5 WWE Superstars who could not become world champions due to personal reasons
For any professional wrestler, the ultimate goal is to win the richest prize in the business - the WWE Championship. To be placed alongside legends such as Bruno Sammartino, and to be mentioned in the same breath as some of the greatest Superstars in wrestling history is a dream that only a few performers get to experience.
Reaching the pinnacle of sports entertainment is anything but easy; talent alone will not get Superstars to the top. The stars have to align, and the WWE management needs to find tangible value to put the coveted title on a performer.
However, there have been instances in the past, where certain wrestlers were earmarked to be a success in the business. While it is certainly encouraging to have the backing of the company, it can be difficult to accomplish the task at hand, if you have skeletons in your closet.
We take a look at five such Superstars, who were expected to become world champions in the company but didn’t quite live up to the expectations due to personal reasons.
#5 Jesse “The Body” Ventura
Before Hulk Hogan took the wrestling world by storm, Jesse “The Body” Ventura was considered to be the ‘total package’. With the looks, the wits and the talent at his disposal, the former Governor of Minnesota was brought to WWE from AWA by Vince McMahon.
During his brief stint with the company as an in-ring performer, Jesse faced Bob Backlund for the coveted WWE Championship. With his charisma, in-ring skills and his work ethic, Ventura was expected to achieve great things in the promotion, but the Vietnam war veteran was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs, forcing him into early retirement.
Ventura and WWE had a falling out in ’91, with Vince McMahon reportedly vowing to never work with “The Body” again. However, Jesse returned to WWE in ’99 as a special guest referee and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.