Stables can be a great way to give a wrestler’s career a boost when they’re
surrounded by wrestlers perceived as top stars—or they can end up in stables
with various misfits, resulting in their getting lost in the crowd.
Here are 15 Shocking WWE Wrestlers You Probably didn't know Almost Joined Major Wrestling Stables
15. Christopher Daniels – The Brood
Christopher Daniels is probably best known for his time in TNA Wrestling,
where he helped elevate the promotion to new heights with his in-ring ability and charisma.
But years before Daniels entered the six-sided ring, he signed a
developmental contract with the WWF in 1998.
After impressing everyone backstage, Daniels was in line for a push,
and was even chosen to be part of The Brood, a trio of gothic Superstars led by Gangrel.
In an interview years later, the Vampire said how Daniels was the original pick,
but his spot went to Christian, thanks to Captain Charisma’s long-time friend and fellow Brood member Edge.
Instead, Daniels never received a big break in the company, though we couldn’t help but wonder
how his, and Christian’s careers had been if the Fallen Angel was given the push in 98.
14. Rey Mysterio – The Radicalz
Though they may not have accomplished a ton as a team, the debut of
the Radicalz in the WWF in early 2000 was a huge deal.
Four of WCW’s most popular stars, the group of Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit and
Perry Saturn were a huge score for the WWF, and another loss for the Atlanta-based promotion.
With that said, there was reportedly another star ready to join them in the WWF, Rey Mysterio
Though the high-flyer reportedly asked for his release the same time as the Radicalz, his request
was denied, perhaps because Mysterio’s colourful mask and outfits made him a bigger merchandise seller than the others.
Regardless of the reason, it’s probably for the best that Mysterio didn’t join in 2000, as the group
debuted as heels, whilst Mysterio’s natural underdog status made him one of WWE’s top babyfaces upon his arrival in 2002.
13. Matt Morgan – The Brothers of Destruction
For over 20 years, the Brothers of Destruction have ruled WWE
, toppling all who have stood in their way, and on occasion, battling each other.
In 2005 though, the company decided to add a twist to the story, and reportedly planned
to have a third Brother of Destruction, who would match the two legendary stars in size and power.
This third brother would be called Abel, a play on the Biblical brothers Cain and Abel,
and was going to be played by Matt Morgan, who hadn’t been seen on WWE TV since early 2004.
In an interview with Wrestling Inc, Morgan said he was supposed to wear a mask similar to Kane’s,
and compete with a style similar to The Undertaker, leaving fans to put the puzzle together.
Ultimately, it was Vince McMahon who killed this angle, possibly
because he has been fiercely protective of the Undertaker’s brand.
Instead of Abel, Morgan made his return to the main roster in April 2005 with a stuttering gimmick.
12. Chris Benoit – The Million Dollar Corporation
We all know that Ted DiBiase is rich, so when the Million Dollar Man stepped away from the ring,
it was only a matter of time before the affluent Superstar made his presence known again.
Now a manager, DiBiase formed the Million Dollar Corporation,
, buying out contracts of the largest Superstars to compete on his behalf.
But in 1995, the company decided they didn’t want just large guys in the stable
and almost decided on having Chris Benoit join the team.
A technical wizard, Benoit was very different than other members,
which included Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy and Psycho Sid.
Appearing with DiBiase in dark matches, Benoit impressed
many people, though the company decided not to hire him.
Instead, Benoit would eventually join with the Radicalz in 2000
and would capture the World Heavyweight Championship four years later.
11. Big E - The Shield
One-third of the New Day, Big E has entertained fans alongside Kofi Kingston
and Xavier Woods, with a mixture of in-ring offence, laughable one-liners, and A LOT of gyrating.
But before all of that, the former Tag Team Champion was reportedly considered to
be part of the Shield, according to Seth Rollins,
BIG E would’ve worked alongside the Architect, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns as a quartet.
According to another report though, the group was
always meant to be a trio, with Big E replacing the Big Dog.
Big E never made it to the group, probably for the best
as after years of entertaining millions of fans with the power of positivity,
fans can’t imagine what the powerlifter would have been like if he’d traded in his unicorn horn for a tactical vest.
10. The Godfather in the New World Order:
Anyone who followed the career of Charles Wright knows
the WWE Superstar earned his place in the WWE Hall of Fame thanks to his ability to
work around shaky gimmicks such as Papa Shango and Kama the Supreme Fightning Machine
In 1996, Wright took time off from the WWF and was approached
by WCW about joining the nWo as “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan’s enforcer.
Wright was ready for the new role, but found the offer suddenly withdrawn by WCW
Rumor has it the reason was wrestler Virgil agreed to the role for one-third of Wright’s price.
Wright fared fine and went on to WWF fame as the pimpin’ player known as “The Godfather.”
9. Test in D-Generation X
Bruce Prichard’s Something to Wrestle With podcast has given fans insight into some fascinating
behind-the-scenes stories, one of which is how Andrew “Test” Martin almost joined D-Generation X.
According to the man who played Brother Love and worked in the WWF office,
Martin was considered for a spot in DX, as Martin reminded Prichard of Diesel
However, Shawn Michaels and Triple H adamantly opposed the idea, with both men supposedly saying, Test was “no Kevin Nash.”
Instead, Martin went to developmental, and debuted as rock band Motley Crue’s bodyguard turned wrestler, Test.
8. Val Venis in D-Generation X
Test wasn’t the only wrestler considered for membership in the WWF’s bad boys club.
In 1998, WWF writer Vince Russo suggested Venis would be a good fit in the lewd,
rude, and crude DX, but members Triple H and Shawn Michaels vetoed the idea, similar to what they did with Test
Venis would have made a good addition to DX since he too pushed the envelope with sexual innuendo
during the Attitude Era, fitting well into the WWF’s PG-13 storylines.
Nevertheless, Venis managed to do fine in singles competition,
becoming one of the most entertaining stars at a time when the WWF was great to watch.
7. Chris Jericho as part of the sprit squad
Chris Jericho was involved in many famous bouts and
held several WWE titles since his debut in 1999.
After years of taking bumps in the ring and travelling on the road,
Y2J wanted a break from pro wrestling and requested
not to extend his contract which was set to expire on August 25, 2005.
The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla made his last appearance in WWE on the August 22 , 2005
episode of Raw, Jericho faced Cena in a "You're fired" match
Cena won the match, and Jericho was fired by Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff.
Right about this time Vinny Mac came up with the idea of a stable with male cheer leaders.
Originally, the group was scheduled to be made up of four wrestlers from WWE's developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW);
Ken Doane, Nick Mitchell, Nick Nemeth and Elijah Burke. Burke, however, turned down McMahon's offer to join the Spirit Squad,
feeling that he could not perform the acrobatics required from members of the group, and chose to remain in OVW.
Burke was replaced in the Spirit Squad by Johnny Jeter and Mike Mondo.
The five members were given new ring names Kenny, Johnny, Mitch, Nicky and Mikey.
Vince McMahon wanted an established wrestler to head this faction and approached Y2J in November 2005.
To everyone’s surprise, Vince was able to convince Y2J to make a comeback and head the faction.
By December , 2005, Y2J changed his mind and opted out siting out… Thankfully
In an episode of Talk is Jericho in 2014, Y2J said
that the poor storylines was the reason why he backed out
Guys, can you imagine Y2J being a part of the sprit squad …..
6. Dean Ambrose in 3MB
While Jinder Mahal has done surprisingly well for himself, and some argue Heath Slater
has improved as well, 3MB was never seen as anything more than a comedy stable.
According to Heath Slater, Dean Ambrose was considered for the faction prior to his debut in the Shield
According to Jinder Mahal, Ambrose and Fandango were once considered for the spots that would be filled by Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal
While Fandango couldn’t have fared any worse, we can’t see Ambrose thriving in 3MB.
5.Chyna in the New World Order
Wrestler Joanie Laurer defied gender barriers when she entered the wrestling world,
quickly establishing herself as a woman who could compete and win against male wrestlers
Before she joined the WWF in her career-making role as D-Generation X’s bodyguard, Laurer
was approached by the New World Order about becoming their first female member.
Although Triple H and Shawn Michaels were eager to have Lauer join DX, Vince McMahon reportedly disliked
the idea, thinking no one would believe her as a credible opponent for men.
According to Laurer’s memoir, If They Only Knew, she was close to signing with WCW when Shane McMahon
asked her to stall, implying he was close to convincing his dad to sign her
Laurer held off, and Shane came through, leading to the debut of Chyna, “The Ninth Wonder of the World.”
4.Mark Jindrak in Evolution:
Evolution was one of the WWE’s most successful stables,
creating main event stars out of newcomers Randy Orton and Dave Batista.
One wrestler who was considered for Evolution was Mark Jindrak,
a WWE Superstar who never seemed to break out of the mid-card.
According to the Triple H video, Thy Kingdom Come, Jindrak was originally considered as a member of Evolution,
even shooting vignettes with Randy Orton, Triple H, and Ric Flair as the group’s enforcer
For reasons unknown, the role eventually went to Dave Batista,
making Batista into a world champion and leaving Jindrak to count the lights.
3.Baron Corbin and Judas Devlin in the Wyatt Family
The Wyatt Family has helped wrestlers such as Eric Rowan and Luke Harper get into the spotlight
, but unfortunately, they haven’t been able to do much after leaving.
Whether this is because Bray Wyatt can make anyone look good next to him,
or because of bad booking, we can’t be sure.
Two Superstars who almost joined the Wyatt Family are Baron Corbin and Judas Devlin,
one name you recognize and one you may not.
Wrestling’s “Lone Wolf,” Baron Corbin was reportedly very close to joining the Wyatt’s.
Vinny Mac instead saw Baron Corbin as a singles player and was left aside
On the other hand, developmental wrestler Judas Devlin also cut some try-out promos,
but failed to get into the Wyatt Family
Sadly, Devlin suffered a serious spinal injury in 2013 and was let go a year later.
2.Triple H in the New World Order
2002’s nWo reunion was one disaster after another, as fans forced the WWE to turn “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan face
and Scott Hall self-destructing his way out of WWF, eliminating two of the three nWo members.
The WWF tried to salvage the idea by bringing Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash
and Triple H into the faction, a line-up which had the potential to be fantastic.
Unfortunately, Kevin Nash tore a quad, during a match resulting in the entire New World Order
angle being scrapped by Vince McMahon on July 15th episode of Monday Night RAW.
Triple H would tease a DX reunion with “The Heartbreak Kid,” only to attack him
and start a historic feud that saw Shawn Michaels’ amazing comeback.
Before we mention the number 1 pick , one honorable mention
Dan Severn in the Ministry of Darkness
Wrestling fans have wondered why real-life badass Dan Severn’s WWF run was so short-lived
After all, the WWF was eager to sign real-life tough men like Ken Shamrock and Steve Blackman,
so Severn, an MMA pioneer and former UFC Superfight champion would have fit right in.
Wrestling lore has it Vince McMahon didn’t see Severn’s potential as a real-life tough man
and told Severn he wanted him to join the Undertaker’s Ministry of Darkness and
emblazon “666” on his forehead (The Biblical number of the Beast).
Severn passed on the idea, but the WWF insisted he go through with it
Finally, Severn allegedly told the WWF he’d have no
problem exposing the business by shooting on opponents in the ring.
The WWF promptly released Severn from his contract, ending his short run.
1. Chris Hero in the Shield
CM Punk has gone on record as taking credit for the idea of the Shield, the terrific
trio that made instant stars out of Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose
However according to at least one story, Punk pitched the idea of indie superstar Chris Hero
(aka Kassius Ohno in NXT) being in the Shield alongside Rollins and Ambrose.
Vince McMahon and Triple H liked the idea of the Shield, but chose Roman Reigns instead of Hero
Well guys that's our list, if can you think of other WWE Wrestlers we might not know alsmost joined major wrestling stables ?
Drop us a comment below and let us know
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