Wrestlers Who Relied On Others To Stay Relevant

Every wrestler hopes to spend some time in the spotlight since that leads to success and gives a talent more chances to get over. However, there have been instances of names relying on other wrestlers to get opportunities. Major names will have others appearing with them as friends or rivals due to their connection to them.

10 Wrestlers Who Loved Being In The Spotlight Inside & Outside The Ring

Pro wrestlers are often thrust under a bright spotlight in major promotions. Some stars love it so much that they crave it outside the ring as well.

Quite a few wrestlers benefited from that throughout their careers when other names allowed them to work together. Performers like Steve Austin got over on their own without anyone in his corner to present their opportunity. Each of the following wrestlers had the opposite story by relying on others to stay in the spotlight.

Brutus Beefcake Owed His Career To Hulk Hogan

Hulk’s Best Friend Received Pushes In WWE & WCW

Hogan Was Never Afraid To Flex His Backstage Influence
WWE Placed Them In Mega Maniacs Team To Get The Rub
WCW Rivalry Exposed Beefcake As Not Being Main Event Talent

The star power of Hulk Hogan allowed him to call the shots with his friends benefiting. Brutus “The Barber” received a bigger push in WWE thanks to Hogan’s influence. The friends even teamed up in tag team action many times to try to boost Beefcake’s popularity.

10 WCW Wrestlers Who Were Completely Unprepared For The Spotlight

WCW pushed some wrestlers that just weren't prepared for the spotlight.

A much worse instance of this took place in WCW when Hogan talked Eric Bischoff into making Brutus a main eventer. Every example of noteworthy success for Beefcake typically saw Hogan being responsible for it.

Virgil Developed Legacy As Secondary Lackey

Had Second Career Run When WCW Wanted A Sidekick

Had Greatest Career Success Playing Ted DiBiase's Manservant
WCW Gave Him Chance To Follow DiBiase Again In New World Order
NWO Kept Him In Group Since He Hit The Role Behind Other Members

WWE witnessed Ted DiBiase becoming one of their premiere heels in the Golden Era with the Million Dollar Man gimmick. Virgil was introduced as DiBiase’s manservant and lackey that helped him cheat to win.

A singles push for Virgil leaving DiBiase flopped to put his career in purgatory. Virgil spent years without much notoriety until WCW called him for a role in the New World Order. The newly renamed Vincent was placed in the New World Order with DiBiase, but he stayed following them after Ted left.

Marty Scurll Peaked In The Bullet Club

Joining During The Elite’s Time Thriving In ROH

Received Biggest Chance Of His Career In Bullet Club
Was In ROH Trios Team With Young Bucks In Popular Act
Everything Fell Apart For Marty After Friends Launched AEW

The Bullet Club has been popular throughout various eras of multiple wrestling promotions, with New Japan as the home. Ring of Honor benefited immensely from the Young Bucks representing the Bullet Club there as they grew in popularity.

Marty Scurll was one of the names picked by them to join the group and become a bigger star by proxy. AEW starting to end the ROH peak and allegations from the speaking out movement saw Scurll’s career fizzling out after this lucky time in the spotlight.

Bobby Fish Got Multiple Runs Thanks To His Friends

Luck May Have Run Out With Them All In AEW Now

Teaming With Kyle O'Reilly Changed His Career Forever
Was Viewed As Least Valuable Member Of Undisputed Era
Losing AEW Spot With His Friends There Hurt His Career

Bobby Fish saw his first big break in Ring of Honor coming as half of the Red Dragon tag team with Kyle O’Reilly. The tag team worked since they had tremendous chemistry to showcase Fish’s skills, but he benefited from O’Reilly coming off a singles push with credibility.

NXT kept Fish and O’Reilly together with Adam Cole leading them and Roderick Strong eventually joining the Undisputed Era. Fish even received a chance in AEW teaming with a few of his friends, but he left when he didn’t like his contract offer.

The Blue Meanie Enjoyed Playing His Lackey Role

Success Was Often Dependent On Following Others With Bigger Spotlight

Raven Adding Him To Raven's Nest Made Him Comedy Sidekick
Meanie Became Popular With Fans Since He Embraced Role
WWE Even Added Meanie To Have Similar Position With Goldust

ECW was the place where The Blue Meanie became a successful wrestler with Raven and Stevie Richards. Raven’s Nest got over as a top faction with Meanie playing a secondary role doing his bidding.

WWE even tried to use Meanie in a similar role when he joined the company during the Attitude Era. Goldust put Meanie in the spotlight under the new name of Bluedust, but it just didn’t work out due to fans finding the dynamic confusing.

Jim Neidhart Marrying Into Hart Family Helped Career

Bret Hart’s Success Helped Neidhart Get Chances In WWE

Neidhart Benefited From Bret Leading All-Time Great Tag Team
Joined Owen Hart In Feud Against Bret For WWE Championship
Hart Foundation Faction Gave Neidhart Final Relevant Run In WWE

The brothers-in-law of Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart were placed together in WWE after getting over in Stampede Wrestling. Vince McMahon made them the Hart Foundation team after purchasing the rights to Stu Hart’s promotion.

10 Times WWE Wrestlers Stole The Spotlight In Defeat

Sometimes in WWE, a loss isn't the end of things. A wrestler who loses can overshadow the person who wins in a variety of ways.

Bret started to break out as the top talent in the tag, but Neidhart got another run teaming with Owen Hart when they were both resentful of him. WWE added Neidhart to the Hart Foundation faction as Bret helped him again with the heel turn requiring many names behind him.

Gangrel’s Career Was Remembered For Trios Acts

The Brood & The New Brood Carried Gangrel’s WWE Career

Was Viewed As The Weak Link Despite Leading Brood
Edge & Christian Had Greater Success Without Him
Failed New Brood With Hardy Boyz Ended WWE Career

Gangrel’s vampire gimmick worked for a short time in the Attitude Era while teaming with Edge and Christian. All three wrestlers embraced their run together as The Brood leaning into the vampire characters with the theatrics helping.

Vince McMahon reportedly didn’t like Gangrel and removed him to give Edge and Christian a bigger push. Gangrel stayed in the spotlight a little longer with the Hardy Boyz in The New Brood before that fizzled out as well to end his run.

Nasty Boys Followed Hulk Hogan To Multiple Companies

More Friends Of Hogan Received Spotlight Time With Him

Hogan Helped His Friends Get Pushed Multiple Times
TNA Opportunity Came Thanks To Hogan's Power
Jimmy Hart Managed Them As Another Hulk Friend

Jerry Sags and Brian Knobbs formed the Nasty Boys tag team to have a strong run together with many great moments. However, one negative to follow them was the reputation of getting opportunities thanks to their friendship with Hulk Hogan.

WWE and WCW each pushed the Nasty Boys as a top team with Hogan on the roster likely putting in a word for them. The most blatant instance of this came years later in TNA when the older Knobbs and Sags joined the promotion on Hogan’s first night.

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson Have The Best Friends

Bullet Club Relationships Helped Them Get Multiple Jobs

AJ Styles Is Their Most Known Leader In The Club
Finn Balor Spent Time Helping Them Get Spotlight
AEW Even Added Them During Kenny Omega Push

Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows were original members of the Bullet Club, but they ended up becoming sidekicks to names that joined after them. AJ Styles joining WWE the same time as his friends led to them forming a trio as The Club.

Finn Balor also had a run leading Gallows and Anderson as a short-term trio. Their next stop came in AEW when joining Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks during their major heel run. WWE added Gallows and Anderson to the roster again for another run now with Styles to keep the good luck going.

Disco Inferno Had Strong Connections In WCW

Cody Rhodes Roasted Him For His Reputation

WCW Kept Him Around Much Longer Than Expected
Friendships With Other Wrestlers Helped Him Status
Cody Rhodes Felt He Used This For Lackluster Career

Disco Inferno is known today for saying negative things about wrestling and rubbing others the wrong way. Many new fans would not realize he was a long-term WCW wrestler since he’s been out of the spotlight since then.

WCW kept Disco on television consistently, and there was a belief Inferno being a lackey to other wrestlers helped him out. Cody Rhodes had a viral tweet insulting Disco for being an “over with the boys” wrestler that skated by on below average work.

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