Joined
·
813 Posts
Who do you think is the wrestler that had the most tremendous potential, only to have their career tank because of personal choices and bad decisions?
I am not talking about "wasted talent" as in a wrestler that you think a promotion misused, and I'm not talking about an enormous talent that was unfortunately cut short because of an accident (like Owen Hart). I mean the guys who we've actually seen put on fantastic matches that could've gone on to have countless 5-star bouts, but instead, they were distracted by drugs, alcohol, steroids, fame, greed, or any other sort of vice. It's also probably best if we leave Chris Benoit out of this, since it's still unclear what happened. I mean true "SELF"-wasted talent.
I imagine many will say Jeff Hardy here, given the demographics on this site. After watching Wrestlemania X, you could make an excellent case for Scott Hall.
Personally, after having recently just watched some matches from the early 90s, I have to go with Scott Steiner. Steiner had so much going for him. His offensive was innovative - the Frankensteiner and the Screwdriver were pretty revolutionary at the time, especially for a guy his size. He had the All-American look, the perfect tag team partner, the wrestling background - everything. And he could work. His matches in NJPW are great, he would tear up the War Games, and he generally gave his all to every match.
It was his decision in '97 to turn to steroids (no one can deny it... he has an extra "muscle" for crying out loud) that just decimated his career. He bulked up so much that he had to completely change his move set. His temper changed, he was slower - everything was a turn for the worse. He might have felt compelled to do it in WCW with Hogan around, etc., but he could've easily turned away and had a successful career in Japan, possibly even a return to the WWF. Instead, his career went down the tubes and I don't think he's been in a good match since 1998.
So that's my case for Steiner. Who do YOU think made the worst personal decision and threw all of their potential away?
I am not talking about "wasted talent" as in a wrestler that you think a promotion misused, and I'm not talking about an enormous talent that was unfortunately cut short because of an accident (like Owen Hart). I mean the guys who we've actually seen put on fantastic matches that could've gone on to have countless 5-star bouts, but instead, they were distracted by drugs, alcohol, steroids, fame, greed, or any other sort of vice. It's also probably best if we leave Chris Benoit out of this, since it's still unclear what happened. I mean true "SELF"-wasted talent.
I imagine many will say Jeff Hardy here, given the demographics on this site. After watching Wrestlemania X, you could make an excellent case for Scott Hall.
Personally, after having recently just watched some matches from the early 90s, I have to go with Scott Steiner. Steiner had so much going for him. His offensive was innovative - the Frankensteiner and the Screwdriver were pretty revolutionary at the time, especially for a guy his size. He had the All-American look, the perfect tag team partner, the wrestling background - everything. And he could work. His matches in NJPW are great, he would tear up the War Games, and he generally gave his all to every match.
It was his decision in '97 to turn to steroids (no one can deny it... he has an extra "muscle" for crying out loud) that just decimated his career. He bulked up so much that he had to completely change his move set. His temper changed, he was slower - everything was a turn for the worse. He might have felt compelled to do it in WCW with Hogan around, etc., but he could've easily turned away and had a successful career in Japan, possibly even a return to the WWF. Instead, his career went down the tubes and I don't think he's been in a good match since 1998.
So that's my case for Steiner. Who do YOU think made the worst personal decision and threw all of their potential away?
He needs to lay off the drugs.
