Hey Splashers. In this edition on the Splash, we take a look people who were some of the brightest stars in the business, but for one reason or another fell short. This is a hard top 5 for me, as many of these people in this list are some of my all time favorite faces in wrestling. Most top 5’s takes a couple of hours for me to write. I’ve been sitting on this one for several days, writing and re-writing…I hope it doesn’t come out to be like a bad RAW episode. Well here it goes, let’s get splashin!

5. Chyna
While Chyna’s story is not exactly a sad one, it’s not the happiest one either. For a woman who held titles in the men’s division, you would have expected a bigger future for her. Chyna held the Intercontinental Title on two separate occasions, and then finally went on to dominate the Women’s Division to capture the Women’s Title. This is a woman who SHOULD have been in wrestling until they were ready to induct her into the Hall of Fame, but that just wasn’t the case. So what happened?

Chyna’s WWE career fell apart in 2001, when she discovered that Triple H was having an affair with Stephanie McMahon. According to Chyna she found out by reading a love letter between Hunter and Stephanie. She asked for her release from the WWE for “personal reasons” shortly after that.

But Chyna did not float off into total obscurity. She guest stared on several legitimate TV shows, and did a few straight to DVD movies, as well as an Adult Entertainment DVD here and there. Chyna looked to be doing ok for herself at first, until around 2005. It was then she announced she was battling with substance abuse, and she was in an unhealthy relationship with Sean “X-Pac” Waltman. In 2008 she attempted to turn her life around by checking into the popular TV rehab reality show: Celebrity Rehab with Dr.Drew.

In 2010 Chyna returned to the ring in TNA, but that run was short and pitiful, and eventually Chyna returned to what she’s known for the past few years...Porno. However her last movie did get her an award, so I guess Chyna has done ok for herself. I just wish her career in the ring was just as successful, that’s why I put her in this list.

4. Jake “The Snake” Roberts
Jake “The Snake” Roberts was one of my all time favorite wrestlers back in the 80’s Sure he wasn’t super big like Hulk Hogan, or Sid Vicious. He wasn’t even ripped like Lex Luger, or Rick Rude. But he was still one of the best in the ring in his time, and when he picked up the mic he had my fullest attention. He had some of the greatest feuds with some of the biggest names in the WWF like Ricky Steamboat, Hulk Hogan, Rick Rude, Randy Savage, and The Undertaker. He had created the now famous finisher “The DDT”, which is used today in different variations.

I watched the documentary “Beyond the Mat” and learned that Jake was addicted to crack cocaine. I’ve always read about wrestlers being addicted. But when you actually see it, and the end result of it has a completely different effect on you. It’s not the reason he first left the WWF/WWE, however it’s what ultimately killed his career. Jake has gone into rehab and relapsed. There are no current reports on his status. We can only wish him the best.

Scott Hall
I liked Scott hall as “Razor Ramon”. I thought he had some excellent matches with Shawn Michaels, and their ladder matches were unforgettable for that time. However when he jumped to WCW and helped formed the NWO with Kevin Nash and Hulk Hogan, I LOVED him! Maybe it was just the time or the battle between WCW and the WWE, but I felt that Scott Hall’s character was taken up a few notches from when he was in the WWE.

Hall’s battle with drugs and alcohol is sadly almost as long as his wrestling career. Just recently he entered rehab for an astonishing 11th time. I remember reading a story where Hall got out of his 10th rehab and he celebrated by smoking a joint. Now in my heart I hope this time will be different, but in my head I wonder what makes this one time different from any of the other 10.

2. Ultimate Warrior
James Hellwig (aka “The Ultimate Warrior”) is oddest card in the whole deck. Unlike the rest of the people I’ve talked about in this list, he’s had no addiction to drug or alcohol problems to speak of. The Warrior’s biggest problem is apparently his own ego. This man not only defeated The Honkey-Tonk Man in a record time at the first ever Summer Slam. He was the first ever to pin Hulk Hogan without any controversy. But then at the Summer Slam of 1991 The Ultimate Warrior threatened Vince McMahon to pull a no show if he was not given a sum of money. Vince paid The Warrior, but was immediately fired after the PPV. He returned and left the WWF a couple times after that, and money was always the issue. He always believed he deserved more than he was worth…no matter where he went.

When The Warrior was in WCW his career was just horrible. He spent most of the time doing lousy promos, and he wrestled a pitiful 3 matches. His last match was a rematch between himself and Hulk Hogan at Halloween Havoc ‘98, and it was one of the worst PPV main events of all time according to Eric Bischoff. Hellwig’s contract ran out shortly after the Havoc PPV, and once again Hellwig debated over too much money. WCW simply walked away from the table, and Warrior claimed he called Bichoff 16 times after that. It’s painfully clear that Hellwig does not have a head for business. He asks for way more than he’s worth, and walks away as if the company will beg him to come back. You thought he would have learned the first time, that trick doesn’t work.

Today Hellwig has legally changed his name to “The Warror”. He is a motivational speaker, and writes some very strange blogs. He is one of those people who is self righteous, and feels he should get anything he desires. He truly is a legend in his own mind.

1. Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit is without a doubt the most tragic story here. In 2007 he took not only his life, but his wife and child’s life as well in a double-murder, then finally taking his own life. Chris Benoit was a former WCW World Champion and a former WWE’s World Championship Title which he won at Wrestle Mania 20. At The time of his Murder/suicide, Benoit was in the finals to win the vacant ECW World Title in the now defunct ECW Brand of the WWE.

To this day many speculate as to why Benoit’s life came to such a destructive halt. Some say it was steroids, others say it was brain damage. Me I say that it was a domestic issue that went too far. Benoit’s wife had filed not but two separate restraining orders on Benoit in the past, and the two were getting ready to file for divorce. I think the divorce finally pushed Benoit over the edge, and he couldn’t pull himself back, it’s as sad and simple as that. That’s why I think he put the bibles under his wife and child’s bodies..as a way of apologizing, and then he took his own life, because he couldn’t live with the shame of what he did.

Since then the WWE has done everything in its power to erase Chris Benoit from their history. They have removed him as much as they can from “greatest moments DVDs” where Benoit played a significant role. The WWE even did not acknowledge Benoit as part of the 4 Horsemen, which he was a part of for several years, while he was in WCW.

Well that’s it for this edition of the Splash. I know this might not have been the best trip down memory lane, but I think if we are to remember the good..we also have to remember the not so good as well. Until next time Splashers…See Ya!

Rick Starr @RickStarr