Joining the WWE as a Superstar is a lifelong aspiration for wrestlers all around the world, but not all is as it seems when it comes to the luxurious lifestyle that the company leads us to believe they all have. You see, more often than not, the guys and girls in the back have to scratch and claw their way to the top, and that journey sometimes takes even longer than actually getting there in the first place.
A perfect example of this will be shown to you in the form of these five entries, who have all worked tooth and nail to get to where they are today – and unfortunately, ‘where they are today’ doesn’t always describe a happy ending. But hey, at least they’re able to earn millions working for the biggest wrestling promotion in the world right? Wrong.
By comparison to the big names in the company, these guys earn diddly squat. Okay, that may be an exaggeration as they’re probably on a comfortable living, but several of the names that have left WWE in the last few years have stated that the money they’re being paid isn’t worth sacrificing their happiness.
So with that all being said, here are five underutilised Superstars who have been with WWE for a long time. Disclaimer: some of these totals may have been exaggerated by about 3-6 months, but come on - just go with it.
#5 Tyler Breeze – 7 years
Poor old Tyler Breeze. The man completely re-invented himself down in NXT and earned himself a promotion to the main roster not too long ago; but since then, things haven’t exactly gone to plan. The selfie stick king had been relegated to jobber status prior to his partnership with Fandango, and even now he’s still struggling to make an impact.
While the Fashion Police may be incredibly over with some members of the WWE Universe over on SmackDown Live, the two men are still severely underutilised considering how well-rounded they are. We understand that there’s a lot of depth on the blue brand right now, but their upcoming tag title shot is going to be nothing more than a one-off and that’s a shame.
The Titus Brand is here to stay.
#4 Titus O’Neil – 8 years
People may not know this, but Titus has been around for quite some time now. The former member of the Primetime Players has been floundering around in the lower midcard for quite some time now, with his many singles runs being cut short by WWE management who seemingly didn’t see all too much in the big guy as a long term performer.
It's a shame too because Titus clearly only does this due to his passion for the business. After all, his close friend Batista has stated in the past that Titus has all the money necessary to live a comfortable life – and yet he’s still chasing his wrestling dream because he loves it. You can tell, too, with his promos and in-ring work showing a lot more than the guys and girls backstage care to admit.
Bolieve.
#3 Bo Dallas – 9 years
The younger brother of the Eater of Worlds is not your average Superstar, with Bray himself admitting that Bo is one of the most underrated talents on the entire roster. Bo has been in the WWE for a baffling amount of time considering his age, and it’s his youth that leads us to believe that he can still offer a lot for the company in the years to come.
Also read: 5 WWE Superstars released in 2016 and where are they now?
He's always managed to knock every gimmick he’s given out of the park, and there aren’t many Superstars who can make that claim. Dallas has jumped through every single hoop that the company has put in front of him, and despite some of his issues behind the scenes, we fully believe that he can make a real impact either on his own or as a member of The Wyatt Family.
Whatever happened to this next guy?
#2 Curtis Axel – 10 years
We can’t imagine it’s easy being the son of a WWE legend, especially when your dad is referred to as Mr Perfect. However, from the very start of his career with the company, Axel wasn’t really given a fair crack of the whip. Whether it was a lack of trust from WWE management or something behind the scenes, Axel isn’t in the position that many thought he’d be in by now.
Sure he’s got an Intercontinental Championship reign under his belt, but that was in the immediate aftermath of his re-packaging. He’s got the ability in the ring in addition to on the mic, but there just seems to be a dozen other guys ahead of him in Vince’s eyes. There’s still time to rectify this, but we aren’t holding our breath.
Wait, who’s Johnny Curtis?
#1 Fandango – 11 years
Yup – 11 years. Fandango, also known as Johnny Curtis, has been a part of the WWE family for over a decade and isn’t that just the saddest thing you’ve ever heard. The guy has mastered pretty much every gimmick that he’s been stuck with, and his journey deserves a better ending than being trapped in the Fashion Police alongside Tyler Breeze – as amusing as it may be.
He’s got a singles victory over Chris Jericho at WrestleMania to his name which is always a bonus, but that’s always going to be the peak of his career, and it must be pretty depressing to know that when he’s still young enough to make an impact somewhere. Who knows, perhaps a run on the indies is exactly what Fandango needs to revitalise his career
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