Professional wrestling is a great place for wrestlers of all levels to show off their talents. Pro wrestling has changed dramatically over the years and is now a popular attraction. The pro wrestling industry is dominated by two wrestling promotions – WWE and AEW. The 10 wrestlers who have failed to achieve success in both WWE and AEW are also a popular topic among fans.
There are two of the biggest wrestling promotions in the world. WWE is the oldest and largest wrestling company. AEW, a new company, has also achieved global success in a short time. The competition between the two promotions gives wrestlers the opportunity to succeed in either promotion. Here are 10 wrestlers that failed both in AEW and WWE.
#10 Lance Archer
Lance Archer was part of ECW’s roster at the beginning. Even with his look and presentation he didn’t really achieve any heights within the WWE. When he made his AEW debut, the fans had high expectations. Archer also didn’t win any titles or receive any accolades in the AEW.
#9 Big Bill/Big Cass
Big Cass was a tag team member with Enzo in the WWE main roster from 2016-2017. Even with his looks and size, he was unsuccessful and released later. In AEW he had a worse career, as he was in the undercard, and didn’t win important matches that would have helped him gain recognition as a big man.
#8 Marina Shafir
Marina Shafir performed on the now forbidden Raw Underground for a short time. She was still released within a year. Marina’s MMA experience made her a good fit for AEW. However, she barely appeared on television after signing.
#7 Buddy Matthews/Buddy Murphy
Buddy Murphy was a young, aspiring talent when he joined WWE. Fans expected him to have a bright future. WWE, however, dropped the ball and he wasn’t used enough. He was eventually released. Buddy Matthews, who is a member of the House of Black in AEW is enjoying a good run. He should have been a World Champion already, considering his potential.
#6 Shawn Spears/Tye Daillinger
Shawn Spears, aka Tye Dillinger, was so popular that fans would chant 10-10-10 when he entered the ring. WWE did not see him as a star in the main event and released him, despite his lack of success. Spears was a second fiddle in AEW to stars such as MJF, and struggled to find his own identity.
#5 Ruby Soho/Ruby Riott
Ruby Soho has had a fair amount of success in AEW. However, given her talent and charismatic personality, decent isn’t enough. Ruby has failed to achieve success in WWE, despite leading her faction Riott Squad. She began her AEW journey by being inserted in the main event, but she eventually slipped to the lower cards.
Keith Lee
Keith Lee may be the most unique wrestler on the planet. He was successful in NXT but WWE did not capitalize on this momentum, and instead ruined him through multiple experiments. In AEW he was the tag-team champion, but he has much more potential.
#3 Miro/Rusev
Rusev used to be an unstoppable United States champion and had great success on the mid-card. He became popular with Rusev day chants a few years later and WWE was able to make him a star. He was never consistently pushed and was inserted into pointless rivalries before being released.
Miro was a TNT champion and had a successful AEW career. He was still stuck in the middle of the card even after moving to another company. Miro’s performance in AEW also began to deteriorate.
#2 Malakai Black/Aleister Black
Aleister Black, after a successful NXT career, was bound to become a main event superstar in WWE. His WWE main roster career was not the same despite some notable feuds. Malakai black signed with AEW after his release. However, he failed to become a major superstar in AEW and wasn’t even considered for the World Championship.
#1 Andrade El Idolo/Andrade Cien Almas
Andrade EL Idolo has a lot of charisma and is an excellent in-ring performer. His WWE main roster stint, following an incredible NXT run turned out to largely be a disaster. He was also a US Champion in WWE. He went to AEW to try to become a top attraction, but he’s not been able to achieve that.
These are the 10 wrestlers that failed both in WWE and AEW. They may have failed in the past, but they still have many years left to continue their careers. It remains to be determined how far they will go.
