10 WWE PG Era Superstars You Don't Remember

When you think of WWE’s PG Era, what immediately comes to mind?

Crap comedy? How about Big Show crying or turning or crying while he turns on someone? Or perhaps you instinctively flash to PG poster boy John Cena’s infinite collection of garish t-shirts?

One thing – or, actually, 10 things – you likely won’t think about are the following PG Era superstars, as you’ll have a hard time recalling them being there in the first place.

With the WWE PG era now officially over, these are 10 WWE PG Era Superstars You Don’t Remember.

10. Courtney Taylor

Like many so-called WWE divas of the era, Courtney Taylor came from a modelling background, having appeared in the pages of Playboy on multiple occasions.

Not only that, but Taylor – real name Beverly Mullins – was a member of the prestigious Hooters Hall of Fame.

A fan of the business who cited her hero growing up as Stone Cold Steve Austin, she reported to FCW in 2008 and was given her fair share of go-nowhere gimmicks prior to being called up to the main roster.

Though she wrestled down in Florida, she was brought up to the main roster to briefly act as a backstage interviewer for the drain-circling ECW brand.

Her most memorable moment on WWE television was probably when she chased someone in a tiger costume through the arena with a golf club on the December 21, 2009 episode of Raw.

That was really as good as it got for Taylor, who was released from her WWE contract on April 14, 2010 and subsequently retired from the business.

9. Camacho

We are cheating slightly with this entry as the son of Haku is now a member of The Bloodline in Tonga Loa, but you certainly weren’t thinking about Camacho before Backlash 2024.

Following a successful tryout, Tevita Fefita spent the requisite couple of years in developmental doing a little of this and that, before landing on the main roster as the ‘Latino’ gangster buddy of Hunico.

If you remember anything about the duo it’s likely their entrance, which saw them ride to the ring on a blinged-out bicycle. Otherwise the pairing was unremarkable and they spent most of their time doing the honours for other, more over tag teams.

Hunico would fare better after donning the Sin Cara mask (again), while Camacho found himself down in NXT feuding with Adam Rose before being released. He enjoyed far more success in New Japan Pro-Wrestling as Tanga Loa.

8. Caylen Croft

Kris Pavone first signed with WWE in 2003, when he was stationed in Ohio Valley Wrestling and won not only the OVW Tag Team Titles, but also the OVW Heavyweight Title during his three-year stay.

For the man also known as Chris Cage, however, his WWE dream would come to a temporary end in March of 2006 when he was released following what was described as an outside-of-the-ring nightlife ‘incident’ that saw him end up in the hospital.

It was quite the fall from grace for a performer who had been pegged as an original member of MNM before an injury intervened, to the benefit of Joey Mercury.

He was re-signed not too long after and began working in FCW, where he was re-christened Caylen Croft. He and his Dude Busters tag partner Trent Baretta were brought to the main roster, where they were placed on the ECW brand.

Though the team was talented, they had about as many distinguishable features as the beloved BBC children’s TV character Morph, with an ordinary look, cookie-cutter name and a wrestling style right out of the WWE farm system playbook.

7. Michael Tarver

The Nexus invasion of the Summer of 2010 was a breath of fresh air at a rather creatively stagnant time, as the band of rebel rookies shook up the status quo and launched themselves into the main event mix with a series of powerful attacks on some of WWE’s untouchables.

Most of the Nexus, save for the quickly canned Daniel Bryan, were unproven commodities at the time, but would come good in the end.

Except for Michael Tarver. It feels a bit mean to single him out from the original group, but the truth is that Tarver was only around for a few months and was easily the weakest member as far as in-ring work was concerned.

He had a decent look and was a serviceable mouthpiece, but that wasn’t going to be enough for him to get by in the long run, and it wasn’t much of a surprise when he was released, without returning to television after getting booted out of the black-and-yellow group.

Reflecting on his run a decade later, Tarver claims he was buried when he got to the main roster and that one man in particular – John Cena - held him back.

6. Ryan Braddock

Ryan Braddock firmly came and went in the Summer of 2008, having a grand total of seven televised matches - six on SmackDown and one on ECW - before being taken off TV and sent back to developmental before his inevitable release.

Braddock had been in the company’s farm system for three years before he got his call-up, having toiled in Deep South Wrestling, OVW and FCW.

Despite training in three different WWE feeder leagues, the company clearly weren’t convinced by his abilities and had him doing job duty from the get-go - though he did score a DQ win over Festus after being wrapped in bubble wrap and duct tape.

Braddock’s issue, like so many of his ilk, was that absolutely nothing about him stood out. He was just a wrestler in a pair of trunks and boots with a boring name and by-the-numbers wrestling style.

5. Ricky Ortiz

Richard Young was the exact sort of athlete that WWE coveted once upon a time, the kind of guy you can just see Jim Ross chomping at the bit to get a stat sheet report on before crowing about his tremendous ‘upside’.

A six-foot-four-inch, 250-pound former NFL (and XFL!) player, Young signed a developmental contract in 2006 and reported to OVW, where he was christened ‘Atlas DaBone’.

Touted as one of the system’s brightest prospects, Young debuted as a member of the ECW brand in the summer of 2008 as Atlas Ortiz, though that was quickly changed to Ricky.

The Latin Assassin got off to a decent start and was booked to go on a singles-winning streak, but when WWE had Jack Swagger break it, Ortiz began to flounder.

A trade to SmackDown in 2009’s supplemental draft didn’t change the course and he was released after being used as a jobber-to-the-stars.

Ricky Ortiz may have had all the physical tools, but he ultimately failed to stand out from the crowd. Luckily for him, his ‘physical tools’ were enough for former WWE star Layla, who ended up marrying him.

4. Eric Escobar

After rising to being a world title star in his native Puerto Rico, Eric Perez was signed to a developmental deal in September of 2005, the company no doubt encouraged by the success of his countryman Carlito.

Four years split between Deep South and FCW were fruitful, as he won both groups’ tag titles as well as the FCW Heavyweight Title.

His September 2009 promotion to the main roster saw him aligned with Vickie Guerrero, which must have filled Perez – now going by Eric Escobar – with confidence. After all, Vickie had been involved in some major storylines, was a bona fide heat magnet and had seconded the likes of Edge at a main event level.

Things got off to a good start as he beat Matt Hardy in his debut match, immediately securing himself a spot on team blue at the Bagging Rights pay-per-view.

A couple of weeks later, however, he was removed from the match and, not long after that, his union with Vickie was axed.

After being ‘punished’ by Guerrero with a series of handicap matches and a bout with Kane, Escobar disappeared and was quickly released amid rumours that his not-insignificant (yet fleeting) push had been sabotaged by someone backstage.

3. Mason Ryan

When knee injuries put an end to a promising football career, Welsh adonis Barri Griffiths set his sights on pro wrestling instead.

Barri certainly had the superstar look and, after training for a couple of years in FCW, was called up to the main roster (as Mason Ryan) to be a member of the New Nexus, making a debut statement by interfering in a match between CM Punk and John Cena.

You couldn’t miss the muscleman but, beyond his bulging physique, there simply wasn’t a lot there to keep fans’ attention. Injuries didn’t help, but Mason never quite put it all together and WWE obviously felt he needed more ‘seasoning’, eventually sending him to the rebooted developmental version of NXT.

Unlike Batista, who he was often (perhaps unfairly) compared to, Ryan never quite figured it out and WWE eventually cut bait.

2. Aksana

A former professional bodybuilder from Lithuania who possessed a striking femme fatale look, Aksana certainly made a bold first impression.

The former FCW Divas Champion was called up after about a year in developmental to participate in the all-female season of NXT the game show, placing a respectable fourth while being engaged (literally) in a storyline with her ‘pro’ Goldust.

Her fortunes on the main roster were mixed, as she was once again placed in a romance storyline with Teddy Long and Antonio Cesaro, the latter of whom she managed for a short time. Once their European union came to an end, Aksana’s luck fluctuated and she got lost in the shuffle.

She actually had an odd charisma about her and noticeably improved between the ropes as time went on. But the era was not kind to WWE’s fighting females of the day and Aksana was typically used to enhance other women that the promotion had bigger plans for, rarely getting significant opportunities of her own.

An alliance with Alicia Fox was not enough to save her and Aksana was released to make space for the incoming stars from NXT.

1. Sim Snuka

For the child of a parent considered ‘legendary’ in some circles, it must be tough trying to carry on the legacy.

This fact is true in wrestling, where we see time and time again a second or third generation talent fail to live up to the expectations placed on them by fans to live up to their famous name.

Luckily for James Snuka, son of Hall of Famer Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka, his big break came with the benefit of a name and gimmick that disguised his roots.

As Deuce, he had a solid 18 months on SmackDown, where he won the Tag Team Titles and was involved in notable storylines and matches. It was when he and Domino split that the trouble started.

Drafted to Raw and repackaged as Sim Snuka, he had five forgettable matches where he showed nothing to suggest he could make it on his own.

The fact that he wasn’t added to the Legacy stable spoke volumes, and the last straw for Snuka came when he (disguised as a cameraman) failed to catch The Undertaker at WrestleMania 25.