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WWE is in a unique position now that several of its current superstars who have been misused have seen that the grass might be a little greener outside of the WWE.
The Revival, and Mike and Maria Kanellis have both reportedly asked for their releases from WWE this week. Since WWE likely won't simply grant their requests, they might have to sit out like Neville did last year.
With the potential to get more action in another promotion now even more available than ever with the creation of All Elite Wrestling, more superstars might ask for a release from WWE.
WWE does not want its wrestlers going to AEW, but they might have to release some wrestlers within the next six months whether they want to or not.
They have an extremely deep roster but cannot push everyone all the time. While a chunk of the roster is usually always prominently featured on our TV screens (AJ Styles, Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch, Dean Ambrose, Drew McIntyre), there are a lot of wrestlers who struggle to simply show up on television.
Just ask Zack Ryder about how many Raws he appeared on in 2018. He made a single appearance, on the final show of the year.
Since other superstars might start asking for their releases, here are 10 wrestlers WWE might need to push more so that they don't request a release like the Revival.
#1 Tye Dillinger
Does the guy on the left look a little unfamiliar? Well, that's because it's an extremely young Cody Rhodes standing with Tye Dillinger back in their OVW days.
Rhodes and Dillinger have been friends for over 15 years and you have to believe that Rhodes wants to tempt Dillinger to come to AEW.
Dillinger is rarely on television, and when he is, it's usually in a squash match for someone like Samoa Joe or Randy Orton. He is currently out of action due to hand surgery, but if WWE doesn't want Dillinger to follow the lead of the Revival, they might need to start pushing the Perfect 10.
Vince McMahon might not like his gimmick, but if he simply ignores Dillinger, then he might be pushing him right into All Elite Wrestling.
#2 Andrade
Will simply dropping most of his name be enough for Andrade in 2019? He's clearly one of the more talented superstars on Smackdown as evidenced by his stellar match with Rey Mysterio this week.
He's already voiced his displeasure with his spot in WWE, so if he isn't consistently featured on WWE programming and PPVs, he simply might go the Neville route.
Something tells me he wouldn't have a problem sitting on his couch while his contract expires. It would allow him more time to be tranquilo.
Zelina Vega had been in more matches than Andrade to end 2018, but his recent string of strong performances might keep him in Vince McMahon's crosshairs since he is still searching for the heir apparent to Rey Mysterio.
If nothing much changes for El Idolo in the coming months, he might look to join his buddy Rush in Ring of Honor. It would be a huge loss for WWE and a huge gain for ROH.
#3 Cesaro
Cesaro may have had some great success in his tag team with Sheamus, but what happens when they eventually split up?
With the potential to lose the Smackdown Tag Team Titles to the Miz and Shane McMahon at the Royal Rumble, it might be time for The Bar to go their separate ways.
Cesaro has always been over with the fans and would likely be cheered whether or not he and Sheamus have an amicable split.
He has always had great matches but Vince never may see much in pushing the Swiss Superman. If he doesn't, he might risk losing one of WWE's much-beloved talents to another company.
A win in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal doesn't inspire much confidence in the winner regardless of who it has been. He did have a brief run as the US Champion so perhaps he is thrust back into the mid-card scene.
Whatever happens, if and when the Bar splits, Cesaro should be the one who is given more chances in WWE. Sheamus is already 40 and has already had runs with the WWE Title. Push Cesaro!!!
#4 Shinsuke Nakamura
If there is a talent currently under-pushed in WWE who could truly become a main-event player in any other promotion, it would be Shinsuke Nakamura.
He did receive a coveted Royal Rumble win last year, as well as several WWE Championship matches with AJ Styles in 2018 but nothing came from the matches and Nakamura was then thrust into the mid-card. He did win the US Championship but had a mostly forgettable run.
He's currently looking to reclaim the title from Rusev at the Royal Rumble, but with the likelihood of retaining the belt looking slim, he might start to become bored.
Companies like Ring of Honor, New Japan Pro Wrestling and All Elite Wrestling would be backing up trucks of money in order to sign the international star.
If WWE lets him slip through the cracks of their roster, they might just see Nakamura departing after his three years with the company.
#5 Apollo Crews
Apollo Crews did receive a mini-push on New Year's Eve in the Fresh Start Battle Royal on that episode of Raw. He eliminated nine superstars en route to securing an Intercontinental Title match with Dean Ambrose later in the night.
He ended up losing the match and has appeared to go back to an extremely talented guy who smiles but loses. Is more in store for him in the Royal Rumble like an extended run or another string of eliminations?
Crews seems like someone who would be perfect for AEW as it might rely more on in-ring talent rather than character development. That's something that would be great for Apollo Crews who isn't the strongest on the mic.
He did originally come from the independent scene rather than toiling in WWE developmental like Tye Dillinger.
The long and short of it is that if nothing more comes Crews' way, he might be knocking on McMahon's door, and not for a title shot he probably won't get.
#6 Tyler Breeze
A few years ago, Cody pushed to form a stable along with Tye Dillinger and Tyler Breeze. He wanted to get out of his Stardust character, but WWE didn't want Rhodes to stop portraying the gimmick.
The WWE denied his request, adding to another reason why the second-generation wrestler probably wanted his release from WWE.
Breeze was a star in NXT but has been little more than enhancement talent while on the main roster. Breezeango did allow Breeze to expand his repertoire to comedy, but with Fandango hurt, it left Breeze out in the cold.
Since Rhodes believed in both Dillinger and Breeze back in the day, it wouldn't be crazy if Breeze wanted out from his WWE contract.
He's an extremely talented worker and performer, but his size is something that has probably kept Vince McMahon from giving him a sustained push. Don't be surprised if Prince Pretty tries to bring his style to AEW if his WWE tenure remains fruitless.
#7 Hideo Itami
I'll be perfectly honest with this one - I wouldn't particularly care if Hideo Itami asked for his release from WWE. He had a few mistimed injuries that made fans forget about him.
In the interim, while he was healing, several more notable superstars like Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, Drew McIntyre and Shinsuke Nakamura debuted with NXT and immediately were more visible than the former Pro Wrestling Noah wrestler.
He is a talented guy in the ring as evidenced as CM Punk using his 'Go To Sleep' finisher, but Itami never had 'the It Factor' like Nakamura does.
Since he's more of a work-rate guy, he'd be perfect in New Japan or Ring of Honor or AEW. He wouldn't need to talk much and he could simply focus on hitting people hard.
He was a huge signing for NXT and WWE at the time, but so much has changed in WWE since his arrival. It's a shame for Itami, but losing him wouldn't hurt as much as losing a team like the Revival or guys like Nakamura or Styles.
#8 The Ascension
You might be thinking 'the Ascension? Seriously? They're a joke!'. Well, they weren't always a joke. Vince probably told JBL to put them down at every turn since they were once the longest-reigning NXT Tag Team Champions.
Vince was still hesitant to take guys from NXT seriously, and the Ascension were the prime example of Mr. McMahon dumping on one of Triple H's creations.
They were a talented duo when given a push like they had in NXT, but they were doomed the second they appeared on the main roster. Even pairing them with Cody Rhodes in the Cosmic Wasteland still saw them job to almost everyone they faced.
It's a shame because they were a product of WWE's developmental system rather than a pair of hyped up independent stars. They could have been a serious monster heel team, but with WWE's lack of caring for tag team wrestling, they've fallen by the wayside.
They even showed a funny side on the episodes of the Fashion Police with Breezeango. That probably didn't put much of a dent in WWE's opinion of the team, so don't be surprised if they try to return to the wasteland with Rhodes in the future.
#9 Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt is an example of a WWE creation that they just didn't want to truly embrace as one of the superstars of this era of WWE.
He was able to spin a yarn so long on the mic that the yarn could fit across the Pacific Ocean. Wyatt did have a few pushes here and there, but when all was said and done, he was merely a jobber to the stars.
His feud with The Undertaker ended with him losing. His feud with John Cena ended up with him losing. His feud with Roman Reigns ended up with him losing. His feud with Randy Orton? Well, hopefully, you get the point.
While Wyatt could get anyone invested in any feud simply by his words, when it came to following through on those words, WWE baulked and fed Wyatt to everyone.
Since he's such a gifted talker and pretty good in the ring, it wouldn't be hard to see him have success elsewhere. WWE has failed to create several new superstars that can carry the company into the future which has led it to rely so much on superstars from the past.
Wyatt could have been one of those superstars had he been allowed to triumph in even half of his feuds. Since he's another WWE creation, will he stay loyal or look to make a mark elsewhere?
#10 Gallows and Anderson
One team that WWE seemed to sign simply to block them from going elsewhere was the duo of Gallows and Anderson. They were a big part of the Bullet Club before the group's schism in 2018, but WWE probably felt taking them away from NJPW would put a huge dent in the company.
While it did to an extent, WWE hasn't done much with the duo. They were by the side of Finn Balor and AJ Styles briefly, but waded back into tag team obscurity soon thereafter.
They did have a run with the Raw Tag Team titles, but after that, they've mainly been a team in the rotation of teams that either aren't featured or dusted off monthly for a random title shot.
Their act does work better as a part of a faction, but WWE has dropped the ball with Gallows and Anderson and the tag team division in general. Who knows how close the duo is or isn't with the Young Bucks because most of the Elite was formed after they left NJPW. They would probably have more loyalty to NJPW or ROH.
The simple fact remains that like The Revival, Gallows and Anderson are another good tag team that has been wasted on Raw and Smackdown.
Others who don't need to be pushed, but might need more TV time
While a lot of wrestlers simply don't seem like a push would be warranted, there are a lot of current WWE wrestlers who might become bored with their spot in WWE.
I'll be honest - I was a little surprised WWE signed Eric Young a few years ago. I did enjoy his work in Impact, but didn't think he'd be someone WWE would be dying to sign.
But with WWE's new stance of trying to sign people in order to prevent them from going elsewhere, Young got signed. He had a better showing in NXT and has been non-existent on Smackdown. Might he ask for his release since Sanity is rarely on TV?
Curt Hawkins was never my favorite wrestler, but is having a 100+ match losing streak something to be happy about? While it's true it does get him on TV and he makes a good deal of cash, you'd think he'd want to do more in the business.
He does have a wrestling school and gets to work at house shows, so perhaps he's perfectly fine with his spot.
Like Itami, I wouldn't lose any sleep if The Colons were let go. They are decent workers but just aren't that exciting. They might be better suited for promotions who value in-ring ability more than character work.
Shelton Benjamin, TJP and Zack Ryder are all talented in their own rights, but all three men rarely make an impact on weekly television. Benjamin was brought back, but is barely on TV. TJP was the inaugural Cruiserweight Champion, but has had trouble staying relevant.
And Zack Ryder is beloved by the WWE Universe but clearly not by people in charge backstage. He made it onto ONE episode of Raw in 2018, while man child Mojo Rawley had more matches on the show.
If there is a quintessential example of someone from WWE who has every right to be disillusioned with his spot in the company, look no further than the Broski.
