WWE fans have always had a love-hate relationship with the company for various reasons.
One of the most significant reasons is arguably the way the organization decides to book wrestlers.
There are many performers who are not really fan-favourites but are pushed to the moon while on the other hand, the company refuses to use who the people want to see. Even if they are used, they are often done so in such a way that either completely ruins them, or just doesn’t do their talent justice.
While it’s true that due to the size of the roster some guys are bound to get sidelined, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be given an equal opportunity. So here’s a list of five wrestlers who are just waiting to be given a chance to thrive or justify their popularity.
5. Finn Balor
Finn Balor, the first-ever Universal Champion is one of the most talented men on the roster. Many believed he was destined to be the top star in the company after he joined it back in 2014. However, all he was able to do on the main roster was capture the aforementioned title and the Intercontinental Championship recently.
While those title runs were rare, Balor mostly found himself in insignificant feuds. He has all the potential in the world and the capability to be in the main event picture and be the face of the company. He hadn’t received any title reigns until the two IC title reigns which was a long time coming considering he is the longest reigning NXT Champion of all time.
Maybe the future will hold good things with Balor though, 2019 has proved be good for him so far and we hope it continues to do so.
4. Cesaro
Widely considered to be one of the best performers in professional wrestling, and getting his wrestling ability praised by the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mick Foley and Jim Ross, Cesaro never really got a run at the main event scene.
The Swiss Superman, who is a technical powerhouse has only seen one singles title run in his career – in the form of the United States Championship. There are many who would like to see Cesaro succeed as a singles wrestler but WWE seemed adamant on pushing him as part of a tag team.
Now that The Bar is no more, maybe we will see more of Cesaro’s abilities utilized as a solo performer…
3. Robert Roode
A veteran of the wrestling industry who has the potential to reach the top of the company is booked in insignificant angles and rivalries and sometimes even as an enhancement talent.
Robert Roode’s fans know how good he is in the ring and he has proved that with his run in NXT as the champ. However, WWE management have been slow to capitalize on Roode’s charisma which is just unfortunate.
But it seems like not all is lost as Roode was given a heel turn and repackaged after he was drafted to SmackDown during the Superstar Shake-up, effectively ending his partnership with Gable. After changing his ring name to Robert Roode from Bobby Roode, he seems to be on a different path now as he was able to capture the Raw Tag Team Championship with Dolph Ziggler at Clash of Champions. We just hope it’s a smooth
sailing for Roode’s career from now on as it’s a long time coming for him.
2. Shelton Benjamin
Shelton Benjamin is one of the most gifted athletes on the roster which is rewarded with poor booking decisions by the management.
The Gold Standard has proved time and time again that he can still keep up with the competition and give the top stars a run for their money. Despite returning to the company in 2017, Benjamin hasn’t been seen doing a lot.
Benjamin had a stint with Chad Gable as tag team partners and they would go on to challenge for the tag title multiple times – all resulting in losses.
In 2019, Benjamin’s career has taken a standstill. He was announced as one of the sixteen competitors of the King of the Ring tournament where he was defeated in the first round.
Since then Benjamin hasn’t been used in anything else except one match against Aleister Black on SmackDown and it looks like the company has nothing for him. We are still waiting for his real comeback…
1. Bray Wyatt
He’s a former WWE Champion and had one the best gimmicks seen on WWE TV recently.
While Bray Wyatt’s persona might have become tiresome for some, it needs to be said that he was able to pull it off and keep going for so long without it turning outright unbearable.
Wyatt’s promo skills are excellent and he’s very good in the ring too, but that doesn’t mean much when you’re put in weird and character-contradicting storylines and lose pretty much all of your matches.
However, with how things are going recently with The Fiend, one can not help but feel a little optimistic for Wyatt. The company has seemingly decided to pull the trigger on Wyatt’s untapped potential and is now pushing him at the Universal title scene. We just hope the company protects his character as much as possible and doesn’t end up booking itself in a corner as seen before many times.
Maybe someday, we won’t be featuring Wyatt in the underrated lists anymore.
So there we go, our picks for the five criminally underrated wrestlers right now in WWE. Here’s hoping the company goes through the underused wrestlers and tries to give them a chance to shine through.
If you liked this article, please check out more of our stuff on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
You can find me on Twitter @Rayan_Sayyed. Thanks for reading.