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WWE is the biggest sports entertainment company in the world. It is the dream of nearly every upcoming professional wrestler to become a WWE Superstar one day, and to and perform in Vince McMahon's ring.
Not every wrestler manages to earn a contract from the organization, and even after a pro wrestler signs with WWE, it is not guaranteed that he will become a megastar. WWE has a stacked roster, and there is a possibility that a few Superstars won't get enough opportunities to showcase their talent.
The fans have witnessed how released Superstars leave WWE and make a name for themselves in other companies. However, some talents are too special to be released. When the top management fails to recognize the talent, sometimes the employees urge them to give the extraordinary stars one more opportunity to prove themselves.
A majority of the Superstars have captured the golden chance that they received and achieved a lot of success in WWE. In this article, we will look at those five WWE Superstars who owe their careers to other stars.
#5 Brock Lesnar saved Big Show's WWE Career
WWE veteran Big Show is one of the most famous Superstars worldwide. The World's Largest Athlete has seized everyone's attention with his unusual physical appearance. Big Show is a 6-time WWE Champion now, and he will probably lock horns with Randy Orton at Extreme Rules this month.
During his recent interview with Alex McCarthy of Talksport, Big Show revealed that he might not have such a long career in WWE had it not been for Brock Lesnar. He credited The Beast Incarnate for saving his career when the company did not have a storyline.
"[WWE] sent me down to Louisville after a knee surgery to rehabilitate and they kind of left me there for 10 months. They didn’t have creative for me and I kind of think it was one of those things where “this kid needs to go away and learn something," the 6-time WWE Champion said.
Since he had worked a lot with Brock Lesnar in OVW, the backstage staff thought of inserting him in a feud with The Beast on the main roster. Even Lesnar agreed to a rivalry with him.
"Vince said to me ‘so you work pretty well with Brock?’ And I said ‘yeah.’ And then it went a long and they asked Brock who he wanted to work with and he said me. He said ‘he’s a giant who can work.’ So that kind of endorsement, they were forced to take another look at me and I was able to make the best of that opportunity," Big Show continued.
The 7 feet tall giant has put over many Superstars in his legendary career. He recently joined Netflix for a sitcom titled The Big Show Show.
#4 Shawn Michaels saved Kevin Nash's WWE career
Shawn Michaels was one of the best in-ring technicians of his era. The Heartbreak Kid had several classic matches during his time as an active competitor, and he ended his career with a blockbuster WWE WrestleMania match against The Undertaker.
Although he came back to the ring two years ago at Crown Jewel, to team up with Triple H and take on the Brothers of Destruction, Michaels has made it clear that it was a one-off appearance.
HBK has been a valuable member backstage in WWE as he is a close friend of Hunter, and Vince McMahon respects him a lot. In the early 1990s, Kevin Nash worked in WCW with gimmicks like Oz, Steel (of the Master Blasters), and Vinnie Vegas. Those characters never allowed him to realize his full potential.
Shawn Michaels saw potential in him and convinced Vince McMahon to sign him and bring from WCW to WWE. WWE agreed and launched Nash as Michaels' bodyguard on the TV.
Kevin nailed the character of Diesel, and he developed fantastic chemistry with Shawn Michaels. The duo even won the tag team championships together. Soon, their friendship on the screen ended as HBK hit him with a Superkick.
Diesel became a part of the main event scene - even winning the WWE World Championship. He feuded with The Undertaker, main-evented WrestleMania, and had an infamous kayfabe-breaking moment with Triple H, Scott Hall, and Michaels at Madison Square Garden before he left for WCW.
Had Michaels not convinced Mr. McMahon to bring him to WWE, no one knows if Kevin Nash would have been a WWE Hall of Famer today.
#3 The Miz saved Mandy Rose's WWE career
The Miz has been with WWE for over a decade, and he is one of the most respected Superstars right now. The A-List Superstar is a former world champion, and is currently a part of the SmackDown tag team division. He has achieved almost everything in the company, and he seemingly paid them back by saving Mandy Rose during the 2015 Tough Enough competition.
Rose has quickly become one of the top female Superstars of WWE. She is currently portraying the character of Mr. Money in the Bank Otis' girlfriend. However, she might not have been a part of the company had it not been for The Miz.
The 'Miz & Mrs.' star judged Tough Enough in 2015, along with Paige and Daniel Bryan. Mandy Rose (real name Amanda Rose Saccomanno ) was on the verge of elimination before The Miz saved her using a 'save.' Paige lost her mind when the 8-time Intercontinental Champion announced his decision, but he saw potential in Mandy, and the female Superstar has not let him down.
Mandy Rose is currently involved in a heated rivalry with her former best friend, Sonya Deville. Co-incidentally, even Deville was a part of the 2015 Tough Enough, but she got eliminated during the third episode.
#2 Roman Reigns saved Tyler Breeze's WWE career
Roman Reigns debuted on the main roster as a part of The Shield in 2012. The Big Dog went on to achieve a lot of success in WWE, winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and later the Universal Championship. He is a Grand Slam Champion now. He has also headlined multiple WrestleMania shows.
Roman is currently at his home, as he has opted not to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. He is an influential Superstar backstage, but even when he was in FCW, he played a significant role in saving Tyler Breeze's job. The Breezango member, who currently competes on WWE NXT, was paired with Roman Reigns in FCW at the last moment, and the duo won the tag team titles.
Xavier Woods and Tyler Breeze later revealed how teaming up with Reigns saved the latter's job. As Woods recalled, Breeze was on the verge of being released until the backstage staff paired him with The Big Dog:
"All of a sudden, I see Breeze walking out and I hear his music. I’m like, ‘Wait, what? We’re a tag team?’ And then I see him walking out with who? Roman Reigns. And then what happens? By the end of that match, there’s a one, two, three, and Breeze and Roman Reigns were the new Tag Team Champions, while Breeze and I were a legitimate tag team.”
It is worth noting that even Cesaro played a vital role in saving Tyler Breeze's career as WWE canceled their decision to release him after his match with The Swiss Cyborg.
#1 Triple H saved Road Dogg's WWE career
Triple H will go down as one of the most decorated WWE Superstars of all time. The Game has now limited his in-ring appearances to focus on his backstage role. He is the father of WWE's third brand, NXT, and the reason behind the success of many an upcoming Superstar.
NXT has grown a lot over the years, and seeing the potential in the United Kingdom market, WWE also launched NXT UK two years ago. Recently, NXT hosted The Great American Bash event and beat AEW Fyter Fest in the ratings "war".
Speaking of HHH's backstage role, there was a time when Vince McMahon did not wish to hire Road Dogg back despite The Game's request. Dogg was a part of D-Generation X. However, he received an indefinite suspension in 2001 and later was released due to personal problems.
After a stint in TNA and the independent circuit, Dogg returned to WWE in 2011. Triple H played a massive role in his comeback as, during his appearance on X-Pac 12360, Dogg revealed:
[Hunter] tried three times. He [McMahon] said, ‘Why would you bring a known drug addict back to work here as an employee?’ And he said, ‘Because he’s been sober for –‘ Vince said no. So he said no two times, and the third time Vince said, ‘It’s on you, Paul. This is on you. I think it’s ill-advised, but you make the decision.’ And he gave him the opportunity to make that executive decision."
"And then later, Vince and I spoke, and Vince was like, ‘I couldn’t believe he was gonna hire you, and now I wish I had ten of you.’ And that made me feel really good, I was like ‘Holy crap. If there was ten of me, I could get all this stuff done!' (H/T: 411mania.com)
Road Dogg competed inside the ring for a while before joining the backstage crew. He got inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, along with DX buddies.
