- 9 hours ago
Triple H shouldn't be tempted to bring ANY of these ex-WWE stars back.
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00:00Triple H's WWE has done a much better job of giving most workers something to do across Raw, SmackDown and NXT.
00:07Even so, the boss should not get carried away and plan on overstuffing his roster.
00:12It's busy enough, and Trips must only look sideways towards Tony Khan's AEW to see where signing every single pro wrestler gets you.
00:19In other words, he shouldn't bring anyone mentioned here back.
00:22These wrestlers can still earn good cash elsewhere on the wrestling map.
00:26But in WWE, nope, it's a firm no from me.
00:28So I am Gareth, this is WhatCulture Wrestling, and here are 10 wrestlers WWE must not rehire.
00:34Number 10, Gable Steveson.
00:35This just didn't work out, did it?
00:37Gable Steveson was likened to Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle from the off due to his amateur and Olympic achievements.
00:43That was a mistake, though.
00:45One that quickly caught up with WWE execs once they realized Gable didn't quite take to their brand of wrestling like a duck might to water.
00:52Steveson started drowning, to be honest.
00:54His woeful match versus Baron Corbin on NXT summed it all up.
00:58He was a dude WWE fully expected to be a natural, but he couldn't live up to the billing and was booed heavily by fans.
01:04Though some of that could have also been due to a past investigation into sexual misconduct allegations made against him.
01:10Gable has moved on to the NFL anyway.
01:12WWE and pro wrestling in general just was not for him.
01:15Lesson learned, or one that should be.
01:17Triple H cannot be tempted to bring Steveson back for another whirl if things don't pan out for him with the Buffalo Bills.
01:24There simply wasn't enough to his game to merit further patience.
01:27It's as cut and dried as that, really.
01:29Number 9, Shanky.
01:30Good lord, Big Shanks was a painful watch, bless him.
01:33His awkward attempts at comedy were WWE under Vince McMahon 101.
01:37Despite playing before literal silence at times, Shanky was tasked with turning from menacing monster into a friendly giant, who liked to goof off and have a laugh whenever he could.
01:46The catch?
01:47Well, he was sadly the only one laughing.
01:49Fans just did not care about Shanky when he was aligned with Jinder Mahal.
01:53They didn't care about the guy when he turned into the next coming of Kurgan, Big Show, Lord Tensai, The Great Khali, any other number of big men who suddenly decided acting like fun-loving party boys was the way to win over people's hearts.
02:04They just didn't care, full stop.
02:06WWE cut the cord in September 2023, and they must never look back.
02:11Triple H doesn't seem as obsessed by big lad attractions as Vince was anyway, so there's probably no scope for Shanky to launch headfirst into a short mega-push on TV in coming years.
02:21Never say never and all that, but no, please say never.
02:24Number 8, Emma.
02:25There was a short, very short period when Emma's return in 2022 made headlines.
02:30Some were legit thrilled to see Tennille Dashwood get another crack with the company, and everyone reasoned Trips would get the best out of her, or possibly even turn her into a pillar of the women's division.
02:40Nope, didn't happen.
02:41She slid down the ladder of importance within weeks, and that was that.
02:45Emma's second stint at WWE was so listless that she's openly questioned her own future in the business on social media.
02:53That's sad, really, because she is definitely talented, but there'd be no real clamor for a third run with the market leader.
02:59WWE's focus should be on fresher workers like Tiffany Stratton, Roxanne Perez, Kiana James, and more going forward.
03:06Sure, every division on the books needs some depth, and it definitely doesn't sting to have older heads act as occasional punching bags slash mentors to the next generation.
03:16But honestly, Emma would only suffer the same fate she did before if she came back.
03:20Let her do the veteran act elsewhere if she wants to keep on bumping.
03:23Number 7, Jinder Mahal.
03:25You've got to give Jinder Mahal something, right?
03:26His work opposite The Rock and Seth Rollins in January 2024 was well worth seeing.
03:31Firstly, Jinder trolled fans pre-Rocky return on the New Year edition of Raw, and he held his own on the mic against one of the greatest to ever hold one.
03:39Then, Mahal turned in a fun showing versus Rollins for the world title.
03:43That was actually one final roll of the dice from WWE.
03:47They sought that last bit of value from somebody they'd truthfully given up on as a credible concern years ago.
03:52By April, Jinder was hindered and sent packing.
03:55Will he be back? Most likely, right?
03:57But WWE's decision makers should pause and seriously think about why, should they ever consider it.
04:03Mahal will likely never reach the heady heights of world titles again, at least not in the E.
04:08He's well-spoken, seems to have a good head on his shoulders, and has been reflective during interviews since leaving WWE.
04:14But Jinder is not somebody who'd really rock the boat with a return.
04:17Being honest, this guy right here really likes him as a person a lot.
04:21But this is just business, folks.
04:22Now, I've got a quick question for you. We're talking about a lot of people that should not be re-signed to WWE.
04:27I want to know who you would like to see WWE sign.
04:30Hell, it might even be a person on this list. You let me know in the comments section down below.
04:34Number 6, Top Dollar.
04:36AJ Francis can point to some fun interactions opposite internet darling Joe Hendry in TNA.
04:41And he's busy working for both MLW and the NWA.
04:44But there is a ceiling for the man. WWE is just far too high, really.
04:49His matches sucked when he was part of Hit Row the first time, and they were even worse between 2022 and 2023 during his second go-around.
04:57Hate to say it, but that's just the way it was, folks.
04:59Michael Cole was clearly working when ribbing Dollar on commentary.
05:03But there had to be some truth to his words, right?
05:06Cole has watched literally hundreds of pro wrestlers roll through WWE's doors.
05:10And anyone with working eyes could see that Top Dollar did not have the basic fundamentals down.
05:15Again, that might be a bit harsh, but the eyes do not lie, people.
05:19His bouts were clunky, and a few notable botches gained eyeballs online for all the wrong reasons.
05:24There are far better in-ring workers who don't get a look-in on mainline WWE television.
05:29Honestly, Dollar is better off where he is.
05:31Who knows, maybe he'll surprise everybody by honing his skills and having killer matches someday.
05:35But it probably won't be under Triple H's watch.
05:38Thank you very much for clicking on this video today, my friend.
05:40And if you're enjoying what you're watching, then hit that subscribe button down below,
05:44and you will get more of this WhatCulture Wrestling stuff invading your eyeballs.
05:48Now back to the video.
05:49Number 5, Paul White.
05:50There were some wild takes when Paul White joined AEW.
05:54I think Tony Khan can get more from him, some said.
05:56White himself even seemed pretty game for it.
05:59He openly pitched matches against Kenny Omega.
06:01But in retrospect, it's a good thing that wasn't inflicted on the wrestling world in 2021.
06:06Though I still kinda wanna see it, I said what I said.
06:09In March 2023, Paul said he had two years remaining on his All Elite deal.
06:13So WWE would actually be able to bring him back in March 2025 if he sees out the duration of that contract.
06:19They shouldn't though.
06:20Look, bringing Big Show back as some sort of ambassador is absolutely fine.
06:24But that's it.
06:25The Giant is a spent force physically,
06:27which is to be expected after bumping for decades and being in his 50s,
06:31and hasn't really cracked it on commentary either, to be honest.
06:34Sure, some appearances have been better than others behind the desk,
06:37but Khan has not shown full trust in Paul White, the wrestling announcer, years as of yet.
06:42And what exactly does Show have to offer WWE's future?
06:46Now that's the question everyone should really be asking once he's a free agent.
06:50Number 4, Matt Riddle.
06:51Sorry to any fans of the bro out there,
06:53but Matt Riddle is more trouble to WWE than he's worth.
06:56The man himself has admitted that during interviews since being scrapped in late 2023.
07:01Riddle comes with a lot of poor PR baggage.
07:04Just type his name into Google and you'll see what I mean.
07:06And that might never change.
07:07He's a walking lore unto himself away from the ring.
07:10And Triple H doesn't need those sort of headaches,
07:13given everything else that's been looming over WWE post-Vince McMahon.
07:16He's a worker who really should have gone on to main event pay-per-views,
07:19possibly even WrestleMania,
07:21and win countless world titles.
07:23I mean, in ring, Riddle is ace.
07:25On the mic, he's quirky and an engaging, loose cannon.
07:28On the road, though, that's a different story.
07:30Matt brings far too much trouble to WWE's door.
07:33And there are others who can work the high-quality bouts he does.
07:36So that is not enough to offset all of the other bad bits.
07:39WWE did show patience with Riddle when he maybe didn't deserve any.
07:43And they were not rewarded for that in the end, either.
07:46Patience just ran out.
07:47Number 3, The Hardy Boys.
07:49At WrestleMania 33, Matt and Jeff Hardy's WWE return brought the damn house down.
07:54And I'm talking about my house, I was shaking the walls.
07:57It was pop of the night.
07:59Which is really saying something when stars like The Undertaker, Randy Orton,
08:02Seth Rollins, and countless others were on the same card.
08:05People were legitimately buzzed to see the Hardys.
08:08But a lot has changed since 2017.
08:11Their dual AEW runs flat out sucked, didn't they?
08:14Let's not pretend that Matt or Jeff could be considered some great loss to Tony Khan's weekly products.
08:19They weren't capable of producing top-notch matches against the Young Bucks or other teams influenced by the brothers.
08:25That All Elite Chiefs badly wanted them to.
08:27And recently, Matt has been posting a lot about the potential for he and Jeff to benefit from WWE's alliance with TNA.
08:34Now, yes, they would get a decent, albeit smaller, pop.
08:38But what comes next?
08:39NXT does not need the Hardys in ring, put it that way.
08:41Other teams already on WWE's books deserve those minutes more, too.
08:45These boys should just keep doing their thing elsewhere.
08:48Number 2, Goldberg.
08:49Now, in fairness, WWE did the Goldberg Revenge Tour well at first.
08:54His matches versus Brock Lesnar in 2016 and 2017 were exactly what they needed to be.
08:59The wheels fell off the wagon after that, though.
09:01The company put too much faith in Bill and had him mow down stars like Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt en route to Universal Championships.
09:09That was a step too far for many.
09:11And the quality veered wildly between fun matches versus Bobby Lashley to downright awful that Undertaker match between 2017 and 2022.
09:20No more now, please.
09:21We've done.
09:21We've had enough.
09:22Sure, Goldberg could pop back up for a cameo spear in the future.
09:26But nobody needs to see him wrestle in featured spots ever again.
09:29The less said about those AEW rumors, the better, too.
09:33He'd probably be the worst fit imaginable for Tony Khan's in-ring-centric Dream Match Factory.
09:38And that is coming from a guy who loves the man.
09:41And number 1, Shane McMahon.
09:42Speaking of names linked to AEW, it's Shane O'Mac.
09:46Yes, people have been discussing the likelihood of Shane McMahon signing on the dotted line with AEW.
09:52And continuing his power trip trends somewhere other than WWE.
09:56What a crazy world.
09:57Hell mend them if AEW actually agree to that.
09:59Because McMahon has been a menace for years now.
10:02Some of his work has tortured the fanbase.
10:05Some people just love chaos, though, I guess.
10:07Shane laughably became best in the world by winning WWE's World Cup back in 2018.
10:12And that led to a run as one of SmackDown's top heels.
10:15It was all a bit so-so, really.
10:17You know what wasn't so-so?
10:19His disastrous back-to-back showings at the 2022 Royal Rumble and at WrestleMania 39 the following year.
10:25McMahon was fired by his own father after trying to assert dominance in the Rumble.
10:29Then, at Mania 39, a match versus The Miz was hastily changed to Miz versus Snoop Dogg when Shane tore his quads.
10:37Still an absolutely insane sentence.
10:39Now, that should be a wrap on any desire to see the ex-boy wonder in ring ever again.
10:44So don't do it, Hunter.
10:45Please.
10:45I beg you.
10:46Now, have you enjoyed this list right here today?
10:48Then why not check out this 10 wrestlers who killed their own push one, too?
10:52You're gonna have a ball, I promise.
10:53Bye-bye.
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