4 WWE Superstars who were pushed too early

WWE always chooses a ‘Golden Boy’ for an era and more than often, their impulsive decision to push a certain wrestler backfires. While this has persistently been an issue for the WWE, in recent years this problem seems to have inflated.

Throughout the years, Superstars like Lex Luger, Ultimate Warrior, Diesel and Bobby Lashley were 'chosen' by Vince McMahon to represent the company. But, all of the above Superstars fell flat on their faces. Be it poor promo delivery, limited wrestling ability or a bad gimmick, the principal problem was them being pushed too early.

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Although there are many people backstage who judge whether or not a superstar is ready for a push, the ultimate decision lies with Vince McMahon. Through his long reign as the chairman of the brand, he has abandoned promising superstars like Cesaro and instead pushed undeveloped talent like Jack Swagger. Today we look at the superstars in recent times who were pushed before they were ready for the main stage.

#4 Ryback

Ent — Ultimately a cheap Goldberg rip-off

When Ryback debuted in the WWE, it was evident that the company was trying to recreate Goldberg for the current generation. But, the main problem was that Ryback was never as good as Bill.

He debuted as a part of the stable named 'The Nexus'. Although the group was dominant in the beginning, they quickly disbanded after repeatedly losing matches. Promptly, Ryback began his singles career. He was portrayed as an undefeatable monster. After some time spent squashing jobbers, Ryback directly arrived in the main event scene. The hurry with which he was brought to the main event was perhaps what ruined his career.

He was definitely not ready for the push as his mic skills were average at best and he has been reported to legitimately cause injuries to his fellow workers. The most critical flaw in the plan was perhaps that the audience never supported him. From almost clinching the WWE title, he was slowly demoted to the mid-card and by the time that he left the company, he was fighting in pre-show. Had WWE developed him gradually, perhaps he could have risen to top ranks?

#3 Jason Jordon

Jason Jordan was the victim of such a bad gimmick that even his great in-ring presence and wrestling skills couldn’t earn him the support of the crowd.

After American Alpha was broken up due to the Superstar Shakeup, both Jason Jordan and Chad Gable started their singles career on Raw and SmackDown Live respectively. After spending some time competing in meaningless singles matches, Jordan was decided to be next in line for a push. On the July 17, 2017, edition of Monday Night Raw, he was revealed to be Kurt Angle's kayfabe son in arguably one of the worst booking decisions of this decade.

Jason Jordan is a great wrestler, but his 'whiny son' gimmick hit a lot of people the wrong way. Due to his certain lack of experience, he was not able to handle the situation. He could have performed well on the mic but the 'unexpected' reactions of the crowd pulled out the rug from under him.

Had he been pushed slowly instead of putting him against established wrestlers, he could have tried better to turn the tables around. Instead of interacting with the top-tier of WWE Superstars, he should have started his singles career in the mid-card. He still has time to work on his skills as he has been sidelined due to injury and can return with more experience.

Watch the crowd's reaction to Jason in the below clip. It will tell you the whole story.

#2 Roman Reigns

Enter captio — The biggest failure of the WWE - The Big Dog

Sigh! The failed experiment of WWE that they absolutely refuse to give up on despite obvious disinterest from the crowds. The disinterest has escalated to such a level that people have started to walk out of his matches.

Although Vince has made similar mistakes in the past, he has rectified them when it seems that the push will not work. However, in the case of Roman Reigns, he seems determined to force him down our throats, despite ample evidence that he is not the guy that people want at the top.

The primary reason for his failure was his premature push to the top but his poor mic skills and limited in-ring moves didn’t help his case. His numerous pushes did more to damage his gimmick than his limited skills. People are frustrated with the fact that the WWE refers to him as such a high priority when they don't even want to see the guy. His match at Wrestlemania 34 was built up a year in advance and for some reason, Vince got cold feet just before the match and made Lesnar win.

He faced Lesnar again at the Greatest Royal Rumble and will encounter him at Summerslam. This extended story-line has made it seem like the loftiest title on Raw is reserved for two superstars - Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. Roman has been given chances again and again to prove himself and has been given sufficient spotlight but still, he fails to prove himself. It seems that his career is not even salvageable right now.

Same as in Jason Jordan's case, watch the crowd's reaction in the below clip.

#1 JInder Mahal

Every time I look at Jinder Mahal, I wonder "How on earth did this guy become the WWE Champion?" He was the sole reason why SmackDown Live's pay-per-views in 2017 such low ratings.

Jinder Mahal’s premature push took place solely for two reasons: Him getting jacked up (as Vince loves big sweaty dudes) and WWE looking to expand its dominion in India. Almost every fan of the WWE resented the decision. Booking a jobber to win the WWE Championship straightaway just displayed how green Jinder was. Although Jinder has now grown into his spot as a heel, all throughout his title reign he put up below average matches and boring rivalries. All his flaws were highlighted as he was pushed into a spot he wasn’t ready for.

His current position as a mid-carder was what he should have started with. But maybe it is too late as people don't even care about his current rivalry against Roman Reigns. We can only hope WWE reduces this recurring mistake and doesn't ruin a superstar's career.

The crowd doesn't even care about these two guys.

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