Wrestlers Who Didn't Stand A Chance In WWF/WWE

Wrestlers Who Didn't Stand A Chance In WWF/WWE
August 17, 2026
By Ryan Porzl

Professional Wrestling is like a lot of things in life. To succeed, there's many factors. Not only do you need the skill but sometimes good luck and good timing can make a difference. The WWE has shown that over the decades. There's many reasons guys like Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock, and John Cena worked and one of which was right place at the right time as they were largely perfect for the era they were in. Another reason is they had that larger than life presence as well. Basically, the planets were aligned right. Unfortunately, there were wrestlers that weren't meant to work in the WWF/WWE whether it be bad timing or lacking what was needed. In this article, we'll take a look at wrestlers that for one reason or another were doomed in the WWF/WWE. I want to point out, I'm mostly going to point out weaknesses or bad timing rather than wrestlers who didn't work due to a bad gimmick.

Note: I don't own any pictures. Credit to WWE or whomever owns them.

Phil LaFon (left) and Doug Furnas (right)

Doug Furnas and Phil LaFon- When I thought of this article, Furnas and LaFon were among the first I thought of. Furnas and LaFon were, from a talent standpoint, among the best tag teams in the business in the 1990s achieving big success in All Japan, UWA in Mexico, and eventually ECW winning gold in all three while having great matches. The team made their way to the WWE in 1996 and to some extent, looked to be a good pick up given how weak the tag division was at the time. While Furnas and LaFon got some big moments at first including debuting at Survivor Series in MSG, competed for the Tag Team Championship, and got a Wrestlemania moment, it didn't take long for WWE to realize they weren't the best fit. As mentioned, Furnas and LaFon were among the best teams in the ring but really had no sizzle as neither were very charismatic or cut a promo or have a unique presence. This especially doomed them in 1997 when The Attitude Era was on the horizon and character work was very important. I look at Furnas and LaFon as an example of bad timing and came too early. If they were younger, they probably could've done far better in the 2000s during The Ruthless Aggression era on the Smackdown brand with the Smackdown Six (Angle, Benoit, Eddie, Chavo, Edge, and Mysterio) or maybe in 2010s NXT Black and Gold working with The Revival or American Alpha or The Undisputed Era.

Steve Williams- I know, it's easy to blame Williams' ill-fated WWE run on The Brawl For All and it's not hard why. By now, just about every hardcore wrestling fan knows of Williams' WWE history. From being heavily courted by them for years before finally signing in 1998 to the fact there were plans to give him a main event program with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to his entry in the BFA which lead to disastrous results of injuries and an embarrassing knockout from Bart Gunn that killed his run before it started. However, even if you take away The Brawl For All, I still don't think Williams would've done too much better. Williams had the same strengths and weaknesses Furnas and LaFon had. Namely, he was a great wrestler who you could count on to put on good to great matches. However, he lacked charisma and was a terrible talker so he lacked the sizzle. Even worse, Williams came in during the Attitude Era where sizzle was extremely important. Perhaps another issue was his move set as it's possible he would've been neutered in the WWE, especially if the planned Steve Austin feud came to fruition. Given Austin's history with neck issues, it's hard to believe WWE would let Williams do a lot of his signature suplexes or even his Oklahoma Stampede powerslam. Even without the Brawl For All, Williams' run in WWE likely would've never worked given some of the limitations he already had and some that would've been imposed by WWE.

Jos LeDuc- LeDuc is likely the least known on this list, especially by modern fans but is still a legend. A native of Montreal, LeDuc originally gained fame in a tag team with fictional brother Paul in the late 60s-early 70s before branching on his own. He mostly made his legend in territories like Continental Wrestling Association, Championship Wrestling from Florida, Southeastern Championship Wrestling, and Jim Crockett Promotions where he feuded with the likes of Jerry Lawler and Dusty Rhodes. LeDuc was also known for his antics such as taken a blood oath by cutting his arm with an ax. After a near 20 year career, LeDuc made his way to the WWE in 1988 but it was obvious from the get go that he didn't fit. By the time LeDuc arrived, he was past his prime and he was on the downswing of his career. Worse, his blood n' guts style didn't fit late 80s WWE which was fun for the whole family. He felt out of place. In the end, LeDuc didn't last long, only a few months with little TV appearances. Overall, LeDuc mostly feels like a timing issue as he probably could've been a solid fit in the 1970s or if he were born years later, he might've fit in Attitude Era WWE and the Hardcore Division.

Eva Marie- Eva was another I thought of pretty quickly when putting this list together and I think most would agree. Eva certainly had a lot of potential to make it in WWE as she had a great look, sex appeal, and could play a very good heel. Unfortunately, she had her share of issues. The first is the one most agree with which was bad timing on Eva's part. The thought among many was she would've been a perfect fit either around 1998-2000 when the women's wrestling was mostly sexy women like Sable, Debra, and The Kat as champs or late 2000s/early 2010s when again, workrate wasn't as important. Unfortunately, by the time Eva came into WWE, the promotion was slowly beginning to adjust the women's division and it was evolving while Eva wasn't able to keep up and came off like a relic of a bygone era. Her run on Total Divas was both a blessing and a curse as it got her name out there but even she admitted she was only training for a month and would be rushed up to the main roster and basically have to learn on the fly which didn't help. Finally, there's also whether her heart was fully into it as she didn't hate wrestling but she never fully committed to it in order to improve and get better. It seemed like she wanted to do various projects which prevented any chance of growth. Now, normally wrestlers have dabbled in acting and projects but that's usually after they've been fully trained and more than likely made a name for themselves. Guys like Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Roddy Piper didn't attempt acting careers during their rookie years. Overall, Eva is someone where if the planets aligned right a little more, she could've been a superstar but she had way too much going against her to make it work.

Terry Gordy- Gordy is someone who makes this list for tragic reasons. The man who gained legendary status as 1/3rd of The Fabulous Freebirds was someone who would appear to be a great fit for WWE as a talented bruiser who could work with anybody. Outside of a cup of coffee run in 1984, The WWE eluded the big man until 1996 when Gordy would get his chance with The WWE when he joined them. On paper, should be great as WWE needed stars as they were in a transitional phase and struggling against WCW. Not to mention, Gordy should be capable of putting on magic with just about all the major names in the WWE at the time. Unfortunately, as mentioned, Gordy's case was tragic. Like many wrestlers of his generation, Gordy lived fast and partied hard which included heavy drug and alcohol use. After failing to turn his life around following a near fatal overdose in 1990, Gordy would overdose again in 1993. This time, Gordy would not only be left in a coma for a week but suffered partial brain damage. Upon returning to the ring in 1994, Gordy was a shell of himself as his natural talents were gone and he would come off sluggish and not all there. He was never the same both in or out of the ring again. By 1996, Gordy would be picked up as a favor from his Freebird friend Michael Hayes. However, despite The WWE given him a masked gimmick in The Executioner, pairing him with Mankind and Paul Bearer, and having him feud with The Undertaker, it didn't take long for all parties to realize Gordy just couldn't go anymore and the magic was gone. Gordy would only last three months before leaving in January 1997. In the end, Gordy wasn't a case of bad timing or not fitting in with the WWE so much as it was demons that killed any chance he had there.

Kharma- Like Steve Williams, it's easy to blame Kharma's lack of success in WWE on a certain moment but I feel there's more to this. Yes, the former Awesome Kong WWE run was cut short due to a pregnancy, a tragic miscarriage, and not being able to return in the time allotted to her but I feel she wasn't the best fit for WWE. Yes, Kharma was a great monster talent but again, while she had steak, she didn't have much sizzle. Anyone who followed her in TNA knows Kharma was never much of a talker and when she tried cutting promos, it didn't come off well. In some ways, it was like Sabu who wasn't much for talking but was pressured by WWE to do it. Lacking the ability to cut a promo would've been a blow for Kharma. Meanwhile, Kharma was a great monster but she wasn't the most charismatic and didn't have that "diva" look that the WWE was perhaps looking for in the early 2010s. In the end, Kharma was perhaps a case of wrong timing as she might've done better in the early 2000s "Ruthless Aggression" era as a great foil for talent like Trish or Lita or maybe would've been great in the late 2010s/early 2020s post Women's Evolution but was a bad fit for the divas era when she lacked the sizzle and perhaps didn't have the sex appeal Vince wanted.

Dan Spivey- Spivey is a interesting case as he had two runs in the WWE and not only did neither work out but he didn't stand a chance for different reasons as he didn't have the same issues both runs. Spivey's first run in the WWE from 1985-1987 saw him as a talent with potential but he had too many similarities with WWE Champion Hulk Hogan as he too wore yellow trunks and boots, was tall, and had long blonde hair. Spivey was never able to carve out his own identity and perhaps because of this, he never went far in his first run. Upon his return in 1995, Spivey reinvented himself as "Waylon Mercy" and with the new gimmick, jet black hair, and Hulk Hogan in WCW, the potential was there for Spivey to have that big WWE run. His character was also a breath of fresh air compared to the gimmicks WWE were doing in 1995. Unfortunately, Spivey's second run was ruined for other reasons. By 1995, Spivey was not only past his athletic prime but his knees and back were shot. In some ways, he was similar to Brian Pillman in 1997 in that he did great character work and promos while being one of the more interesting characters in the WWE but he just couldn't back it up in the ring anymore. Sadly, even Spivey knew it with his return not only lasting three months but he would retire following it. All in all, Spivey first struggled with finding an identity to separate himself from others and when he finally did, his body was too broken down to keep up.