Forgotten WWE and AEW Storylines That Were Heating Up

Professional wrestling is the only sport that has no offseason. There is no time to prepare stories, as each week is a new challenge.

This can lead to angles that are left half-finished. Some are dropped because they do not get over. Sometimes, circumstances outside anyone's control intervene.

WWE has been doing this for a long time, which leaves the company with plenty of missed opportunities. There are almost more stories the company has dropped than those that have reached their natural conclusion.

Some may not even remember talents like Carlito and Mr. Kennedy. Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston have fought for opportunities through the best and worst of times. Baron Corbin and Bray Wyatt have flirted with greatness but fallen short often.

All Elite Wrestling is only in its early stages, but with a growing roster and limited television time, great angles can simply get lost in the shuffle.

Kazarian and Scorpio Sky have gone from the very first AEW tag team champions to forgotten foundations of the company. Miro and Lio Rush have seemingly joined the ranks of interesting former WWE talent who could not find a home in AEW.

These wrestlers and more have been a part of some great stories that were only to be forgotten. These are just a few of those interesting lost angles.

WWE: Sad Corbin and Kevin Owens

As Baron Corbin once more descends into obscurity as a generic heel, it is the perfect time to reflect on when he was briefly over with the crowd.

Following Shinsuke Nakamura stealing his crown, King Corbin lost much of his money and became a sad shell of his former self. He would come out looking like he had not showered in weeks while wearing a white dress shirt stained with ketchup.

No one wanted to help a man who had mocked and belittled so many over the years, except Kevin Owens. The Prizefighter took pity on Corbin and gave him $20.

It looked like the two would team together, but just after WWE SummerSlam 2021, Corbin won big in Las Vegas and became Happy Corbin. Once more a heel, he found an accomplice in Madcap Moss and terrorized WWE anew.

Much like every heel run for Corbin, he struggled to win big or do anything interesting enough to catch fan attention. KO remained a top star, though he has long sought WWE tag team gold.

This may be an angle to revisit, at least in terms of trying out Corbin as a babyface. He cannot find a character that sticks, but fans were ready to accept him as a lovable loser just two years back.

AEW: Miro's War with God

Miro has never quite found his way in wrestling. He is a former WWE United States champion and TNT champion, but it was after those title reigns that he almost broke out, only to be forgotten.

Rusev Day may never have reached its proper conclusion, but Miro's fight with God has stalled even more noticeably.

Wrestling does not have the best track record with stories that have an element of religion, but The Redeemer sold every Christian promo with a fire that was infectious, turning from a devoted follower to a man who had lost his reverence but kept his faith.

Was Miro ever going to actually fight God in a wrestling ring? No. However, he was able to channel his focus into stories of rage against everyone from Darby Allin and Eddie Kingston to the whole House of Black.

There was far more that could be done with an angry Miro, taking out his frustration on all in his path. However, he wrestled just four matches in 2022, missing time either due to injuries, other commitments or creative differences.

AEW can still make the most of The Redeemer. However, the company will need to tell a brand-new story after so long has passed.

WWE: Mr. Kennedy as Mr. Money in the Bank

Mr. Kennedy is a name most fans have likely forgotten, but he was once on the rise. He captured the Money in the Bank briefcase at WWE WrestleMania 23. At that time, Edge and Rob Van Dam had successfully won a world title with that same contract.

It was supposed to be the beginning of his rise to main event status. However, after a misdiagnosed tricep injury, Edge took Kennedy's briefcase and cashed it in to become WWE world heavyweight champion.

At the time, Kennedy was popular and had a chance to take the world title from The Undertaker. That said, it may have been for the best.

In the next two years, Kennedy would get suspended for steroid misuse and ultimately fired following complaints from Randy Orton about his reckless in-ring performance, as well as some heat with John Cena too.

While WWE could have created a megastar in the moment, Kennedy would be largely forgotten. He did have a strong six-year run in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, but one more failed drug test mostly ended his wrestling career.

WWE: Dolph Ziggler Finally Makes It Big

It may seem wild to think about now, but Dolph Ziggler was once a rising star in WWE. He finally had his big break at WWE Money in the Bank 2013, where he won the World Heavyweight Championship Money in the Bank briefcase.

After multiple close attempts to cash-in and a well-received series of matches with Chris Jericho and John Cena, he won the World Heavyweight Championship on the night after WrestleMania 29.

It was one of the most electric cash-ins in WWE history. The post-Mania crowd was on fire for the moment, cheering on The Showoff despite him cashing in on a face Alberto Del Rio. It should have been the beginning of his rise to prominence.

However, less than a month later, he suffered a concussion due to an errant kick from Jack Swagger, postponing his first title defense.

He returned just before Payback 2016, where he would lose one of the best matches of his career to Del Rio in a rare wrestling double turn.

It could have been the start of Ziggler's rise as a top babyface, but he got caught up in silly drama with AJ Lee and preceded to lose most of his following matches that year. He would never again be as popular as he was that night after WrestleMania.

AEW: Kazarian, The Elite Hunter

SoCal Uncensored was one of the very first tag teams to sign with AEW in 2019 and rode a crowd fervor to become the inaugural AEW tag team champions.

That all ended in May 2021 where Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels lost their final bid for the AEW Tag Team Championships and agreed to part ways. In that match with the Young Bucks, The Fallen Angel suffered a serious eye hemorrhage that sidelined him.

Kazarian made a promise to his friend that he would hunt down The Elite and make them pay for what they had done. The Elite Hunter got popular seeking out Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, The Good Brothers, Michael Nakazawa and Brandon Cutler.

However, the angle was awkwardly cut short as other stars, especially Hangman Adam Page, became more important to the fight against The Elite.

Kazarian would go on to feud with the third former member of SCU, Scorpio Sky, for the TNT Championship, but the story also involving Sammy Guevara, Ethan Page and Dan Lambert was so bad that it nearly sunk everyone.

Kazarian would eventually choose to walk away from AEW and return to an old home in Impact Wrestling, where he has looked like one of the top stars of the company. AEW never seemed to quite see the same in the veteran.

WWE: The Fashion Files

WWE has a tendency to push down any angles where talent get themselves over, and that was certainly true with Breezango, also known as The Fashion Police.

Tyler Breeze and Fandango are two immensely talented entertainers who struggled to find a home in the WWE landscape. They were pushed early but could not convince fans to take them seriously in awkward stories on the main roster.

Finally, they ran into each other and became a tag team. They hosted The Fashion Files, where they investigated fashion crimes by fellow Superstars. This would lead to some great YouTube content that occasionally found a home on the main show as well.

Both had comedic timing that rivaled the best humor WWE could muster, and it all led to WWE Backlash 2017.

In one of the best comedy matches WWE has put on in a long time, Breezango, dressed as janitors, nearly unseated The Usos as SmackDown tag team champions. However, it was not to be.

After the loss, The Fashion Files would soon stop airing, and Breezango would be shuffled off to NXT. The two would capture the NXT Tag Team Championships, but they lost the titles in just 56 days before both were released.

Breeze is now a trainer at the WWE Performance Center while running a wrestling school with Shawn Spears. Fandango has been working in NWA and Impact Wrestling. Both have not been able to capture that same magic of the match with The Usos.

WWE: A New Day Mismanagement Threepeat

New Day has built a resume as one of the all-time great tag teams. Once Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods have completed their stories in WWE, they could go down as the absolute greatest.

One of the reasons for that level of greatness is that they are great singles stars as well as tag team performers. However, each member of New Day has risen but ultimately fallen back to competition as a tag team.

Kofi Kingston has won more championships than most competitors have even competed for, but his greatest moment was winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35.

Big E himself also rose to capture the WWE Championship after cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase on Bobby Lashley.

Both would ride a wave of fan excitement to gold, only to fall short because of Brock Lesnar's latest desire to be world champion. Neither truly got to see a natural end to their title reigns, as they barely got a chance to evenly compete with The Beast Incarnate.

Woods even got his chance in the sun by winning the King of the Ring tournament, but it led to nothing more. At every stage, New Day has shown true main event potential but been cast aside for familiar stars.

AEW: Highest Flight, Lio Rush and Dante Martin

Lio Rush was supposed to be a natural fit in AEW. He is an athletic and charismatic performer who could find his home in WWE and was looking for a second chance.

AEW though made a mistake by putting him back in a manager role. It took months to finally see The Man of the Hour wrestle, but the wait was worth it to see Rush and Dante Martin together.

Martin is one of the most exciting high-flyers performing today. He and Rush had natural chemistry, and following the injury of Darius Martin, Rush was the absolute best option to tag with Dante.

They had attire created for their team, Highest Flight, but the story quickly ended before Rush's contract quietly expired. Martin would go on to work with then turn against Team Taz before reuniting with his brother Darius.

Rush never found a place in AEW. He has gone on to perform at a high level with New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

WWE: Carlito, The Ladies Man

Carlito was one of the brightest rising stars in WWE for a time. He was a constant thorn in the side of John Cena and fought all the top stars including Randy Orton and Triple H.

Caribbean Cool especially began his rise to a world title when he was paired up with Trish Stratus. It is rare that WWE tells romance stories, but the two sold the dynamic.

When Stratus decided to retire, WWE had to move fast to shift the story, so Carlito would feud with The Viper and even pick up the final victory. He would go on to be voted to face Jeff Hardy for the Intercontinental Championship but lost in his pursuit.

He would begin a romance with Torrie Wilson and was branded as The Ladies Man. He was getting popular, but after Ric Flair bashed him for lacking heart, his momentum slowed and ultimately stopped.

He would lose matches to Flair and Triple H until he had no direction and asked for his release. He was on a continued downward spiral where all of his potential evaporated until he was released due to a drug policy violation.

Carlito was one of many stars who had high potential in WWE. However, he could never make the most of that potential.

WWE: Muhammad Hassan vs. Undertaker

Muhammad Hassan was once a rising star in WWE, a heel using the post-9/11 atmosphere in the United States of America to his advantage.

While the man behind the character is an American of Italian descent, he played a Jordanian-Palestinian man, wanting respect from an aggressive U.S. audience.

He was featured often on television during his short but memorable run, and in July 2005, it was finally time for his big break. He was set to fight The Undertaker, and the winner would get a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity.

However, days before that match, WWE booked him in a poorly conceived segment where Hassan employed a group of masked men to attack 'Taker. As it was set to air, WWE pulled it from programming due to its similarities to a terrorist attack in London, England.

The controversy led to WWE sending Hassan and his manager, Khosrow Daivari, back to developmental to be repackaged. Just three months later, he was released from his contract with WWE.

Hassan would retire from wrestling to become an educator. He has confirmed in recent interviews, including with Chris Van Vliet in the video above, that he was set to defeat Batista for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship that year.

While Hassan was a talented performer, his character would have needed to be changed over time. That said, he did not deserve to be completely shut out due to an angle he was booked in.

AEW: Scorpio Sky's Journey to Prove Himself

After breaking off from SoCal Uncensored, Scorpio Sky made it his mission to become TNT champion. After going on an impressive win streak mostly on AEW Dark, he won the Face of the Revolution ladder match to earn his shot.

While he lost against Darby Allin in his first attempt, he would use that opportunity to turn heel. He would eventually win the gold by defeating Sammy Guevara for the title on the March 9 edition of AEW Dynamite.

In that moment, Sky was as big a star as he had ever been. He and Ethan Page dominated AEW while working with Dan Lambert and American Top Team. While he lost the title to Guevara again, he won it back and seemed poised for a fresh run to the top.

The Spanish God kept himself involved while fans soured on him and continued to embrace Sky. While the story was a mess, at least the champion was getting over.

When he fought his former friend Kazarian, Sky looked poised to turn face and become a true fighting champion. However, he instead remained heel to stick with Page and Lambert.

Wardlow dethroned Sky, who then disappeared from television to rehab a leg injury. He has not been seen since despite Sean Ross of Fightful.com reporting that he has been cleared to return.

AEW has frequently had issues with committing to a turn when the time is right, and by keeping Sky heel when he was most popular, he would go on to be forgotten rather than building his legacy as one of AEW's original stars.

WWE: The Fiend's Journey of Revenge

There is no greater WWE tale of woe than that of Bray Wyatt. One of the most popular stars in wrestling, he has gone through many evolutions. His most successful was as The Fiend, a ruthless heel monster who could not be stopped.

Wyatt set up The Fiend as an avenger, taking care of those who had once wronged him. He went after Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, John Cena and more.

While many may remember Wyatt's struggles at times to get over due to bad booking, including losing the Universal Championship to Goldberg, it was the end of Wyatt's 2021 run that most egregiously left money on the table.

Wyatt was in a war with Randy Orton, the man who took his first WWE Championship in 2017. The Viper was the rare man sadistic enough to challenge The Fiend, even burning him alive at WWE TLC. Wyatt survived and continued to chase Orton.

The Fiend challenged The Viper one last time at WrestleMania 37 in a match he needed to win. Instead, Alexa Bliss distracted Wyatt and set up Orton to win with an RKO. Wyatt was then shockingly released from his contract on July 31, 2021.

This did set the stage for Wyatt to return on October 8, 2022, at WWE Extreme Rules in one of the most visually dazzling returns in WWE history. However, even now, WWE seems to be struggling to convincingly book Wyatt.

His lore-heavy style does not work for everyone, and the slow pace of his stories can grate on fans. However, WWE most certainly dropped the ball with him. Hopefully, this new run will lead somewhere more promising.