There have been thousands of wrestlers who have come and gone over the years. Most of the memorable stars have worked in WWE at some point and left a lasting impact on fans. However, there are some that have not had any impact on them. There are stars like The Rock, Stone Cold and John Cena who have remained household names throughout their careers.
The reason they’re so popular is because they’re great characters who’ve had a lot of great stories in the company. If a star can leave a lasting impact on a fan, they should consider it a success. In some cases, the star will only be remembered for one story throughout their career, so if they’ve come this far, one may be enough to keep fans talking about them for years.
10 Gene Snitsky
In 2004, Gene Snitsky made his WWE Monday Night Raw debut in a match with Kane without a mask. Snitsky had the look and build of a monster, making him the perfect fighter to enter a story with “The Big Red Machine.” At the time, Kane was in a story with Lita and had allegedly gotten her pregnant. Snitsky would cause them to lose the baby.
Gene would then become famous for an infamous appearance where he would appear to kick a fake baby through the sand. Snitsky would work for WWE until 2008, but this was the one show most fans will remember him on.
9 Jesus
John Cena has been one of the faces of professional wrestling for over 20 years. In 2004, he was still at the beginning of his rise to fame and was already the biggest superstar in WWE at the time. He was United States Champion and was working on a program with Carlito Caribbean Cool and his partner Jesús.
WWE wanted John Cena to work on an acting project, which meant they needed to get him off the screen. They would proceed to have the Jesus character stab Cena. Jesús didn’t last long as Carlito’s partner, but he is known as the star that eliminated Cena in that story.
8 zach gowen
In 2003, Zach Gowen made his WWE debut as a fan in a crowd that was attacked by “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. When Piper attacked Gowen, he surprisingly took off his prosthetic leg. Piper and Vince McMahon were feuding with “Mr. America” (Hulk Hogan), who formed an alliance with Gowen.
This would lead to Gowen being heavily featured in a storyline with Vince McMahon. He would have a one-on-one match with McMahon, which was much more exciting than fans expected. Ultimately, Gowen’s WWE career was cut short when he was written off television after a brutal feud with Brock Lesnar. He was later released shortly after.
7 Rich
WWE is no stranger to controversial characters, and in 2002, WWE took that path with Billy and Chuck (Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo). They were seen as a same-sex couple and a tag team, which were led by their hairstylist Rico. He would help Billy and Chuck become two-time World Tag Team Champions.
Rico was involved in a few other storylines during his time in WWE, but he couldn’t get out of the shadow of the Billy and Chuck storyline. He tried to diversify on his own, no longer as a manager but as a competitor. He would be unexpectedly released in 2004.
6 Heidenreich
Jon Heidenreich signed with WWE in 2003 after a brief career as a professional football player in the NFL. During his time with World Wrestling Entertainment, he had feuds with stars like The Undertaker and was even managed by Paul Heyman for a time. Although he did all of those things, he will be remembered primarily for his work with Road Warrior Animal. Although his most infamous scene of his involves Michael Cole in the bathroom, that was a short angle and not a full story.
Animal returned to WWE and helped Heidenreich after MNM attacked him. The two would go on to win the MNM WWE Tag Team Championships and this would lead to the new Legion of Doom. Heidenreich became an “official” member of the group and, with too much controversy, the team did not last much longer.
5 sunrise mary
Dawn Marie was a huge part of the ECW promotion in the late 90’s and was highly sought after by WCW and WWE. She was a very attractive woman who was also becoming an entertainment star. She would end up signing with WWE in 2002 and, towards the end of the year, she began feuding with Torrie Wilson.
Wilson was an established WWE star and fan favorite. Marie would go on to form an on-screen relationship with Wilson’s real-life father, Al Wilson. This would lead to a very entertaining feud between stepmother and stepdaughter. WWE even went so far as to kill Al Wilson’s character to help fuel the fire. Overall, it will go down in WWE history as the peak of Marie’s time with the company.
4 manu
As a member of the legendary Anoa’i family of wrestlers, hopes were high for WWE Hall of Famer Afa’s son, Manu. He signed with WWE in 2006 and made his main roster debut in late 2007. He was one of the original members of Randy Orton’s Legacy faction.
Manu joined Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes and Sim Snuka before being kicked out of the group for failing to impress Orton. He would then seek revenge but fell short due to interference from Ted DiBiase Jr. After this storyline, WWE didn’t have much for him and he was released.
3 Mike Knox
In 2006, WWE attempted to revive ECW as a third brand for the promotion, Mike Knox was to be one of the brand’s top stars. He made his debut in the show’s first episode, interrupting Kelly Kelly’s strip show because she was his on-screen girlfriend.
Mike Knox was a mountain of a man who didn’t like any superstar who got in his way. He would be cast as a crazy boyfriend character for a while, which would lead to a decent storyline with CM Punk. After this storyline, WWE tried to make Knox a star, but he just couldn’t get over the crowd, ending the momentum for him and making this the only memorable storyline of his.
two Kenny Dykstra
In 2006, Kenny Dykstra made his WWE main roster debut as one of the members of The Spirit Squad. Ultimately, he would become the leader of the faction that was made up of male cheerleaders. Although he competed in WWE for a while, he couldn’t escape the shadow of his male cheerleading gimmick.
His most notable storyline is one that involved The Spirit Squad being the goons for the McMahon family in their battle with D-Generation X. This would result in DX doing some pretty entertaining things for the group, forcing him to be the only thing that will be. Dykstra. remembered by in the company.
1 marty janetty
Beginning his career in 1983, Marty Jannetty was an active wrestler for over 20 years. He accomplished many things throughout his time in the ring, but unfortunately for him, he is only remembered for one story. He was a longtime associate of WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Micheals, and the two were nicknamed The Rockers.
They were very popular with fans and their breakup was shocking. Michaels would deliver a “Sweet Chin Music” to Jannetty; him kicking him through Brutus Beefcake’s barbershop window. This would lead to a feud between the two and result in Michaels stardom. Overall, Jannetty would go down in history as “Michael’s ex-partner who got kicked out the window.”