring workers to ever grace the sport.
#4 Nathan Jones
The only reason people even remember Nathan Jones is because he was once part of a storyline with The Undertaker during his short-lived WWE career. The Phenom took on A-Train and Big Show at WrestleMania XIX and the WWE were so embarrassed with the skills of the 7-footer that they decided it would be better if The Phenom took on A-Train and Big Show alone than with him.
Following the match, he was sent back to Ohio Valley Wrestling to hone his in-ring skills but it didn’t help him much. Following his return to WWE from Ohio, he featured in the storyline of Brock Lesnar, as one of the members of his team against that of Kurt Angle but even that didn’t do him much good and he retired soon.
#5 Hulk Hogan
Regarded by many as one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all-time but the Hulkster was let down every now and then due to his lack of wrestling skills and by the adult video, he featured in. Make no mistake, the Hulkster was a phenomenal entertainer, but i wish he was just as good at wrestling.
Hogan had a limited set of moves under his belt and it was rather a shame that even the jobbers possessed a better repertoire of moves than the Hall of Famer. He was a genuine crowd-puller, but that crowd never came to witness him wrestle, but to entertain. Punches, body slams, a big boot and a leg drop summed up the Hulkster, rather ironic for one of the most iconic stars of all time.
#6 The Ultimate Warrior
The former World Heavyweight Champion was one of the first to challenge Hulk Hogan’s dominance in the WWE (then WWF) in the 90s. The Ultimate Warrior even came up trumps against the Hulkster as the grandest stage of them all – WrestleMania VI when he beat Hogan in the “Ultimate Challenge” to win the WWF World Heavyweight Championship.
It was only fair that this was Warrior’s only run as World Heavyweight Championship due to his lack of in-ring skills combined with a lack of work ethic. After his exit from the WWE in 1991, Warrior made a couple of returns to the company but none were successful and is Warrior truly to blame for that, considering his lack of in-ring skills?
#7 The Great Khali
The Great Khali took the world of WWE by storm when he made his debut on 7th April 2006, destroying The Undertaker, while he was feuding with Mark Henry. In the process, Khali became the first-ever Indian wrestler to make his WWE debut and took the pro-wrestling world by surprise winning match after match.
After the loss at the hands of The Phenom, Khali was moved to the ECW and returned to Raw only a year later when he unsuccessfully feuded with John Cena for the WWE Championship. He later won the World Heavyweight Championship which was vacated by Edge after becoming the last man standing in a 20-man Battle Royal.
However, all of this does not highlight the lack of in-ring skills that the 7-foot plus monster had. In November 2014, Khali’s WWE contract finally expired and the world saw an end to one of the worst gimmicks of all-time. Khali was a decent entertainer at best, but his lack of promo skills combined with almost zero in-ring ability meant he was always destined for failure.
#8 Lex Luger
Lex Luger had made a name for himself in the WCW before signing for the WWE (then WWF). He was expected to fill in the hole left by the departure of Hulk Hogan but instead he spent a two-year long fruitless spell with the company.
The two-time WCW Champion was expected to take the mantle of WWE forward but was instead seen feuding in Tag-Team competitions due to his lack of in-ring abilities and natural charisma. He even won the 1994 Royal Rumble alongside Bret Hart, but it did little good to his career.
#9 Sycho Sid
Sycho Sid or Sid Vicious as you chose to remember him, if at all you do that is, was one of the worst wrestlers in the history of the WWE. He is a two-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion and a two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, but only he knows how he pulled that off.
Bereft of anything similar to in-ring abilities and promo skills the 6 foot 9-inch wrestler was indeed intimidating but his stature stopped him from putting up great wrestling matches. Need proof, even Shawn Michaels – widely regarded as one of the greatest in-ring technicians of all time – failed to put on a great show against the psychopath.
#10 Giant Gonzalez
He once came up against the Undertaker at WrestleMania and came very close to breaking the ‘LEGENDARY’ streak as he knocked out The Phenom by using chloroform. However, The Undertaker was awarded the victory via disqualification.
The 7 foot 9-inch (exact height disputable) tall wrestler is the tallest to ever compete in the WWE. However, all this is relevant about the Argentine as he had close to zero wrestling skills and was indeed hired by the WWE due to his giant-like physique.
A former Basketball player, Gonzalez failed to make his mark either in that sport or WWE and was released from his contract after a brief stint with the WWE. He was, without doubt, one of the worst wrestlers ever produced by the WWE.
