5 Guys Who Were Supposed to be "The Guy" but Failed
Hulk Hogan, John Cena, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Sting. In the long history of Professional Wrestling there have been main guys who can claim that they were 'THE Guy' of their era. However for every golden idol there is always polished turd. Whether due to backstage politics or unforeseen circumstances, here are five guys who were supposed to be the face of Wrestling but failed.
#5 - Chris Jericho
Put the pitchforks down this entry isn't about his glorious 2009 heel run. That was gold. Y2J has always been one of my favorites. A cocky heel with a personality that can make even people that hate him admit that he is a charismatic nexus. Chris Jericho has certainly cemented his place in the annals of Pro Wrestling history. This entry here is about that time Chris Jericho beat the Rock and Stone Cold on the same night to become the first ever Undisputed WWE Champion.
At Vengeance 2001 Chris Jericho beat the two biggest guys in the company in one night and ended the night with arguebly the two biggest belts in the Wrestling World at the time and even of all time. This should have been his moment, Y2J was finally going to be 'The Guy'. Until he wasn't
This was more managements fault than Y2j's. However, a failed push is a failed push unfortunately earning The Alpha his place on this list.
#4 - Seth Rollins
Remember the SHIELD? Yeah, the SHIELD were cool! Remember when the SHIELD broke up? Yeah you do! Remember when Seth Rollins beat Brock Lesner and Roman Reigns in the same night to become WWE Champion? That was awesome, right? Right. Remember when Seth Rollins retired Sting completely by accident and RAW had terrible ticket sales and ratings during his run as champion? No? That's because the WWE likes to leave out that part of the narrative.
Seth Rollins is an amazing worker. From preforming in Ring of Honor as Tyler Black to becoming the first ever NXT Champion, Seth Rollins deserved the win at Wrestlemania 31 when he cashed in Money in The Bank on Brock Lesner and former Best Buddy Roman Reigns at the show of shows and for a time it was good.
However for whatever reason people weren't buying the Architect as champion and attendance and ratings suffered during his reign. Also he ended Sting's career. Oops.
#3 - Bobby Lashley
Before Big Bobby Lashley was winning championships on Impact Wrestling and kicking all of the ass in Mixed Martial Arts, he was a WWE Superstar. The man held the United States and ECW Championships during his tenure with the company and even though he was there for a very short time it was clear that Vince McMahon and the hire ups at WWE were grooming Lashley for a top spot in the company. The problem was they pulled the trigger too soon.
While far from a bad wrestler. Lashley was practically a trainee compared to the Wrestling machine he is today and with WWE sticking him in matches with guys like John Cena and CM Punk didn't do Lashley any favors.
He never held the big one in the WWE, but he was groomed for the spot and that is why he is taking up this number three spot.
#2 - Lex Luger
Lex Luger, the only man on earth that would be able to get Narcissus to call him vain was one of the guys in the late 80s and early 90s that you could count on to be a good bad guy. The man's ring name even comes from Superman's nemesis Lex Luther for crying out loud. So what do you do when your top guy is leaving? Make the bad guy a good guy! Perfect.
In 1993, Hulk Hogan and WWE parted ways and with no top guys to replace him (sarcasm), Vince McMahon decided to repackage Luger into the most American dude ever. Coming to the ring in the colors of Old faithful the plan was to have Luger be the NEW Hulk Hogan. Only Bigger, Better and more patriotic.
The problem with taking essentially Lex Luthor, making him a patriot and making him drive around in an America-mobile in the form of a red, white and blue tour bus is that EVERYONE and their mother could see that some of the guys below Luger were more deserving of the spot. One odd Sumerslam Main Event win later and Luger would be showing up on Nitro very shortly after portraying his Villainous persona once again.
It just feels right.
#1 - Roman Reigns
Poor Roman Reigns. All he wants is to be the Big Dog he knows he can be. The tragedy of Roman Reigns is that he seems like a perfectly good dude and hell, hes not a bad wrestler. Hell in another time he could have been 'The Guy' if his push had come maybe a year or two later because at the time of his push there was only one thing standing between him and being the Face of The Wrestling business: The fan's undying love of Daniel Bryan.
the 2015 Royal Rumble was supposed to be Roman's night. He was going to win the Royal Rumble and go on to face Brock Lesner at Wrestlemania. Everything would have been perfect if the HOTTEST superstar in the industry wasn't ALSO in the 30-man over the top rope fight.
Bryan entered the match at about the mid-way point to the biggest pop of the night, only to be eliminated by the Big Show shortly after causing the fans to turn on the match and by extension the winner of the Rumble itself: Roman Reigns
This sparked a fiery hate of Roman Reigns that continues to this day. Good Luck at Wrestlemania, Big Dog. God Speed.
- Casey
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