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One of the many things that makes WWE fascinating is the fact that some Superstars, despite not being low on the company's totem pole, end up being huge Superstars. Vince McMahon's vision of how a WWE Superstar should be hasn't changed much ever since he took charge of his father's company. Superstars like Lex Luger, Giant Gonzalez, Alberto Del Rio, Bobby Lashley and The Ultimate Warrior (to an extent) are among the many names that the company believed would be the next big thing. But, due to some reason, these Superstars never really took the way the company would've wanted and ended up being a huge misfire.
But, over the years, there have some Superstars who have achieved megastardom despite not being in the priority list of the company. These Superstars were able to get over with the fans through their in-ring work and captivating personas. These Superstars were destined to be the next big thing in the WWE but it was either due to circumstances or sheer hardworking and determination that they have been able to reach the zenith of sports-entertainment.
Here are five WWE Superstars who were never supposed to make it big in the company.
#5 Becky Lynch
One of the hottest Superstars in all of wrestling today, Becky Lynch was never supposed to be 'The Man'. Sure, she was a great in-ring performer and had excellent promo skills but the company never got behind her as the top star, right from the get-go. After debuting in the main roster in 2015 as part of PCB, Lynch was mostly playing second-fiddle to her stablemates, Paige and Charlotte. Even her run in NXT wasn't anything noteworthy and she holds the notorious distinction of being the only horsewomen to have never won the NXT Women's Championship.
Lynch was a victim of the company's inconsistent booking which saw her become the inaugural SmackDown Women's Champion, only to drop the title mere months later to Alexa Bliss. The Irish Lasskicker would then have to with for over a year to finally get a crack at the title and when she did, she made a believer out of everyone.
What was initially intended to a heel turn for The Man had to scrapped and the company instead decided to turn Lynch into an absolute badass, a role in which she has excelled.
#4 Edge
The Rated-R superstar is perhaps the most decorated superstar in WWE history, amassing over 31 championships during his fifteen years run with the company. Initially starting out as a tag team wrestler, the Ontario-native would gain worldwide fame as a singles star winning multiple world championships and headlining numerous pay-per-views.
Edge, along with his real-life friend, Christian, would become overnight stars due to series of matches against The Hardy Boyz (Matt and Jeff Hardy) and The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Rey and Devon Dudley). The trio would take part in Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match for the tag team titles, with their match at WrestleMania X7, still being cited as one of the best WWE matches of all time.
It, therefore, came as a surprise when the Ultimate Opportunist was put in the main event spot as many within the company believed that he was mid-carder at best. But, Edge would prove his critics wrong and would become one of the best heels in the company and win multiple world titles, along the way. Edge had to, unfortunately, retire from in-ring competition in 2011 due to cervical vertebral fusion, which was caused due to a neck injury he suffered earlier on in his career. Edge made the most of the opportunities afforded to him, earning the nickname of 'The Ultimate Opportunist'.
#3 Daniel Bryan
After being a standout in the independent circuit, Daniel Bryan made his main roster debut in 2010 as part of ' The Nexus'. Bryan was not a prototypical WWE Superstar, inspire of being one of the most prolific in-ring competitors to have ever stepped inside a WWE ring. Despite being one of the most beloved Superstars in the company, the company never got behind the American Dragon as a top star. Bryan's booking was very inconsistent and he was placed in some of the ridiculous storylines during the early stages of his WWE career.
It wasn't until the summer of 2013 that the company started pushing Bryan as a legitimate top star by having him win the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2014. The Daniel Bryan Vs The Authority storyline was a classic example of real life imitating art and it was one of the best WWE storylines of the last decade. Bryan overcoming all odds to defeat Batista and Randy Orton to win the WWE World Heavyweight Champion is one of the greatest moments in WWE history.
Bryan's success in WWE would pave the way for Superstars like AJ Styles and Seth Rollins, who like Bryan didn't have a bulky physique, to succeed in the company.
#2 CM Punk
Even five years after leaving the company and moving to never return to professional wrestling, Chants of 'CM Punk' are heard in WWE events especially when the company heads to Punk's hometown, Chicago. The Second City Saviour's WWE Carrer was a fascinating one. Right from the get-go, the Chicago-native was said to have rubbed people the wrong way with many in the company feeling that Punk would never be a top star in the company. Were it not for Paul Hey man, one of Punk's biggest proponents, Punk would've been fired early on in his WWE run.
Punk was never really someone to give in to authority and many feeling that former WWE Champion had an attitude problem. He would constantly butt heads with the management during the latter part of his WWE run which eventually led to his departure in 2014.
But, despite the bad reps, Punk ultimately rose to superstardom in the summer of 2011, aptly nicknamed ' The Summer of Punk', where he would cut one of the best promos in WWE history. Punk would then have a 434-day reign as the WWE Championship, the longest in the modern era.
#1 John Cena
Despite being a prototypical (pun intended) WWE Superstar, having a great physique and a strong work ethic, WWE never really looked at Cena as a top star when he debuted in the company in 2002. Cena was in the company of Superstars like Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar and Batista in Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) with this group debuting on the main roster around the same time. Cena was the least likely to succeed among the group by his own admission. Cena's early run in the company saw him donning the gimmick of 'The Doctor of Thugomonics', where he would bury his opponents verbally before a match via his rapping skills.
Two months into his main roster run, Cena was on the verge of being fired from the company but Stephanie McMahon took a liking to Cena and the Cenation Leader was able to keep his job.
The rest, as they say, is history. With Sixteen world championships and multiple WrestleMania main-events to his name, Cena became the biggest star in the company since the Attitude Era. He is the company's biggest ambassador and has been one of Vince McMahon's most loyal soldiers. But had things gone as planned, Cena would've never have ended up being the star that he became.
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