WWE Missed Opportunities: Jack Swagger's Chance to Become Big Star Squandered

WWE Elimination Chamber takes place this Sunday, and over the course of history, this event has provided a huge opportunity to Superstars, particularly in the match that bears its name.

In the past, Superstars such as John Cena, Triple H and Edge have furthered their own legacies by emerging victorious in the dangerous chamber match. But perhaps no Superstar was ever presented a bigger opportunity than when Jack Swagger won the match in February 2013.

Cena, Triple H and Edge were already established names. So was just about every other Superstar who has ever won this match. Prior to the match, Swagger had been off television for several months. He was in the middle of a long losing streak when he left.

When he returned in February 2013, Swagger had a new manager with him known as Zeb Colter. This seemed to give Swagger a new attitude, and he showed a more aggressive style in the ring as he dismantled Kofi Kingston. He then pummeled Zack Ryder en route to qualifying for the Elimination Chamber match.

It seemed like a great start to a rejuvenated push into the Swagger character at the time, but there was no way he would win the match, right? After all, he was in there with Chris Jericho, Kane, Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry and Randy Orton. With a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 29 on the line, Swagger may have been the last guy people picked to win the match.

But behind Colter, who was generating a ton of heat for the Superstar with his controversial anti-immigration beliefs, momentum began to build for Swagger.

Swagger performed well in the match, being the first man to be released from his chamber pod after Jericho and Bryan started the match. He did enough to survive, allowing Henry and Orton to score two eliminations each before stealing the match from Orton with a roll-up in the end.

It was a massive win for the former Oklahoma Sooner, who suddenly had a spot in one of the marquee matches at WrestleMania 29. With Alberto Del Rio holding the World title at the time, an interesting program could develop with Colter being the catalyst.

But less than three weeks after one of the biggest wins of his career in the Elimination Chamber, he was arrested for DUI and marijuana possession. This report by PW Torch, citing an original story by the Sun Herald of Mississippi, details some of the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Though WWE didn't pull Swagger from television at the time or his program with Del Rio, it was a crushing blow. He went on to challenge Del Rio for the World title at WrestleMania 29 but was defeated. How did his arrest affect the outcome of that match? Would he have become the champion? That is up for debate, but with the attention Colter had brought for the duo, it's hard to think that making Swagger the new champion wasn't the original plan.

Swagger left the WWE no choice with the mistake he made.

The following night on Monday Night Raw, Del Rio defeated Swagger and Colter in a handicap match, only to have Dolph Ziggler come out and cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase to win the title.

It seemed that Swagger's loss had become Ziggler's gain, and after another loss to Del Rio in an "I Quit" match in May, Swagger's singles push was gone.

Colter would be put with Swagger and Antonio Cesaro in a tag team known as The Real Americans. The team experienced mild success, but Swagger has never been able to return to the main event scene—not even close.

The Colter character, who was becoming one of the best heels in the company, was also hurt as a result.

Currently, Swagger is rarely seen on television, and when he is, it's generally in a spot where he can put over another talent. Adam Rose and Rusev were both booked to look strong against Swagger in 2014.

Swagger now appears to be in another holding pattern, waiting for WWE to find another good spot for him—if that even happens. But the opportunity was there. Had Swagger not made a costly mistake in Mississippi and gone on to become the champion at WrestleMania 29, he might still be one of the top guys on the roster.

There was no doubt that his decision to get behind the wheel of a vehicle while under the influence changed the direction of the rest of his career. Whether it is fair or not, opportunities don't come around often for every WWE Superstar, and Swagger likely watched his go down the drain.

Even if Swagger never wrestles another match, he's still managed to put together a respectable career. Though most consider his lone World Championship reign to be a dud, and it is largely forgotten five years later, he has still had several other quality accomplishments.

Swagger is a former ECW and United States champion. He has scored wins in big matches over future Hall of Famers such as Orton, Jericho and Christian. Swagger is an elite athlete who compiled an impressive record while competing for the wrestling team at Oklahoma.

But when his big break in WWE came, he wasn't able to capitalize, and that may be what he is most remembered for when his career is all said and done. Hopefully for Swagger, that opportunity comes around again at some point. But if it doesn't, he'll have no one to blame but himself.