Jaxson Ryker & 9 Other Wrestlers WWE Inexplicably Kept For A Long Time
In the midst of so many WWE releases, we have come to realize that the company got rid of several very talented wrestlers, while keeping other mediocre wrestlers on its roster, to say the least.
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Jaxson Ryker was indeed recently released from his WWE contract, but he stayed in the promotion for four years, doing pretty much nothing, playing a boring character and delivering zero memorable matches, in addition to his questionable beliefs and attitude backstage. That's precisely why it's hard to understand why WWE kept him around for so long. On that note, let's take a look at other wrestlers WWE inexplicably kept for a long time.
10 Jaxson Ryker
Jaxson Ryker made his WWE televised debut on the September 19, 2018, episode of NXT, easily defeating Humberto Carrillo. Ryker received the call-up to the main roster in 2020, becoming part of the Raw brand.
The truth is that Jaxson Ryker was never involved in a major feud, and was always a filler wrestler, that neither Vince McMahon nor the fans were interested in watching. Ryker's last WWE match was during the November 4, 2021, episode of Main Event, when he lost to Cedric Alexander.
9 Elias
Elias was Jaxson Ryker's partner for some time until they parted ways and had a feud, which was perhaps the most interesting moment of their WWE careers. After that Elias was going through a character change, even getting rid of his guitar, however, he suddenly disappeared from television and hasn't had a match since July 2021.
Many fans think that Elias was also released, but in reality, he is still part of the WWE roster, it’s just that the company has no idea what to do with him.
8 Tamina
The most likely reason Tamina has been on the WWE roster for 12 years is because of her father, Jimmy Snuka, and the respect Vince McMahon had for him; if it wasn't for that, Tamina may never have made it to WWE.
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Whether we like it or not, we have to admit that Tamina doesn't have the shining talent needed for this business, her in-ring skills are mediocre, and she doesn't have the charisma that a professional wrestler needs. After so much time in WWE, Tamina has not improved any aspect of her game, and her biggest accomplishment is a Tag Team Championship.
7 Primo
Carlito’s brother, Primo, worked for WWE between 2008 and 2019, and he was one of the most lackluster wrestlers in that long period. He never stood out, and he never delivered a memorable match. To make matters worse, Primo couldn’t cut a good promo. Admittedly, Primo was a failure, but for some inexplicable reason WWE kept him for a long time, and did nothing with him.
6 Vladimir Kozlov
Vladimir Kozlov was one of those foreign heels that Vince McMahon loved; in fact, he received a big push that almost led to him becoming World Champion. Kozlov certainly looked great, but his wrestling skills were no big deal, and he wasn't a great talker, either.
The foreign heel gimmick worked at first, but eventually it got boring and Kozlov went from entertaining to unbearable. After this failure there was no reason to keep Kozlov in the company, but, like clockwork, WWE decided to make Kozlov a comedy character by pairing him with Santino Marella.
5 Jinder Mahal
Jinder Mahal was one of the worst WWE champions of all time, hands down. No one knows what Vince McMachon saw in Jinder Mahal to make him decide to push him to the top, but after his resounding failure even the chairman realized that Mahal was not main event material.
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Still, WWE has inexplicably kept Jinder Mahal to this day, and frankly no one is interested in Mahal anymore, as even a megastar like Drew McIntyre couldn't have an interesting feud with him.
4 Viscera
Viscera, Mabel, Big Daddy V; you can call him whatever you want, but the fact is he was a pretty bad wrestler. His gimmicks were never entertaining enough and his wrestling skills were abysmal, not to mention he was a sloppy and insecure worker.
However, Viscera did have three WWE runs, to total nine years with the company. Certainly, at one point Viscera was a decent monster heel, but over time he went from intimidating to a bad joke.
3 Ezekiel Jackson
It's hard to believe WWE kept Ezekiel Jackson around for five years. Obviously, Jackson came to WWE solely for his muscular look, but wrestling is much more than that. The Guyanese Goliath managed to win the Intercontinental Championship and the ECW Heavyweight Championship, although both were absolutely lackluster reigns and no one remembers them.
Other than that, Jackson accomplished nothing in the company. Knowing that Ezekiel Jackson simply didn't belong in WWE, how did he stay on the roster for a long time? Hard to say.
2 Rosa Mendes
Rosa Mendes was one of the most lackluster women to ever challenge for a WWE Women's title. In fact, Mendes was one of those women who reflected the low level of the women's division at the time. Rosa's in-ring skills were simply terrible, and she was not charismatic at all.
With that said, it's inexplicable that WWE kept her around for six years, as Mendes' level was below the standards of the Divas division, and that's saying something.
1 Madcap Moss
Certainly, Madcap Moss' comedy gimmick is a little better than anything he's done previously in WWE, but it's still not that entertaining, and if it weren't for Happy Corbin, Moss would be lost.
Believe it or not, Moss has been in WWE for eight years now, and he's done absolutely nothing memorable. In terms of in-ring skills, Madcap Moss has been mediocre since his debut and there hasn't been much improvement. It's hard to believe that Moss survived so many releases.
