5 WWE superstars who couldn't live up to the hype

Every so often, you hear the term "Next Big Thing" pop up with regards to young WWE superstars. These professional wrestlers show immense promise as youngsters and are then burdened with the expectations of becoming the next John Cena, or Triple H or whoever.

While there are those like Brock Lesnar who live up the tag, there are plenty of examples of the pressure getting too much for some of these promising youngsters and they crumble under the weight of expectations. Today, we're here to look at those wrestlers who just couldn't live up the hype.

So, without any further ado, here is our list of 5 WWE superstars who couldn't live up the hype:

#5) Drew McIntyre

If this list was being done six months from today, it is very likely that Drew McIntyre would not be included but for the moment, his career in the WWE is still one of unfulfilled promise.

The Chosen One was handpicked by Vince McMahon for success and even enjoyed moderate mid-card success before falling out of favour and being relegated to a run with 3MB as a jobber.

He left the WWE to reinvent himself on the indie scene and quickly became one of the biggest wrestlers outside WWE eventually prompting a return to the company as he signed with NXT.

Unlike the others on this list, Drew still has time to change his fate.

#4) Mr Kennedy

Poor MR Kennedy....Kennedy — Poor Mr Kennedy....Kennedy

Another man who was handpicked by Vince McMahon for success was Mr Kennedy.....Kennedy. The Loudmouth was supposed to be Vince's illegitimate son in an angle to propel him into the main event scene but things fell apart due to backstage incidents.

Kennedy proved to be an unsafe worker in the ring and this led to altercations with the likes of Randy Orton and John Cena. When you get into trouble with the likes of those two, you know your days are numbered and he was soon released from the company.

#3) Bobby Lashley

Lashley has enjoyed a fruitful wrestling and MMA career after leaving the WWE

Today, Bobby Lashley is the Brock Lesnar of TNA (or Impact Wrestling or Global Force Wrestling or whatever their name is this week). He is a massive talent who has also enjoyed a fruitful MMA career fighting in Bellator.

Unfortunately for the WWE, he will be the one that got away because they didn't have enough patience to let him develop at his own pace. He was thrown into the main event picture while he was still too green and lacked the skills necessary to flourish.

Today, he has shown the world just how good he can be.

#2) Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes seemed destined for WWE success. A hugely talented second generation superstar and the progeny of the legendary American Dream Dusty Rhodes, Cody was expected to be the next big thing and then some. He even started off with a great run as a part of Legacy.

Unfortunately, things fell apart after the group dissolved with Rhodes enjoying only sporadic success before being burdened with the Stardust gimmick. That proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back and he left the company.

He has turned his career around as a part of Bullet Club in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling and is even the Ring of Honor World Champion today.

#1) Teddy Hart

If you haven't heard the name Teddy Hart, don't worry. A member of the legendary Hart family and a prodigiously skilled wrestler, he signed with the WWE in the late 1990s at the tender age of 18 - becoming the youngest man to sign a WWE contract.

Unfortunately, his massive ego and attitude problems led to a number of backstage incidents and he was released from the company. He has wrestled in a number of companies all over the world but his attitude has always gotten him into trouble and caused his career to never really take off.