Too Little Too Late. A Look At Wrestlers WWE Got Too Late

Too Little Too Late. A Look At Wrestlers WWE Got Too Late
July 8, 2024
By Ryan Porzl

Like everything in life, timing is everything in the world of professional wrestling and perhaps no one knows that more than Vince McMahon and the WWF/WWE. McMahon would have amazing timing throughout his promoting career whether it be the WWE's expansion to getting the right talent at the right time or even early. Unfortunately, McMahon and the WWE weren't perfect and for every Hulk Hogan or Steve Austin they got at the right time or even others like The Rock, who they got early, there are those wrestlers that came to the WWE too late for one reason or another be it age, personal issues, wear and tear, not fitting in with promotion at the time, etc. Here now, we'll look at various wrestlers and legends that WWE got too late to do much with.

Note: I don't own the pictures. I got them on Google.

Dan Spivey (Take Two)- Perhaps there wasn't a bigger "what if" during WWF's New Generation Era than Dan Spivey's second go around. A former aspiring football player, Spivey entered wrestling in 1983. After some time in the territories, including forming a team with fellow newcomer and future legend Scott Hall, Spivey had his first run in the WWF from 1985-1988 replacing Barry Windham as Mike Rotundo's tag team partner. He would even get a Wrestlemania moment by participating in the WWF/NFL Battle Royal at Wrestlemania 2. After leaving, Spivey spent the next seven years as a journeyman, finding success in All Japan, Herb Abrams' UWF, and Florida Championship Wrestling while also appearing for NWA/WCW as a member of Kevin Sullivan's Varsity Club stable and The Skyscrapers tag team with Sid Vicious and a then unknown "Mean" Mark Callous (the future Undertaker). In June 1995, Spivey returned to the WWF where he was repackaged as Waylon Mercy, a character who portrayed a southern gentleman before and after his matches while wrestling as a psychotic heel. The character was based off of Robert De Niro's Max Cady character from the 1991 Cape Fear remake. The Mercy character showed tremendous potential, especially compared to the cartoon atmosphere that the WWF had cultivated in 1995 as it came off totally different. Unfortunately, by the time Spivey made his return, he was going on 43 and was past his athletic prime. Worst of all, years of college football and twelve years as a wrestler took their toll and his knees and back were shot. Like Brian Pillman a year or two later, Spivey showed excellent character work but he just couldn't back it up in the ring anymore. Spivey only lasted four months back with his highlights being a loss to Savio Vega at In Your House III and a count out win over then WWF Champion Diesel on TV before leaving the WWF in October 1995. Since leaving, Spivey retired from wrestling and largely has done several jobs including working in alcoholism counselling. He eventually returned to the ring for one last match in 2015. Though the Waylon Mercy character didn't last, it would live on as the inspiration behind Windham Rotunda's Bray Wyatt character. 

Harley Race- Race is one of those talents that I think most reading this know about. A long time vet of the sport, Race entered the business at the age of 17 in 1960 and by the 1970s, was arguably the biggest name in the business as the NWA's kingpin where he enjoyed eight runs as NWA World Champion from 1973-1984. After years of carrying the torch for the National Wrestling Alliance, Race would jump to the growing WWF in 1986 and would be given the gimmick of "King Harley Race" after winning the 1986 King of the Ring tournament in an attempt to give him credibility with WWF fans due to WWF not wanting to acknowledge his NWA achievements. By the time WWF acquired Race's services, he was 43 and had over 16 years of wear and tear on his body by that point. Though still a good wrestler, Race was past his prime which probably held him back in the promotion. Unlike most on this list, Race would have a solid run which lasted 2 1/2 years and he had memorable feuds with "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and The Junkyard Dog, competed against Hulk Hogan on Saturday Night's Main Event, and wrestled in two Wrestlemanias. Still, you can't help but wonder how much farther he could've went if he were five to ten years younger. Maybe he could've been a major challenger for either Hogan or Randy Savage during their WWF Championship reigns. After leaving in 1989, Race would continue as a journeyman before finally retiring in late 1990, ending a thirty year career. After that, Race worked for WCW from 1991-1995 as a manager most notably for Lex Luger and Vader while wrestling his final matches as a substitute for Vader in 1993 where he faced old rival Ric Flair for the last time. Eventually, Race founded his own wrestling school and indie promotion the World League Wrestling promotion which he continued to run until his death in 2019 at the age of 76.

Jos LeDuc- LeDuc is a name most reading probably wouldn't know about and to be honest, I only heard about him a few years ago. A Canadian native, LeDuc began wrestling in 1968 where he first formed a tag team with fictional brother Paul and enjoyed success in Canada and the United States. After Paul retired in the 1970s, LeDuc would go out on his own and enjoyed big success throughout the 70s and into the early 80s. He mostly became known for his runs in Tennessee and Florida where he had memorable feuds with Jerry Lawler and Dusty Rhodes. He also became known for his antics, specifically in Memphis where he took a blood oath against Jerry Lawler by cutting his arm with an ax on TV which eventually led to a match where LeDuc pressed Lawler in the air and tossed him out of the ring and onto the timekeeper's table, breaking Lawler's leg. LeDuc eventually made his way to the WWF in April 1988 but had one of the more forgettable runs mostly only working the house show circuit and some dark matches on TV. LeDuc's problems were similar to some on here as he too was up there in age as he turned 44 in 1988 and had his share of wear and tear thanks to twenty years of wrestling. On top of that, his violent blood n' guts style definitely didn't fit with WWF's "fun for the whole family" direction they were doing at the time so he definitely felt out of place. LeDuc's run would last less than four months before he left the promotion. After leaving, LeDuc would tour for FMW in Japan before largely retiring by the early 90s. In 1995, he returned for a few special appearances for USWA in Memphis where he rekindled his rivalry with Lawler. The last memory fans would have of LeDuc would be during the dying days of Smoky Mountain Wrestling in November 1995 as he would be announced and promoted for the promotion's Thanksgiving Thunder set of shows (which turned out to be the promotion's final shows before closing). However, LeDuc wouldn't appear due to issues with diabetes. He eventually passed away in May 1999 from a lung infection brought on after falling in the shower. He was 54.

Kerry Von Erich- In some cases, Kerry Von Erich is in the Lex Luger/Vader category of a guy who seemed tailor made for WWF/WWE but never reached his true potential though unlike Luger and Vader, Von Erich's reasons are more sadder. Obviously, Von Erich is forever known for his time in his father Fritz's World Class promotion during the 80s where he achieved rock star status. Few wrestlers had the potential and star power that Von Erich had during this time and he even enjoyed a short run as the NWA World Champion before he even turned 25. By all accounts, Vince wanted Von Erich badly going back to 1984 when he began his conquest. By 1990, World Class was a shell of itself and had been sold to Jerry Jarrett where it became the Dallas branch of the USWA and Von Erich decided to make the jump to the WWF where he became The Texas Tornado. It seemed like Vince finally got his man but Von Erich would have issues that were different from others as he didn't have the mileage the others did and was still young at 30. In Von Erich's case, he struggled throughout his career with drug problems which at times hurt his career due to his unreliability. Things took a turn for the worse in June 1986 when Von Erich was involved in a serious motorcycle accident that eventually cost him his foot. While Von Erich would return to the ring thanks to a prosthesis, he then became addicted to painkillers. While Von Erich would enjoy a two year run and a run with the Intercontinental Championship (replacing an injured Brutus Beefcake), it's obvious that he never rose through the ranks many thought he would. After a strong start, Von Erich's stock would drop throughout his tenure and by 1992, he was a jobber to the stars all the while he spent time in rehab which sadly didn't help. Eventually, the WWF would let him go in August 1992. After his WWF run, Von Erich returned to Texas to work for smaller promotions but his life began to unravel with his marriage crumbling, financial issues, drug problems, and violating probation where he was looking at possible jail time by early 1993. On February 18, 1993, Von Erich shot himself in the chest. He was 33.

Superstar Billy Graham (Take Four)- Graham is one of wrestling's greatest innovators popularizing the suntan superman type of wrestler who oozed charisma and had a gift for gab. Obviously, when it comes to the WWE, Graham had several tenures with his second being Superstar at his best. Managed by The Grand Wizard of Wrestling, Graham first competed for the WWWF from 1975-1976 where he became one of many to challenge Bruno Sammartino. After briefly leaving, he returned in early 1977 and it was then where he ended Bruno Sammartino's second and final run as WWWF Champion. Best of all, Graham held the championship for over nine months, a testament to him given heel champions usually lasted a few days to a few weeks. Along with these, sellouts at the Garden, and legendary encounters with Dusty Rhodes, Graham's first run was magic. However, the run ended shortly after his title loss to Bob Backlund and he was never able to recreate the magic. His third run from 1982-1983 saw him adapt a karate look with bald head, reportedly upset Vince Sr. wouldn't agree to turn him babyface and he wasn't able to recapture the championship or his previous magic. His fourth run would be the one that makes him enter this list. After three years away, Graham returned to the WWF for a fourth run in 1986. Best of all, he was a babyface and back to the tye dye Superstar of old. Maybe he could recreate the magic. Unfortunately, Graham's run was doomed from the start. For one, he was 43 when he returned so he was past his athletic prime. Even worse was the fact that Graham was a notorious steroid user and the steroids along with nearly two decades in the ring began to take their toll. After only one match back in September 1986, Graham was forced to undergo hip replacement surgery which kept him out for ten months. He eventually returned by July 1987 and began a program with Butch Reed but it was clear Graham was limited and by the fall would be forced to undergo ankle surgery. Because of these factors, Graham would be forced to retire with the WWF doing an angle in November on Superstars of Wrestling where he career was ended by the One Man Gang. Despite the retirement, Graham briefly continued as he briefly worked as a manager for Don Muraco and then as a color commentator where he notably co-hosted the first Summerslam in 1988. However, neither of these panned out and he would be released by early 1989. After leaving, Graham remained retired and spent the remainder of his life either battling addiction or health issues all the while having an on again/off again relationship with the WWE. He eventually passed away in 2023 at 79.

The Rock n' Roll Express- Over the decades, there have been many all time great tag teams but one that is undoubtedly on the list is The Rock n' Roll Express. Consisting of Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson, the RnR started wrestling in the 1970s before they began teaming up in 1983. The team would be one of the many "pretty boy" tag teams that were popular during that time. The team would enjoy success in Continental Wrestling Association/USWA, NWA/WCW, Mid-South, and Smoky Mountain Wrestling winning tag titles just about everywhere. Along with championship success, the team's feud with the second and third incarnations of The Midnight Express are among the greatest rivalries in tag team wrestling. However, out of all the successful promotions, the WWF was one of the few where they couldn't find success. After some special appearances from 1993-1994 due to WWF's relationship with SMW, the RnR eventually made their way to the WWF in 1998. Unfortunately, by the time they got there, they had issues. Like most on this list, the RnR were in their 40s by 1998 and while still good in the ring, they weren't at their absolute best anymore. Other issues were that the RnR were among the famous "pretty boy" tag teams but they weren't exactly pretty boys by 1998 as they were starting to look their age. Another factor is with the WWF entering the Attitude Era, the RnR felt out of place as characters and didn't fit the antihero/shades of grey stuff the WWF was doing at the time and were more like relics of a bygone era. The Rock n' Roll only lasted a few months and a handful of matches before being released. Since their release, Morton and Gibson have continued as journeyman, mostly working indies and would compete for Billy Corgan's NWA where they enjoyed another title reign. As of writing, the team is on a farewell tour while Morton is with the NWA with his son Kerry.

Terry Gordy (Take Two)- Gordy's story is in some ways similar to his old rival Kerry Von Erich and one of the sadder ones. Turning pro in the 1970s during his teens, Gordy would shoot to fame by the early 80s as part of The Fabulous Freebirds with Michael Hayes and Buddy Roberts. The Freebirds would be a major act mostly in the southern United States in promotions like Georgia Championship Wrestling, Mid-South Wrestling, and World Class Championship Wrestling with the latter promotion seeing The Freebirds in their most famous rivalry with The Von Erichs. Though mostly a southern act, The Freebirds would have short runs with AWA and the WWF in 1984/1985. Their WWF run was mostly forgettable as they literally only lasted a month before their behavior and run in with Andre The Giant saw them gone. Though the Freebirds each had their talents, Gordy was considered special and the potential breakout star as a super heavyweight with great agility, timing, and overall being a natural for wrestling. After The Freebirds fizzled by 1987, Gordy began to mostly focus on Japan with All Japan forming several other legendary teams with Stan Hansen and Steve Williams while enjoying multiple reigns with the Triple Crown and World Tag Team Titles. Unfortunately, it would be in Japan where Gordy's issues would derail him. Like many wrestlers, especially from the 80s, Gordy passion for partying and drug usage was legendary and by the early 90s, it began to catch up with him. In 1990, Gordy would overdose in a nightclub and came close to dying. Sadly, despite this, nearly losing his job, being a young man in his prime, and having a family to take care of, Gordy didn't shape up. Finally, in August 1993, Gordy would overdose on pain meds and was left in a coma that left him with brain damage. Upon his return to the ring in 1994, Gordy was a shell of his former self all the while becoming a journeyman as he no longer showed the natural talent he once had. In 1996, the WWF would decide to give Gordy a chance, mostly as a favor to good friend Hayes and obviously hoped he could reignite the old spark especially after some promising matches in ECW. Gordy would return to the WWF in October 1996 as the masked Executioner, a hired hitman of Mankind and Paul Bearer for their feud with The Undertaker. Sadly, it didn't take long to realize the Gordy of old was truly gone and after a mediocre match with The Undertaker at In Your House XII: It's Time, it became clear to everyone that it just wasn't going to work. Gordy would only last four months before he was out of the WWF in January 1997. Sadly, the WWF run would pretty much be the end of Gordy in wrestling as he toured for WAR in Japan here and there while doing some indie shots during his last four years before passing away in July 2001 at the age of 40 from a heart attack due to a blood clot.

Dusty Rhodes- In many ways, The American Dream is much like his old rival Harley Race. Rhodes burst into wrestling in 1968 where he originally became known for his tag team The Texas Outlaws with Dick Murdoch before heading to Championship Wrestling from Florida where he became "The American Dream" in 1974. From the early 1970s to late 1980s, Rhodes would become one of wrestling's biggest stars where he enjoyed three reigns with the NWA World Championship while engaging in legendary matches and feuds with Race and Ric Flair among others. Outside of wrestling, Rhodes also showed his creativity as the booker for the NWA/Jim Crockett Promotions creating concepts like Starrcade to The Four Horsemen to WarGames. During his prime, Rhodes would actually make appearances for the WWE from the late 1970s to early 1980s as a special attraction while having a legendary series of matches with "Superstar" Billy Graham. After being fired as NWA booker in late 1988 and leaving the promotion in early 1989, Rhodes would shock many by eventually signing with the WWF in the spring of 1989. Rhodes' WWF run would be similar to that of Race in that by the time the WWF got him, he was past his prime and 43 years old. Meanwhile, the company also had larger than life heroes during this time like Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior. Going back to Race, Rhodes didn't flame out and would have a solid two year run with the WWF while having memorable feuds and matches with Big Boss Man, "Macho King" Randy Savage, and "Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase. Rhodes worked as a good mid to upper midcarder given his age and being past his prime though it would've been nice to see what he could've done if he were five to ten years younger. After his WWF run ended, Rhodes ended his run as a full time wrestler and spent the 90s mostly in non wrestling roles for WCW while making appearances for ECW in 2000. After WCW shut down in 2001, Rhodes worked as a journeyman for several years appearing for TNA, ROH, MLW, and Japan while running his own indie promotion Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling. In 2005, he returned to the WWE where he finished his in-ring career in 2007 and then worked behind the scenes for WWE and their developmental promotions FCW and NXT earning praise as a mentor to a newer generation. Rhodes would work with WWE until his passing in 2015 at the age of 69.

Sabu- Sabu would be one of two ECW legends that makes this list. A nephew of the Original Sheik, Sabu entered wrestling in 1984 and by the early 1990s would become a rising star with a nice cult following thanks to his daredevil in ring style, his bump taking, and being among the first to use tables as weapons. Along with making a name for himself in Japan, Sabu would establish himself in America for ECW as one of their biggest stars and had legendary feuds and matches with the likes of Taz, The Sandman, Terry Funk, and Rob Van Dam. After leaving ECW in 2000, Sabu spent years as a journeyman working various Japanese companies while popping up in TNA, NWA, and XPW in America. In 2006, the WWE would sign the human highlight reel after the decision was made to revive the ECW name in the form of a WWE brand like RAW and Smackdown. Unfortunately, by the time Sabu signed, he already was 41 and past his athletic prime. Another problem was Sabu not only had 20+ years of wear and tear on his body but his risk taking style meant he was probably even more banged up. Finally, there was a case of wrong era as Sabu probably would've been a better fit for WWE during the Attitude Era when the promotion had it's Hardcore division and the TLC matches were coming up. By 2006, the WWE had done away with the Hardcore division and crash TV booking. With that, plus ECW being far more tame compared to the original, Sabu felt a bit out of place. To be fair, despite this, he did last a year, had a PPV match with John Cena, and participated in the big four PPVs including getting a Wrestlemania moment when he won an eight man tag at Wrestlemania 23. Sabu's run, as mentioned, lasted a year before he was released. Since then, he resumed becoming a journeyman wrestler until retiring in 2021.

Brian Pillman- Safe to say, you can't do a list like this without bringing up Brian Pillman. Trained by the Hart Family, Pillman entered wrestling in 1986 and spent his early years in Stampede Wrestling where he was a two time tag team champion with Bruce Hart. From 1989-1996, Pillman then went to NWA/WCW where he enjoyed the prime of his career. There, he was a two time and inaugural WCW Light Heavyweight Champion, a former NWA/WCW World Tag Team Champion, and a member of the legendary Four Horsemen as well as the popular Hollywood Blondes team. In early 1996, Pillman began his unpredictable "Loose Cannon" persona and was able to get a release from WCW. He quickly came into demand and by June 1996, the WWF would sign him. With the promotion in a transition, Pillman looked to be a great addition. Unfortunately, Pillman's downfall began before his WWF arrival when he was involved in a serious car accident in April 1996 which left him with a shattered ankle. Despite the severity of the injury, the WWF signed him that June and hoped for the best. Sadly, the injury along with his ankle not healing and needing to be fused in one position resulted in Pillman missing over a year in the ring. Even worse, by the time Pillman began competing in June 1997, he was a shell of his former self and very limited in what he could do. In many ways, Pillman was what Dan Spivey was two years earlier: an excellent character but couldn't keep up in the ring anymore. Even sadder, Pillman also struggled with personal issues like painkillers and alcohol which further diminished him. Pillman's WWF run only lasted less than a year and half before suddenly passing away in October 1997 due to heart disease at 35.

The Sandman- Sandman is like his old rival Sabu in many ways. Originally turning pro in 1989, Sandman would make his legend in ECW as one of their iconic wrestlers. Though not considered a great wrestler, The Sandman would make up for it with his charisma and blue collar ass kicking character. Outside of a cup of coffee with WCW from 1998-1999, he was ECW through and through enjoying five reigns with the promotion's world title. After ECW folded, he became a journeyman before signing with WWE in 2006 for their ECW brand. Like Sabu, Sandman had similar issues as he was 43 when ECW relaunched so he was past his prime. This version of ECW was tamer so Sandman's weaknesses couldn't be hidden as well and he too felt out of place. Again, it feels like he would've fit in late 1990s WWF with their hardcore division though his character was similar to Austin and the best time to bring him in was years earlier. While Sandman get a Wrestlemania moment, his WWE run was forgettable and it felt like he was mostly a mascot for the brand for his time there. Sandman's WWE run would last a year before he was released and he returned to the indie circuit as a journeyman until he largely started slowing down in recent years.

Sting- We save the biggest and most interesting for last. Sting's lack of history in the WWE is well documented. Sting turned pro in 1985 and famously spent his first year in Memphis for the Continental Wrestling Association and Bill Watts' Universal Wrestling Federation teaming with The Ultimate Warrior in The Blade Runners. He eventually became a legend for his 1987-2001 run in NWA/WCW where he became one of wrestling's biggest stars and engaged in legendary feuds and matches with the likes of Ric Flair, Vader, and Hulk Hogan. After WCW's end, he would do some time in the short lived World Wrestling All-Stars before spending nearly a decade in TNA where he continued to enjoy huge success. However, as his legend grew, Sting would have somewhat a mystique about him in that he earned a reputation for seemingly always being the one that would get away from WWF/WWE. For nearly 30 years, Sting was known for many reasons but one of the big ones was he was the one big star of his era in American Wrestling that never worked for the WWF/WWE. Even during the WCW days when other top stars like Flair, Lex Luger, and The Steiner Brothers would have runs to following WWF's purchase of WCW where the likes of Booker T and Diamond Dallas Page eventually made the jump, Sting would never step foot into a WWE ring. Finally in 2014 following his TNA departure, rumblings did begin about the possibility of him finally making the jump. Sure enough, the unthinkable would finally happen when Sting debuted at Survivor Series 2014. Many were excited but there were problems. While Sting has proven in his career to fend off Father Time, he was still 55 years old with 29 years of wear and tear on his body. While not washed up, he wasn't at his best anymore. Another problem with Sting is that people clearly had an idea of what dream matches Sting could have against WWF/WWE legends. The problem is that many of those were too late to happen. Both Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels had retired by 2014. The Rock was in and out while mostly in Hollywood. The Undertaker was the one most wanted badly but Taker was nearly 50 years old, wrestling a few times per year at that point, and getting washed up. In the end, the only dream match fans got was one with Triple H at Wrestlemania 31 which didn't deliver. In the end, Sting's WWE run would last a year and only saw him compete in four matches before suffering an injury during a WWE Championship match against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions 2015. Following the injury, Sting was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016, would announce his retirement, and sat out the remainder of his deal. After leaving WWE, Sting would resume his career as a special attraction for AEW in 2021 before retiring for good in 2024.