Irrespective of which industry one works in, not meeting the expectations of your company is probably any employee’s worst nightmare.
Based on a string of factors, a certain amount of expectations on your shoulder every time you walk out to do your work and when you are working for a global company like WWE, and that too, in front of millions of fans, not meeting expectations could come with career-destroying implications.
With this being the perfect time to take a look back at the year that went by, in this list, we will be looking at those WWE Superstars that failed to live up to the expectations that were vested upon their shoulders by the fans and the company.
#5 Roman Reigns
Similar to the case with Eva Marie, Reigns was someone that had huge support from the WWE management. He had one of the strongest bookings in WWE this year, but what lands Reigns on this list is his wellness policy violation.
We still don’t know the exact details of how and why Reigns was suspended but his suspension forced WWE to change a lot of plans.
Rumours suggest that it was because of the violation that Reigns was forced to drop his title to Rollins. To get the facts straight, Reigns was one of the hardest working and improved names of this year, but getting suspended while being on top of the mountain didn’t do anything good for the Samoan Superman.
#4 Eva Marie
The WWE fans out there do not have a soft spot for Eva Marie. Most of us find it hard to accept her and we have reasons of our own for this. But WWE has been firmly behind Eva ever since she first stepped into the company. Eva has made some improvements here and there but 2016 was mostly forgettable for her.
Violating the wellness policy despite the company showing so much faith in her, proved to be a black mark on her resume. Eva then took time off to shoot her movie with Nicolas Cage and while this might help her get another push, overall, 2016 will be one of those years that she would love to erase from the history books.
#3 Dana Brooke
The fans that used to watch Dana Brooke in NXT will know how different she is on the main roster. Back in NXT, Dana had a character that had different layers, but once she ended up on the main roster things slowed down. As a performer, Dana did not show any major improvements when compared to her time in NXT.
And the forgettable outings that she had, exposed that Dana is still miles away from being a good wrestler. Despite all this, WWE was probably high on her as there were rumours about a potential Dana Brooke – Charlotte feud for WrestleMania.
However, those plans apparently changed and even the creative team understood that Dana still needs to make some huge improvements.
#2 The Shining Stars
The Shining Stars are a disaster, period. Before switching the gimmick, Primo and Epico used to be the Los Matadores, which seemed like a much better gimmick in comparison to what they are going through now.
WWE’s idea of trying to repackage these two as representatives of Puerto Rico seemed understandable, considering the wrestling-rich family they come from.
But such a storyline was no match for the current wrestling era. The Shining Stars had no heat whatsoever and the fans were not interested in giving these two any attention. A good portion of the blame should go to WWE as well, but the fact that these two could not come up with any improvements of their own gets them into this list.
#1 Paige
Where should we start with Paige?
Remember the time Paige used to be the highlight of NXT and how she kickstarted a revolution there along with Emma? She then made an impactful debut in the main roster as well but 2016 was been a horrible year for Paige.
The second half of the year, in particular, turned her career upside down. Paige first took a hiatus due to injury and later, she was suspended for violating the wellness policy. The Alberto Del Rio chapter in her life caused negative press and things got worse when Paige was suspended for the second time in a row.
Paige is yet to make her return to WWE and even if she does, it would be interesting to see if she could be the wrestler that she once was.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
