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It's no secret that WWE is the largest wrestling promotion in the world. To ensure that they push the best talent available, WWE has built the Performance Center, where they train and prepare the next generation of top Superstars.
Even before the facility opened in 2013, WWE had been giving their wrestlers a chance to prove themselves by competing in dark matches to impress management.
Plenty of Superstars made it to WWE in their first try. But others were not that fortunate, as they failed their initial trials. But these future Superstars did not lose hope. They followed the advice given to them to work even harder and come back stronger to claim their spot.
In this article, we will look at six WWE Superstars who failed their initial WWE tryouts before they came back to win the confidence of WWE management.
#6 Riddle failed his first WWE tryout due to an addiciton
WWE Superstar Matt Riddle recently had his name shortened to Riddle on the RAW roster. But this Superstar hasn’t lost any flair since his name change. Riddle has continued to show his strength and versatile fighting style on television. It seems like the higher-ups have started taking a lot more interest in him.
Riddle’s laid-back attitude and cool style have helped him gain a lot of support in the WWE Universe. But he wasn't always successful with the company. WWE rejected this Superstar following his first tryout with the company.
Speaking to Lilian Garcia on her Chasing Glory podcast, Riddle revealed that he was initially rejected by WWE, possibly due to the prescribed drugs he was taking:
"I got denied. I think if it wasn't for my past with UFC, which you would think would help, which it did, but it also hurt because I got in trouble for smoking pot. Let me clarify, I wasn't just smoking pot, I had a medical marijuana license, and I was legally allowed to use it in the state of Nevada because I had a couple of hand surgeries and knee surgeries, and I was prescribed all of these pharmaceutical drugs that I didn't want to take that were addictive. I chose to go that route and I got in trouble for that."
Thankfully, Riddle managed to overcome the darker days of his life. WWE decided to give him a second chance to showcase his talent. Riddle is now slowly becoming a top Superstar on the WWE RAW brand, where fans could watch him win a championship sooner than later.
#5 Keith Lee failed three WWE tryouts
Keith Lee is enjoying his time at the top of WWE RAW after a successful stint in NXT. He became the black-and-gold brand’s first-ever double singles champion. Lee wasn’t always so fortunate when it came to wrestling for WWE, though.
In the WWE 24 episode about him, Lee revealed that he had his first tryout with WWE in 2008. There he failed to impress the higher-ups. They gave him some important advice, though:
"The aftermath was very much a 'you're not ready', and Dusty (Rhodes) letting me know quite frankly that I suck on the microphone. Sometimes opening my mouth and speaking is difficult for me. I just thought 2008 to be a good learning experience and something to grow from - and that's exactly what it was."
"The Limitless One" kept pushing, and he got another WWE tryout in 2011. But this second attempt didn't go well, either. He was once again rejected by the company. While Lee could have lost all hope and even walked away from wrestling, he persevered, and he came back for a third tryout in 2013.
While Lee went in with improved mic skills, he was still not accepted by WWE. However, Dusty Rhodes was impressed by Lee and told him, 'Son, you've got a presence I can literally bask in.' "The Limitless One" explained that that’s where he got his catchphrase from. He was ultimately signed by WWE in 2018.
Thankfully, Lee did not give up hope and kept pushing on, and now he is one of the fastest rising Superstars in WWE.
#4 Robert Roode failed a few WWE tryouts before he made it big in TNA
Robert Roode has seen several ups and downs in his career. Roode joined WWE in mid-2016 after he enjoyed a successful career in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA.) He quickly became a star on the NXT brand.
While Roode signed with WWE after he was already seen as a big name in the industry, it’s important to note that Roode tried to sign with the company as early as 1999. Between 1999 and 2004, Roode appeared for the company several times and competed in dark matches.
On an episode of "The Art of Wrestling," Roode spoke with his long-time friend Colt Cabana in 2016 about his WWE tryouts.
After he failed a few times, John Laurinaitis gave Roode the golden advice of trying to ‘get over’ at some other promotions. Roode listened, as he went toTNA and became one of their top Superstars. After a prosperous run with the company, he decided to make the move to WWE
Roode has managed to win the NXT Championship, the RAW Tag Team Championships, and the United States Championship during his time with the company.
#3 Ricochet failed his WWE tryout in 2013
Ricochet is one of the top Superstars on the WWE mid-card. After a great run in NXT, he's been looking to make his way to the top of the red brand. Ricochet’s athleticism and control in the ring are phenomenal, and these unique qualities have helped him remain in the spotlight more often than not.
It might come as a surprise to some that Ricochet did not get signed by WWE following his first tryout. Appearing on the Edge & Christian's "Pod of Awesomeness", "The One and Only" discussed how he did not make it through after his first trial in 2013:
"I got a 'they didn't have anything for me at the moment.' That was the best thing that could have happened to me at the time. 2013 is when things started to take off. I started to grasp the concept of how to make a match and match style and who I am. It was a good thing I didn't hired because it got me into the position I'm in now and where I'm at now."
Ricochet further spoke about how his time in NXT helped him develop his career. There, he learned how to perform the WWE style. WWE gave Ricochet a contract in early 2018, and he has regularly displayed his potential ever since.
#2 Dakota Kai failed her WWE tryout in 2014
Dakota Kai was one of the purest faces on WWE NXT before her heel turn showed her villainous side. This change in Kai's character can be compared to that of Bayley. With her new persona, it seems like this WWE Superstar has a bright future ahead of her.
While all might be going in Kai’s favor today, she was turned down by the company during her first WWE tryout. Speaking to Wide World of Sports, Kai revealed that she had an unsuccessful tryout with WWE in 2014. Even though WWE management liked her, they didn’t have anything for her at the time:
“You can't fake passion for something like that, and when you have the passion, it isn't hard to pursue a goal like that. I did my try out for the WWE in 2014. I wasn't successful initially. They said, 'We don't don't have anything for you now, but keep doing what you're doing and stay in touch because we might have something for you in the future'. There was a window there for a time where it wasn't that I was unsuccessful and needed to stop, but I had been doing this for nine years, I [thought I] should probably venture into something else and take a little bit more of the focus off wrestling. But I never really stopped. I kept wrestling, which was a good thing. I'm lucky I didn't stop.”
Kai also spoke about the influence Triple H and his guidance has had on her. She is currently a frontrunner to become the next NXT Women’s Champion, and it will be interesting to see how the creative team handles her heel character in the coming years.
#1 Ember Moon failed three WWE tryouts
Ember Moon has been all around WWE since 2015. She has recently landed back in WWE NXT, where she is looking to make some inroads during her second stint with the brand. Moon signed with WWE in September 2015, and it was only matter of time before she became the NXT Women’s Champion.
While Moon seems like a natural in the ring, she opened up about her three early tryouts during a guest appearance on Lilian Garcia's Chasing Glory podcast. Moon revealed that she was rejected by WWE three times. Though they saw potential in her, they did not like the way she looked:
"They said 'We are not going to hire you; You don't have a Diva look; yeah you are cute, but look at them and look at you'."
This criticism was extremely frustrating for someone as talented as Moon. She did not give up, though. During an interview, Moon spoke about how former WWE Divas Champion Paige played a major role in influencing her to try out for the company again. This determination paid off, as WWE eventually signed her.
Moon has been a prominent Superstar in WWE throughout her time with the company. She has proved time and time again that she’s got everything it takes to make it to the top.
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