10 WWE Superstars in Risk of Being Released

Credit: WWE.com

1. Curtis Axel

One of the toughest things about being a second-generation superstar is the high expectations your parents left behind when they were your age. In the case of Curtis Axel, his dad might have been too perfect to surpass – Mr. Perfect that is.

Curt Hennig was known as the perfect all-around athlete in WWE history and was definitely one of the best Intercontinental Champions of all time. So when his son debuted under the name Michael McGuillicutty, some eyebrows were raised since it wasn’t the best wrestling name. Give him credit for wanting to be his own star, but maybe he could have embraced his legacy more.

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The McGuillicutty character was part of the second form of the Nexus that was part of the shift from Wade Barrett to CM Punk. But when the New Nexus disbanded, he started to lose momentum – granted he had a brief run with the Tag Team Championships with David Otunga (we’ll get to you in a second, sir).

After two years in NXT, he returned to the main roster under his current name and had some brief success with the Intercontinental Championship. But it felt the pairing with Paul Heyman was awkward and so was his tag team with Ryback. At least the AxelMania gimmick after not officially being eliminated from the 2015 Royal Rumble was pretty funny.

But Hulk Hogan’s recent legal issues forced an end to that gimmick and now we have the latest example of “creative has nothing for you.” Maybe becoming a casualty to the future endeavored list will let him flourish with another promotion where he can be given a better chance.

Next: No. 6