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When you look at the WWE roster, you can see a number of stars who were once in the spotlight, but have since gone into obscurity. No matter how successful you were outside of WWE, when you set foot in Vince McMahon’s world it’s a whole different ballgame.
You can easily go from being a world champion to someone who is left wondering what they did to upset Vince McMahon. This has happened to many WWE superstars before, and it will continue to happen to many more.
Speaking of which, here is my list of wrestlers who were unexpectedly buried by WWE.
Please feel free to voice your opinions in the comment section below.
#10 Baron Corbin
Corbin made his main roster debut in impressive fashion by winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, beating Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship and winning the money in the bank ladder match. What’s even more impressive is the fact that he did this all in just over a year.
But, that’s as good as it got for the lone wolf, and has since been on a downward spiral. He unsuccessfully cashed in the money in the bank briefcase in embarrassing fashion and hasn't been relevant since.
There was speculation that Corbin upset some of the backstage management on Twitter this past summer, and this seems to be the reason behind his booking over the past few months.
Corbin definitely has the big tough guy look that is needed to succeed in WWE, but due to some backstage politics, he remains buried deep in WWE’s talent pool.
#9 Chavo Guerrero
When someone carries a prestigious surname like Guerrero, you would expect them to be a multiple time world champion. This was not the case for Chavo Guerrero. The nephew of the late great Eddie Guerrero has had a couple of good runs with WWE and won a couple of championships such as Cruiserweight Championship and the Tag Team Titles.
Despite his great ring work and charisma, he was never really a main event player. He won the ECW Championship once but lost it to Kane at WrestleMania in under 30 seconds.
Towards the end of his tenure with WWE, Chavo portrayed a comic role as part of La Familia. This is a real shame when you look at his feud with Rey Mystery which really showed that Chavo Guerrero can play a really good heel.
He wasn’t the biggest guy in the ring, but WWE should have at least tried to give him one main event push. He deserved it.
#8 JBL
JBL was given his first main event push in 2004 when he went on to win the WWE Championship for the first time. During his tenure as champion, he defended his title by any means necessary making him one of the top heels in the company. His character portrayed a self-made millionaire who would constantly gloat about his wealth to the public.
He had many great feuds with the likes of Eddie Guerrero, The Undertaker, and The Big Show. He also went on to become the longest reigning WWE Champion in the history of Smackdown.
Then John Cena came along, and Cena did what he does best. He buried JBL at WrestleMania 21 ending JBL’s only WWE Title reign in the process.
You would think that JBL would be rewarded with another title run, but that didn’t happen. He was quickly relegated to the mid-card where he had feuds with Mysterio and The Boogeyman. He even lost to Mysterio in 21 seconds at WrestleMania 25.
Needless to say, he never received another main event push again and retired in 2009.
#7 Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn had made a name for himself around the world before debuting for NXT. During his time at NXT, he took part in some amazing feuds and even captured the NXT Championship once. But, that’s the only title he has won since he arrived in WWE.
He debuted on the main roster in 2016 but was quickly shelved due to injury. When he returned from injury, he was instantly overlooked by WWE management, and as a result, Zayn lost his momentum. He was constantly booked to lose to everyone, and I mean everyone.
Zayn is a really talented wrestler, but WWE have somehow managed to make him look like a joke. Unlike his best friend Kevin Owens, Zayn is often treated like a mid-card jobber. His most notable rivalry in WWE came against Kevin Owen. Zayn’s in-ring skills are second to none, and he even had one of the greatest NXT matches of all-time against Shinsuke Nakamura.
Sami Zayn has recently been paired up with Kevin Owen, so let’s hope WWE use him properly or just release him because it’s a pity to waste such a talent.
#6 Bayley
Bayley was a dominant champion in NXT who was ready to take on all comers. Despite her happy go lucky character, she was good in the ring and put on great matches against the likes of Sasha Banks.
But, since Bayley made her main roster debut, she has failed to regain her momentum from NXT. She did win the Raw Women’s Championship once, but since then she has been booked poorly.
She can’t seem to win the big matches that really matter. Her poor booking has even led to some fans turning their back on her. Bayley isn’t really the one to blame. Injuries among other things have really kept her from the spotlight, and she has taken a backseat to Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss.
Bayley’s character on screen is something that could sell a lot of merchandise, and WWE need to capitalize on this by giving her a big push soon before her stardom fizzles out.
#5 Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler is one of the most underrated wrestlers on the main roster at the moment. When Ziggler cashed in his money in the bank contract on Del Rio, he received one of the biggest pops in recent memory. That’s just how popular he is.
The former world champion is one of the most talented wrestlers in the ring, but he has always been overlooked by WWE management. He is a triple crown champion in WWE and has won almost every title in the company. Yet, his booking has been so poor. Since his last World Title reign, he hasn’t really been used as much.
He also had an epic rivalry with The Miz in 2016. He has been part of many feuds, but he has always been booked to lose. He deserves some much-needed respect.
Ziggler, at this point, seems almost fed up with his position in the company, and may even look to leave once his contract is up.
#4 The Ascension
This one is a real shame because Konnor and Victor have all the makings to become a hugely successful tag team. They were even NXT Tag Team Champions once upon a time, but WWE doesn’t know what to do with them anymore.
They were even teamed up with Stardust to form The Cosmic Wasteland, but that didn’t last long. Now they play a comic role along with the Fashion Police.
This seems strange considering the fact that Konnor and Victor look nothing like comedians, and their gimmick is supposed to be more serious one, but WWE has managed to successfully bury them way below the other Tag Teams. Most of the time I forget they even exist. I have nothing more to say about this, and I’m moving on to the next person on this list.
#3 Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt’s gimmick offers something different. He has the mic skills and in-ring ability to go with it. Moreover, you just love to hate him. He is one of the best heels in the company. But, sadly Bray Wyatt hasn’t been pushed as often as he should.
He finally won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, but shortly thereafter lost it to Randy Orton. He has been consistent at losing PPV matches, and now it’s almost expected that Bray Wyatt would lose a PPV match.
No matter who he faces, he ends up on the losing side. This is a waste of time really because they spend weeks building him up, and then they have him lose in a big match situation.
He is clearly talented enough to be booked in matches against John Cena, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns, then why hasn’t he been given the main event push he deserves.
It’s baffling, isn’t it?
He has been part of WWE for a long time now but has mostly stayed on the mid-card. Even Braun Strowman got a main event push faster than Bray Wyatt. I don’t know why WWE enjoy burying his character so much, but it’s high time they get a shovel and start digging him out of the grave.
#2 Finn Balor
Finn Balor burst onto the main roster in style by winning the Universal Championship within one month. However, the following night on RAW, Balor announced that he injured his shoulder during his championship match, and he relinquished the title.
Balor returned a few months later, and like other returnees he quickly found himself stuck in the mid-card. They haven’t given him the main event push since his return. My guess is because they don’t see Balor as a worthy challenger to Brock Lesnar’s title.
He has been part of some pretty ordinary feuds with Elias Samson and Bray Wyatt. But recently Balor has been on a cold streak losing to Kane. The shocking thing about this loss was that Kane did it so effortlessly. What was even more shocking was the fact that this loss came just 24 hours after Balor scored a win over AJ Styles at TLC.
There are rumours that Vince McMahon has lost faith in ‘The Demon King’ and has even shelved his Royal Rumble match with Brock Lesnar.
It will be a long climb back to the top of the WWE mountain for Balor with a lot of superstars standing in his way. Expect Finn to fight back to get to the top once again.
Maybe we will have another Yes Movement…..
#1 Shinsuke Nakamura
Nakamura was one of the biggest names on the independent circuit before arriving in WWE. Since his arrival in NXT, he was quickly pushed to the top spot and even won the NXT Championship twice.
However, since his main roster debut, things have gone cold for former IWGP Heavyweight Champion. His booking has left fans shocked. Whoever is in charge of booking Nakamura’s storylines needs to be fired now for being an idiot. You have Nakamura and AJ Styles on the same roster, and yet they have not faced each other.
He is one of the best in the ring, but maybe he hasn’t been given a chance because of his poor communication. I really don’t know what to say about it. I’m sighing as I am writing thinking that WWE are wasting another great talent. I almost wish Nakamura never signed with WWE.
The last straw came when they had Jinder Mahal beat Nakamura for the WWE Championship. In which universe does that even make sense. I’m so upset with his booking that I wish he just leaves WWE and goes back to NJPW.
It's just not worth it...
