On April 3, 2007 it was announced that Scott Colton (Colt Cabana) had been signed to a developmental deal with World Wrestling Entertainment after a popular in Ring Of Honor wrestling and doing various extra work for the company. He was shipped down to Ohio Valley Wrestling - a former developmental promotion of the WWE. Colton was sent to OVW so, that his wrestling style and persona could change to adapt to the WWE's style of entertainment wrestling.
Scott debuted for the promotion as Colt 'Boom Boom' Cabana. Colton went on to have a run of success in OVW capturing the OVW Television Title from Shawn Spears. Once the WWE and OVW ended their working relationship, Colton was brought to Florida Championship Wrestling. He now wrestled under the name Scotty Goldman, a character very similar to his own though with a slightly goofy presence and much less memorable name. The decision to call him Scotty Goldman was not one that internet fans were too fond of. It is most likely that Colton was not willing to let the WWE have the rights to his intellectual property and so, the WWE decided to change his name to something that they could trademark as theirs and theirs only.
After spending roughly seven months in Florida Championship Wrestling where he wrestled and commentated. Colton (or Scotty Goldman as he was now known) debuted on SmackDown in a defeat to The Brian Kendrick. This was a sign of things to come as Colton spend his entire WWE run without a win losing three singles matches and in two battle royals. Colton tried to bring some buzz towards himself with a WWE.com show titled 'As Good As Goldman' where he would joke about the world of wrestling. One of his most memorable guests was Zack Ryder who had only recently adopted the phrase, 'Woo Woo Woo'. Unfortunately, the medium was not big enough at that time to create any sort of buzz.
On February 20, 2009 Colton was released from his WWE contract and this is where the question springs to mind - why? Why release someone who has done no wrong? Why release who was never given a chance? To the WWE, it was nothing more than cutting loose ends. To them, it was not someone who was never given a chance, but someone who never made a chance for himself. What makes Colton's case so extraordinary was that in the eyes of many he was a perfect fit for a WWE roster. In an era of WWE that is so child friendly, Colt would seem like the perfect superstar. A wrestler who was already an indy darling, but didn't have a problem with kissing babies or hugging fat girls. Someone who both children and adults can support. Sure, he may never had main evented WrestleMania, but certainly would have been believable in a mid card role. Especially since a character like Santino Marella who hasn't been taken seriously in years is the current United States champion.
But, back to the original question - why? I really don't think that there is one clear cut reason, but many small ones. One of which was bad timing, Colton was brought up to main roster at a time when all three WWE shows were using a vast amount of talent. Therefore, it would have been a lot harder for Colton to break out from the rest back in 2008 than today. Another reason would have been poor booking, Colt was never really given any time in the spotlight or even a win. They brought him onto SmackDown with no other intention than to job to bigger stars and to make those bigger stars look good.
Colton's WWE run was unfortunate to say the least, but since then he has went on to great success. He is currently the NWA Heavyweight Champion and defending it across the globe. He is also known for his popular podcast, The Art Of Wrestling where he talks to and shares stories with other professional wrestlers. Colton certainly has made the best of a bad situation and for that, I salute him.
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- TKK
Scott debuted for the promotion as Colt 'Boom Boom' Cabana. Colton went on to have a run of success in OVW capturing the OVW Television Title from Shawn Spears. Once the WWE and OVW ended their working relationship, Colton was brought to Florida Championship Wrestling. He now wrestled under the name Scotty Goldman, a character very similar to his own though with a slightly goofy presence and much less memorable name. The decision to call him Scotty Goldman was not one that internet fans were too fond of. It is most likely that Colton was not willing to let the WWE have the rights to his intellectual property and so, the WWE decided to change his name to something that they could trademark as theirs and theirs only.
After spending roughly seven months in Florida Championship Wrestling where he wrestled and commentated. Colton (or Scotty Goldman as he was now known) debuted on SmackDown in a defeat to The Brian Kendrick. This was a sign of things to come as Colton spend his entire WWE run without a win losing three singles matches and in two battle royals. Colton tried to bring some buzz towards himself with a WWE.com show titled 'As Good As Goldman' where he would joke about the world of wrestling. One of his most memorable guests was Zack Ryder who had only recently adopted the phrase, 'Woo Woo Woo'. Unfortunately, the medium was not big enough at that time to create any sort of buzz.
On February 20, 2009 Colton was released from his WWE contract and this is where the question springs to mind - why? Why release someone who has done no wrong? Why release who was never given a chance? To the WWE, it was nothing more than cutting loose ends. To them, it was not someone who was never given a chance, but someone who never made a chance for himself. What makes Colton's case so extraordinary was that in the eyes of many he was a perfect fit for a WWE roster. In an era of WWE that is so child friendly, Colt would seem like the perfect superstar. A wrestler who was already an indy darling, but didn't have a problem with kissing babies or hugging fat girls. Someone who both children and adults can support. Sure, he may never had main evented WrestleMania, but certainly would have been believable in a mid card role. Especially since a character like Santino Marella who hasn't been taken seriously in years is the current United States champion.
But, back to the original question - why? I really don't think that there is one clear cut reason, but many small ones. One of which was bad timing, Colton was brought up to main roster at a time when all three WWE shows were using a vast amount of talent. Therefore, it would have been a lot harder for Colton to break out from the rest back in 2008 than today. Another reason would have been poor booking, Colt was never really given any time in the spotlight or even a win. They brought him onto SmackDown with no other intention than to job to bigger stars and to make those bigger stars look good.
Colton's WWE run was unfortunate to say the least, but since then he has went on to great success. He is currently the NWA Heavyweight Champion and defending it across the globe. He is also known for his popular podcast, The Art Of Wrestling where he talks to and shares stories with other professional wrestlers. Colton certainly has made the best of a bad situation and for that, I salute him.
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- TKK