WWE: Vince’s pet projects that failed

It’s no secret that Vince McMahon made professional wrestling what it is today. Without Vince, the professional wrestling industry would have never evolved from the days when it used to be a circus, going from town to town and putting on shows for those who wanted to see ‘Strongman’ spectacle. Vince has done something that no other promoter or booker has done in the history of this great business, and it will, in all likelihood, never happen that someone else would revolutionize the industry the way Vince McMahon has done over the past 3 decades.

Saying that, Vince McMahon believes in himself, and no matter how illogical it may seem, or how many people may say it would never work out, Vince follows his intuition. Although that has worked for him more often than not, Vince has not always been right. There have been instances when Vince’s ideas fell flat, with Fandango being the latest of Vince’s pet projects. Although Fandango’s stake shot up ever since the RAW after WrestleMania, it quickly faded, and that cannot make Fandango’s character a success the way Vince planned out. In this article, I look at five other such performers who didn’t quite reach the expectations of Vince McMahon.

5. Bobby Lashley

When Bobby Lashley debuted in the WWE, he was everything Vince wanted in a superstar, or to be more specific, the only thing Vince wanted in a superstar. Although Lashley had the physique fit for someone to become Mr. Olympia, he had zero charisma and zero mic skills, which would have been a dead lock for anyone else. Vince tried to push Lashley to the moon, and even pitted Lashley against himself at WrestleMania! Although Lashley was also a former ECW champion, he was never able to get over with the fans, as the fans saw him as a boring, monotonous ‘big man’ that he truly was. In the end, Lashley left the WWE due to personal issues against the company, and it’s safe to say that none of the fans truly missed him.

4. Sheamus

Remember the debut of Sheamus on the main roster? He was an unstoppable monster who went on to become the WWE champion within just a few months after his debut! He had an impressive winning streak, and was booked as a monster, the top heel in the company. Vince was high on Sheamus, and took it upon himself to make him the biggest name in the WWE. But all of that came crumbling down when the fans got tired of Sheamus. Although he was better than most others in the ring, he too was monotonous, and his mic skills didn’t do him any favours. In the end, Sheamus was kept on the back burner for a long time till he eventually turned face.

3. The Miz

Remember The Miz getting into singles’ action after forming a tag team with John Morrison? How all of that happened is still a blur to most of the fans. The Miz was never good inside the squared circle, but Vince saw an opportunity to gain mainstream attention through him. It worked perfectly for Miz and Vince, as Vince didn’t want a ‘wrestler’, but someone who could be the poster boy for the company and do the talk shows and take WWE mainstream, while Miz never wanted to be a ‘wrestler’, but wanted a way to get into Hollywood and into the entertainment business. As their ideas synchronized, Vince decided to make Miz the face of the company, and made him the WWE champion. However, he was the most forgettable champion in the past decade. Where did that take him? Miz went back to being on the pre-shows, not even finding a spot on the RAW card. The fans stopped caring about him, as he became one of Vince’s failed attempts.

2. Alberto Del Rio

When rumours started floating around many years ago that Rey Mysterio was contemplating retirement from professional wrestling, Vince McMahon and the management ran helter–skelter to find a suitable replacement. Rey has been the top face that the WWE catered to for the Hispanic fans, who constitute about 30% of the WWE fan base, and if Rey would retire, that would leave the WWE without any Latino star that they could cater to the Latino fans. That was when they signed the biggest name in Mexican wrestling, Dos Caras Jr. aka Alberto Del Rio. Alberto was immediately pushed in the WWE, and even though Del Rio was unhappy with the way WWE treated him initially (they promised him a world title run within his first year on the main roster), he soon ran out of complaints when WWE gave him the opportunity to become the number 2 face of the company. The problem was that the fans didn’t care about Del Rio at all, which backfired Vince’s plans. Although Del Rio has been a WWE/World champion, he hasn’t reached the potential that Vince had hoped for. This places him at number 2 in the list.

1. Drew McIntyre

When you’re introduced as ‘The Chosen One’ by the boss himself, there is very less doubt about you becoming one of the top stars in the company. Drew McIntyre was introduced to the WWE as the next big star, someone who was handpicked by the chairman of the WWE, Vince McMahon. Drew immediately won the prestigious Intercontinental title, and somewhere along the way, his push came to an abrupt halt. The biggest blow to his career came when he and his wife had a very public altercation and a messy divorce, and that completely halted his momentum. He was barely seen from then, and now, he’s a member of the 3 MB, which is seen as the next J. O. B squad in the WWE.