5 WWE Superstars who were supposed to be the face of the company but failed

The ultimate goal of every aspiring professional wrestler in the world would be to get to the biggest wrestling promotion in the world; WWE. Some of them were fortunate enough to get to the WWE at a young age, while others didn't get their opportunity until they had proven themselves in the indies or other promotions.

While getting to the WWE alone takes all the aforementioned hard work and perseverance, the process of earning the trust of the WWE higher ups and proving they can be the top star of the company is an even tough task.

Some superstars gained the trust of the company and went on to be the biggest stars in the company's history. There are some who tried to get to that position but failed. How about we look at five such superstars?

#5 Mr. Kennedy

Mr. Kennedy had the charisma, in-ring ability, and the mic skills to be a big star in the WWE. However, his attitude backstage played spoilsport on his WWE career.

WWE packaged him as the perfect heel with a cocky attitude and as one who always had a chip on his shoulder. His entrance was among one of the best heel entrances in the history of the company, and he drew natural heat from the crowd, something which today's heels are struggling to do.

He was on the receiving end of a big push when he won the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23. That was supposed to be Kennedy's ticket to the top, but he screwed up big time.

He took the success to his head and adapted his on-screen character in real life. He purportedly rubbed the locker room leaders, John Cena and Randy Orton the wrong way and made adversaries out of them.

Though that didn't stop him from receiving his push, it was Orton's complaints of Kennedy's heedless in-ring work and John Cena's agreement with Orton which cost Kennedy in what would have been a successful WWE career.

#4 Lex Luger

While fans are grumbling about Roman Reigns ' booking, one can envision they might have done on the off chance they were around during the time of Lex Luger.

Luger portrayed a narcissistic heel character, but the company hand-picked him to be the next top babyface. They wanted him to play the role of a proud US patriot against the evil Japanese heel in Yokozuna.

Vince McMahon booked Luger to win the WWF Championship from Yokozuna at WrestleMania 10. But he rained on his parade in a bar incident one night before WrestleMania.

He reportedly drunk revealed that he will win the WWF Championship the next night which was made known publicly by the break of dawn. McMahon became furious about Luger's unprofessional behavior and went with Bret Hart to win the Championship at WrestleMania.

Luger was now pushed down to the mid-card and never returned to the main event before he jumped back to WCW.

#3 Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam debuted 2001 in the WWE after ECW shut its doors. Van Dam was one of the key players in the invasion angle. His laid-back demeanor and high-flying abilities got him over with the crowd.

He had to wait five years for him to get to the main event picture and his push started when he won the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 22.

He cashed in the contract against John Cena at ECW One-Night Stand and became the new WWE Champion and was also awarded the new ECW World Heavyweight Championship. It was clear the company had big plans for Van Dam.

His time at the top came to an abrupt end after he got arrested for possession of drugs, this resulted in him losing both titles in two nights. Van Dam never received a similar push after the incident.

#2 Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio rose to the main event scenes following the death of his friend and WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero. Mysterio won the 2006 Royal Rumble match and went on to win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22.

Mysterio was one of the biggest stars in WCW, and when he signed with the WWE in 2002 the fans expected big things for the "Master of the 619". However, he didn't receive his main event push until 2006 when he won the World title at WrestleMania 22.

His first title reign lasted only three months as it didn't go well as expected, and that's where WWE decided Mysterio's was not fit to be the top babyface of the company.

It was clear that his high-flying skills and his booking as an underdog were alone not enough for him to be the face of the company.

#1 Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley had everything Vince McMahon wanted in a prototype powerhouse wrestler. Lashley's work impressed McMahon when the former was on WWE's then developmental territory OVW.

Lashley made his official main roster debut in 2005 and was on an undefeated streak until February 2006. His bookings all but confirmed that he was destined to be the next top babyface of the company.

But the competition was too difficult for him to handle as he had to compete with the likes of John Cena, Batista and Randy Orton to be the face of the WWE.

Though he had the physique and had improved his in-ring skills, he couldn't match the charisma of Cena, Batista, and Orton and his act faded away, this resulted in him leaving the company in 2008.

Lashley is back with the WWE and will look to become the No-1 contender for Brock Lesnar's Universal Championship when he competes in a multi-man match at Extreme Rules next month. We can hope that Lashley ups his game and finds his way into the main event scene in the future.