Why Big Cass Never Reached Full Potential with WWE

You wouldn't normally describe someone as large and imposing as Big Cass as average, but that's what he was in WWE. 

His former tag team partner Enzo Amore famously used to introduce Big Cass by saying that he was seven feet tall, noting "You can't teach that."

Yes, the man formerly known as Colin Cassady has the size WWE has so long coveted, but it wasn't enough to guarantee success in the squared circle. The rest of his game underwhelmed. 

Big Cass may have eventually blossomed into a star big man, but his development was cut short. Reported backstage issues led to his surprise release on Tuesday.

Just days after he was mixing it up with Daniel Bryan on a pay-per-view, WWE announced it had severed ties with the Superstar:

And with that, the only member of the cocky trio that once roamed NXT left standing is Carmella. WWE released Amore in January amid a sexual assault investigation. Big Cass now joins him on a short list of wrestlers WWE let go without wishing them well in their future endeavors.

In an era filled with 5'10" guys, Big Cass stood out physically.

The Queens, New York, native is a towering figure. He's a rare human being who can step up to Big Show and not be dwarfed. 

Credit: WWE.com

His size meant WWE would give him every opportunity to succeed. Pro wrestling will forever be a circus-esque business and it forever needs its giants.  

It looked as if the company was ready to invest in Big Cass last June, prepping him for a rise as a singles star. A long partnership with Amore ended with Cass turning heel, revealing himself to be his buddy's mystery attacker. Two PPV wins followed, including a triumph over Big Show at SummerSlam.

Before Big Cass could climb any further, though, injury struck.

Last August, he tore his ACL during a match against Amore. Surgery left him of action until April. He wasn't able to put an emphatic close to his rivalry with Amore or build on his momentum as a solo act. He missed WrestleMania 34 as the WWE machine kept churning without him.

When he healed up, the door was wide open for him again, though. WWE moved him to SmackDown and immediately booked him to feud with Bryan.

Big Cass had clearly worked hard in the gym during his absence, but it just didn't translate to fireworks in the ring. He and Bryan had one of the least impressive bouts at a subpar Backlash PPV.  

There was a time when expectations would have been low for what a man his size did in the ring, but not in today's era. 

Braun Strowman is an enthralling athlete who has given Roman Reigns some of his career-best matches. Harper is tearing it up as one half of The Bludgeon Brothers. The monstrous Brock Lesnar is a far better wrestler than Cass even with his pared-down "Suplex City" shtick.

Would Big Cass have upped his game between the ropes? Maybe. But he would have needed to refine his mic skills as well to grow into a bona fide star.

Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross noted on his podcast recently (h/t Wrestling Inc's William Windsor) that he believed Cass' delivery had to improve: "I think he needs to work on his promos sounding a little more organic, not memorized."

During his rivalry with Bryan, Big Cass had ample spotlight and mic time but never made the most of it.

His speech on the June 5 edition of SmackDown, for example, dragged along. 

This was no anomaly. Against Amore or Bryan, in and out of the ring, Big Cass didn't get the bat on the ball, so to speak, nearly enough.

Big Cass never made fans excited the way other members of the roster have. He never created signature moments that separated himself from his peers. Despite his enormity, he was often just another guy.  

Chris Walder of The Score summed it up well:

Even so, WWE would have given him a long leash and kept the Big Cass experiment alive if he had caused fewer headaches outside of the ring. Stories of the former SmackDown star's troubles backstage have emerged since his release.

Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated reported: "Big Cass's unexpected release from WWE was due, in large part, to personal conduct issues." That apparently included public intoxication.

Pro Wrestling Sheet founder Ryan Satin revealed one of the incidents that may have led to the big man's abrupt exit, which occurred on a WWE bus.

"We're told the bathroom lock was apparently broken, but Cass didn't realize it and thought he was being pranked," Satin wrote. "After being stuck inside for too long, a claustrophobic/angry Cass broke down the door."

In addition, Satin reported in May that Big Cass upset the WWE brass by going against a directive in a segment that featured a little person dressed as Bryan.

You can be so-so in the ring and still make it in WWE. You can be robotic on the mic and still succeed. You can't, though, be both and rankle the powers that be. Even if you are a 7-footer. 

So Big Cass' story is cut short after some disappointing early chapters, with further insight into why WWE jettisoned him sure to come.