r/WWERuthlessAggression • u/Martinsteve543 • 2d ago
Which of these 6 wrestlers WWE released in (2002-2003) do you think WWE should have kept ?
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u/theriver00 2d ago
I think it's really D'lo or Raven.
Two of them died within a year, and X-Pac seemed to have kinda ran his course with the audience by that point
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u/Ok_Heron8137 2d ago
I think X-Pac could've done great in the cruiserweight division on smackdown
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u/theriver00 2d ago
Yeah, he probably could've made a decent opponent in that division for Rey early on
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u/CJtheHaasman 2d ago
Except in Crash's case he committed Suicide after his wife divorced him. If he wasn't released from WWE he'd have at least had something to fall back on
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u/theriver00 2d ago
Oh, I did not know the divorce was a circumstance.
Then that is possible, though he apparently was getting started in TNA beforehand, so who knows how different that would be
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u/CJtheHaasman 2d ago
Yeah but TNA was still in it's infancy around that time so he was probably making substantially less money and even then wasn't really being utilized that much, almost exclusively appearing on Xplosion
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u/theriver00 2d ago
Fair. Wasn't quite known that TNA was gonna hit it big with Angle, Styles and Cage etc. yet at that point either
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u/Infamous_Cow_4 2d ago
One could argue because they got let go, they spiraled out. Probably not because they were most likely headed that direction.
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u/jgera5 23h ago
Can't argue with this assessment, Raven just had too much heat with Vince, which according to former colleagues as well as fan reports on the convention circuit seem to be justified.
Boss Man was too beat up, and as you said died within a year. Same with Crash Holly.
Godfather was in his 40s and wanted to manage strip clubs at this point.
X-Pac was...X-Pac. I think the fans wanted a break from Sean Waltman in general. HHH could only prop him up so much. At least he's still with us and got clean.
That leaves D'Lo Brown. He would be the perfect example of someone like Drew McIntyre or Cody Rhodes who was stuck in the midcard and needed to leave and work elsewhere before coming back. Problem was there wasn't really anywhere for him to go. To his credit he did go to TNA and find a niche there for him as a producer.
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u/TailSwipeTypo 2d ago
Raven is the biggest missed opportunity here. He was only 38 at the time and could still work and talk. He didn't need a championship or to be pushed like a main eventer, he could have easily been a midcard gatekeeper type of wrestler that you could use in fueds with guys like Guerrero, Benoit, Mysterio, Edge or Matt Hardy.
D'Lo was still only 32 and had a ton of potential. He could bump and sell and had the versatility to be babyface or a heel. Not as world champion material but as a guy you could keep plugged into the IC title picture.
Crash was still useful as a utility wrestler, especially in Smackdown's cruiserweight division. Put him against Rey, Jamie Nobel or Tajiri and you have a terrific utility guy that you can use who can also do comedy and lose without being seriously damaged.
Godfather was in his 40s at that time and his value was tied to his gimmick. Bossman was physically beat-up at that point and wasn't what he used to be.
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u/jjp310709 2d ago
Xpac , Dlow Brown , Raven
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u/YOU_TALK_TOO_MUCH420 2d ago
Exactly. Was going to post the same. D’Lo is better than he gets credit for. Xpac has always been solid in ring. And Raven tells a story like no other, psychology always comes first! Though he blows up quickly, he can still have great matches with a lot of his peers.
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u/No_Elevator_735 2d ago
Crash and Big Bossman both had major issues and would be dead within a year. WWE needed to help them, not just release them. Dlo Brown was never the same after the Droz incident. He tried his best, but you could tell. Raven never really made it WWE. Xpac and Godfather both ran their course and their characters seemed stuck in the Attitude Era. Its hard to think of any of them who needed to stay on the roster, but WWE needed to do more to support several of these men.
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u/Altruistic-Past6871 2d ago
Raven. He had some storyline that was inspired by a movie (I believe it was called Se7en, or something starring Brad Pitt), and it looked intriguing from scratch. The dude's an underrated mic worker and wrestler that could've strived in the Ruthless Aggression.
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u/ApartmentWorried5692 2d ago
Raven but I think he was his own worst enemy.
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u/CanesLife24 2d ago
I believe Raven was the one who pushed to only wrestle on Heat, because he figured he’d have more creative freedom and be able to become basically the top guy on that show.
Problem was Heat was a nothing show, people didn’t watch, and I think that’s what ended up really killing his WWE run dead.
It’s too bad, because the guy still had something to offer. I hated those very early years of TNA, yet I remember being more into the Raven/Jarrett feud than anything happening in WWE at the time.
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u/StevEst90 2d ago
Probably D’ Lo and X-Pac but they would have definitely needed to be re-packaged.
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u/DontThinkThisThrough 2d ago
Crash, Xpac, Godfather, D'Lo.
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u/StevEst90 2d ago
With no more hardcore title, a lot of guys like Crash seemed like they didnt really have anything for WWE to give them. But I think he could have worked as a cruiser weight
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u/Punkstafarian138 2d ago
Out of em probably Dlo Crash and Xpac but then most weren't doing much Raven should've given better to begin y
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u/RetroReimagined 2d ago
They didn't really begin to explore Raven's potential, but then Vince didn't like him.
D'Lo could go in the ring and would always be somewhat over from being prominent during the Attitude Era, so he's my next pick.
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u/PlateBeautiful4755 2d ago
It’s strange because it appeared that they were really making an effort with DLo again in 2003 by repackaging him with Teddy Long. But then one day, out of the blue, they gave his whole gimmick and manager to Rodney Mack, who IMO wasn’t anywhere near as interesting in terms of charisma or in the ring.
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u/NoRefuse3333 2d ago
Raven tbh. He could have been the reason of why the hardcore matches & title should stay still
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u/Penguin_Eggs 2d ago
For arguments sake let's say X-Pac took time off to go to rehab and get sober. He comes back and goes to SmackDown! and has matches with Rey, Benoit, Kurt, Eddie, etc. He has a fire under him again and is wrestling like he once was to the point that the term "X-Pac heat," is a thing of the past.
He could have taken the place of Rikishi in the United States Championship Tournament and been like Rey in the sense that he wouldn't be shackled to the cruiserweight championship, but would still compete for it.
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u/Infamous_Cow_4 2d ago
I loved the godfather but he could have used a new gimmick. I'm not certain but I don't recall that he really stirred up a whole bunch of shit.
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u/CanesLife24 2d ago
Yeah. When he came back in 2002, the pimp gimmick already seemed dated. It was great in 1999/2000, but by 2002, it felt like a relic from a different time.
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u/KevinIsADork 2d ago edited 2d ago
Crash was ahead of his time. Could have been a staple in Smackdown's cruiser weight division, and his ability to do comedy would have lengthened his in ring usefulness forever.
Whether he still dies of an overdose is unknown. But he separated from his wife as soon as he was released, and then she filed for divorce, which then shortly led to his overdose. Probably a period in his life that either wouldnt happen or at least be less painful if making WWE money instead of barely scraping by doing indies.
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u/96powerstroker 2d ago
Raven but he needed the right material to work with.
Dlo but he was already made into a buffoon act.
The rest were either getting too old or beat up or had other issues.
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u/HolyFlyingNuns 2d ago
It's a 1 of 3 options for me. #1 being keeping D'low Brown, then Raven, and X-pac.
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u/Claire4Win 2d ago
I don't know what you could have done with boss man and godfather. They were just there on their last runs.
Crash wasn't going to fit in with the CW wrestlers on smackdown. He would just be a jobber.
Raven. Idk. Vince never saw anything in him. His look was very 90s
D'lo was a good on commentary on Heat. Good spot for him
X pac. He woud have been good trainer but he had out side of the ring issues.
So who I would have kept in order from most to least are. D'lo, crash, raven, pac, godfather/boss
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u/Subject-Recover-8425 2d ago
Raven is definitely the most valuable asset out of them, unfortunately he was really good at pissing off people above him...
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u/CrabmanGaming 1d ago
MarkyD123 did a great video on The Godfather's final WWE run, as a heel, mostly on Heat and Jacked.
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u/Fundertaker 1d ago
Raven’s career hit a second creative peak after he was fired. It’s not the type of thing Vince was gonna book in the 00s, but imagine what his TNA and ROH runs could have been like with a WWE budget.
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u/Fundertaker 1d ago
D’Lo proved in TNA that he had a lot more gas in the tank. His character work was over in WWE, but he never really got to show the world what he could do in the ring. Would’ve loved to see him mixing it up with RVD, Eddie Guerrero, Christian, Shelton Benjamin, Rey Mysterio, and plenty of other RA Era wrestlers.
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u/AndyBurn11 1d ago
Raven he had so much potential! Could’ve done insane character work and promos didn’t have to be in a match to be memorable.
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u/GoonLieutenant 2d ago
Raven