10 WWE Prospects Who Caused Their Own Downfall
These WWE prospects failed because of their own actions
4. Jaxson Ryker
We know it might be a bit of a stretch to call Jaxson Ryker a ‘promising prospect’, since the man formerly known as TNA’s gunner had been wrestling for about 15 years before WWE signed him in May of 2017.
But Vince McMahon was clearly a fan of the ex-US Marine, who made his main roster debut on SmackDown in April of 2020 (alongside Forgotten Sons stablemates Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake).
Portrayed as an American patriot on-screen, Ryker off-screen was unafraid to post his true feelings about the Black Lives Matter movement and then-President Donald Trump.
WWE stars like Ricochet and Kevin Owens were quick to criticise, while Cutler and Blake made the decision to publicly distance themselves from their teammate’s comments.
Ryker’s posts may have upset a large portion of the WWE locker room, but WWE felt like they couldn’t fire him for exercising his freedom of speech.
Nevertheless, the Forgotten Sons were quietly disbanded and Ryker re-emerged many months later, having been shifted to Raw.
He didn’t last too long, teaming and then feuding with Elias, then becoming a Main Event mainstay before being released amid reports his peers still hadn’t forgiven him.
