5 WWE Superstars who could not become world champions due to personal reasons 

For any professional wrestler, the ultimate goal is to win the richest prize in the business - the WWE Championship. To be placed alongside legends such as Bruno Sammartino, and to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the greatest Superstars in wrestling history is a dream that only a few performers get to experience.

Reaching the pinnacle of sports entertainment is anything but easy; talent alone will not get Superstars to the top. The stars have to align, and the WWE management needs to find tangible value to put the coveted title on a performer.

However, there have been instances in the past, where certain wrestlers were earmarked to be a success in the business. While it is certainly encouraging to have the backing of the company, it can be difficult to accomplish the task at hand, if you have skeletons in your closet.

We take a look at five such Superstars, who were expected to become world champions in the company but didn’t quite live up to the expectations due to personal reasons.

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#5 Jesse “The Body” Ventura

Before Hulk Hogan took the wrestling world by storm, Jesse “The Body” Ventura was considered to be the ‘total package’. With the looks, the wits and the talent at his disposal, the former Governor of Minnesota was brought to WWE from AWA by Vince McMahon.

During his brief stint with the company as an in-ring performer, Jesse faced Bob Backlund for the coveted WWE Championship. With his charisma, in-ring skills and his work ethic, Ventura was expected to achieve great things in the promotion, but the Vietnam war veteran was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs, forcing him into early retirement.

Ventura and WWE had a falling out in ’91, with Vince McMahon reportedly vowing to never work with “The Body” again. However, Jesse returned to WWE in ’99 as a special guest referee and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.

#4 Mr Kennedy

The story of Mr Kennedy’s fall from grace is quite interesting. The former Mr Money In The Bank could count himself as rather unlucky not to have become a world champion in WWE. Kennedy had it all — the looks, the in-ring skills and the verbiage to back it up. And according to multiple reports, he was just days away from winning the World Heavyweight Championship in the company.

However, one has to believe that Kennedy shot himself in the foot; Kennedy lost his Money In The Bank contract to Edge when the doctors initially thought that he tore his right triceps muscle off the bone.

However, it turned out to be nothing more than a hematoma. Kennedy was given a shot at redemption when he was booked to be unveiled as Mr McMahon’s illegitimate son. But that too amounted to nothing, with Kennedy getting suspended for his Wellness Policy violation.

Mr Kennedy then dislocated his shoulder in ’08, all but confirming WWE’s doubts in him as a future champion. The former United States Champion later revealed that his Wellness Policy violation stemmed from his medical condition, due to previous steroid use to get into WWE.

Kennedy was earmarked by many to become a World Heavyweight Champion, but his role in the steroid scandal essentially killed any chances he had of doing so in the organisation.

#3 Kharma

If we list the most dominant female athletes in WWE history, Kharma’s name will arguably top the list. At a time when the “divas” were twiddling and flopping their way through two-minute matches, Kharma embodied a significant change in the company’s direction, and she immediately made a huge impact, going after former WWE Divas Champions.

Many expected Kharma to challenge — and win the Divas title, but her WWE career came to an abrupt halt when she revealed that she was pregnant. While Kharma returned to WWE in early 2012, she parted ways with the promotion, later revealing that she wasn’t able to get back into ring shape within the time frame the company had given her.

#2 Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts

Jake Roberts’ character was anything unlike the fans had witnessed in WWE. His dark, sinister persona added an extra layer to his character and his intense, yet poignant promos earned him a reputation as one of the greatest talkers in the history of the business.

At a time when WWE was inundated with colourful characters, Jake Roberts was the exact opposite. His sardonic demeanour and his ability to paint a vividly dark picture made him an intriguing personality, and soon, the fans wanted to see Jake climbing the proverbial ladder, and win the WWE title.

However, Jake Roberts’ history with drug and alcohol abuse has been well documented, and it was this habit that kept Jake from being entrusted with the world championship. Jake’s tell-all DVD, “Pick Your Poison”, revealed the extent to which Roberts relied on his vices, and Jake could never realise his dream of becoming a WWE Champion.

#1 Scott Hall

If we talk about wasted potential in professional wrestling, we need to start with Scott Hall. Razor Ramon had the world at his feet in WWE; oozing charisma (or ‘machismo’), and gifted with natural talent, Scott was made for the promotion. Vince McMahon immediately saw potential in Razor and gave him a character that went over really well with the audience.

Winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship was expected to be just the precursor for greater things to come, but unfortunately, that never happened for Scott. Hall never shied away from talking about his personal demons, and over the course of the past three decades, Hall has relapsed multiple times.

Hall is also considered by many to be the greatest WWE Superstar to have never won the WWE Championship.

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