WWE always looked to provide the fans with the best entertainment through their weekly shows and did what they thought was best for business, and tried to please the fans, sponsors, networks, and everyone involved with their product.
After going PG in 2008, the Federation took deviated from their old edgy content to more child-friendly programming, and while the initial years were successful, World Wrestling Entertainment had big plans for 2011 and brought back legends like The Rock and had him plant the seeds for his feud against John Cena.
Likewise, many surprising names competed in WWE during that year, and with that said, let's brush up our memories and look at ten wrestlers you forgot wrestled for the Federation in 2011.
José The Assistant
Well-known for being the on-screen manager of Andrade El Idolo's La Faccion Ingobernable faction in All Elite Wrestling, he stepped inside the ring to compete only occasionally throughout his career and has competed inside a WWE ring twice between 2011 and 2012.
Jose's first match for the company took place on the August 18th, 2011 episode of WWE Superstars, where he lost to Brodus Clay in sound fashion. He then made another appearance a year later on the August 20th, 2012 episode of Monday Night Raw, where he "competed" in a match against Ryback.
Good Ol' JR
The legendary commentator competed only on a handful of occasions throughout his iconic career, and the year 2011 saw him lace up a pair of wrestling boots three times during Michael Cole's heel run.
All three matches saw him take on Cole, and while the latter got the upper hand on the first two occasions, Jim Ross got the best of the self-proclaimed Voice of World Wrestling Entertainment when he teamed up with John Cena on the October 15th, 2011 episode of Monday Night Raw to defeat his tangerine-singlet-wearing commentary nemesis and Alberto Del Rio.
Maria Menounos
A television presenter and actor who made several appearances for the Federation over the years, she first appeared on the October 12th, 2009 episode of Monday Night Raw and also made her in-ring debut the same night, by teaming up with future Impact Hall of Famer Gail Kim and Kelly Kelly, to defeat future WWE Hall of Famer "Glamazon" Beth Phoenix, Alicia Fox, and Rosa Mendes in a six-woman tag team match.
Her second in-ring appearance for the company came at the 2011 Tribute to the Troops event, where she teamed up with Fox, Eve Torres, and Kelly Kelly, to defeat Phoenix, Natalya, and future WWE Hall of Famers The Bella Twins.
Sergeant Slaughter
The WWE Hall of Famer and former WWE Champion continued to perform sporadically for the Federation while also holding a backstage producer role. He also stepped in the ring for the company in 2011, when he took on "All-American American" Jack Swagger on the July 4th, 2011 episode of Raw.
Sarge couldn't pick up the victory at the event and fell in defeat to the former World Heavyweight Champion. He made two more appearances the following year and has been making sporadic non-wrestling appearances ever since.
Snooki
The reality television "star", who's well-known for being part of the Jersey Shore series, made her first WWE appearance on the March 14th, 2011 episode of Monday Night Raw, starting an feud with Vickie Guerrero and Dolph Ziggler.
It led to a Wrestlemania 27 Mixed Tag Team Match, where Snooki teamed with John Morrison and future WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, to defeat Ziggler & Lay Cool (Layla and Michelle McCool).
It turned out to be her only in-ring appearance for the Federation, following which she received a Slammy Award on the December 12th, 2011 episode of Raw, which she accepted via satellite.
Colt Cabana
Current All Elite Wrestling star and former 2-time NWA World's Heavyweight champion had a brief run in World Wrestling Entertainment between 2007 and 2009, before returning to the indies and other promotions.
However, he made two non-televised appearances in August 2011 when he competed against Wade Barrett and Curt Hawkins in dark matches on episodes of Raw and SmackDown.
He didn't return to the company after that and continued to compete in the indies, before signing with AEW in 2020. He continues to compete and act as a backstage coach for the company and also appears in its sister promotion Ring of Honor.
Zak Zodiac
The brother of current All Elite Wrestling star and former WWE Women's Champion Saraya, he learned the ways of the trade in his parents' promotion World Association of Wrestling alongside his siblings and received a tryout with the Federation at the same time as his sister, soon-to-be NXT Superstar Paige.
His only televised match in WWE took place on the November 11th, 2011 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, where he teamed up with Andy Baker and Tom LaRuffa to take on The Big Show in a three-on-one handicap match, in a losing effort.
While his sister signed a contract and debuted as Paige, Zodiac didn't get the same opportunity, and returned to compete in his parents' promotion back home.
Joey Ryan
This controversial former professional wrestler got blackballed from the industry, after getting multiple misconduct accusations against him back in 2020. Wrestlers like Joey Janela and Ryan Nemeth also spoke against Ryan, which eventually led to Impact Wrestling terminating his contract, and he has been out of a wresting ring ever since.
While he made a name for himself with his controversial in-ring style in the indies... often to Jim Cornette's chagrin... he did get the opportunity to compete in World Wrestling Entertainment occasionally between 2005 and 2008.
Joey wrestled for the last time in the Federation in a dark match on a SmackDown taping in August 2011, in which he lost to Bo Dallas, following which he didn't get the opportunity to return.
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper
This ornery WWE Hall of Famer called it a career, when he retired from in-ring competition in 2011. Before he made the announcement, he made sure that he competed for one last time in the Federation that helped make him a household name.
He got two opportunities to perform for WWE in 2011, with the first one coming at a WrestleMania Axxess event in April, where he teamed up with Rob Dyrdek to defeat Tyson Kidd and Zack Ryder.
His final McMahonopolized match took place on the June 13th episode of Monday Night Raw, where he defeated Mike "The Miz" Mizanin in a one-on-one match, which had Alex Riley as the special guest referee.
Bret "the Hitman" Hart
The Excellence of Execution competed in the last match of his decorated pro wrestling career on the November 12th, 2011 episode of Raw. He teamed up with John Cena to defeat Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez.
Hart continued to make sporadic appearances for World Wrestling Entertainment following the match and also accepted his second Hall of Fame induction in 2019, as part of The Hart Foundation.
Bret also appeared in All Elite Wrestling, where the Hitman unveiled the AEW World Heavyweight Championship belt at the company's inaugural Double or Nothing PPV in 2019.