4 WWE SmackDown stars Triple H no longer wants to push

With over 100 wrestlers across both RAW and SmackDown, it's hard for officials to find a spot for each performer every week. This usually allows bookers to give certain stars time off while always booking a select few of the top stars.

Over the last few months, the MFTs, Cody Rhodes, John Cena, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, and Tiffany Stratton have dominated SmackDown programming. Several stars, like Women's United States Champion Giulia, have been largely ignored.

With a match against Michin likely in the future, that has thankfully changed. However, it still feels like Triple H no longer wants to push the next four WWE SmackDown stars.

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#4. Zelina Vega won the first singles title of her career in 2025

She was never going to be booked like Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, or Rhea Ripley, but Zelina Vega has always been an important part of the WWE roster.

Whether as a heel or a face, she plays her role well and is actually one of the better mic workers. After losing the Women's US Title, however, she has disappeared from programming.

This often happens when certain stars lose belts, but since she's not a top star, Vega likely won't get a creative push right away if she's not in a championship picture. Unless she returns to back up Michin, she probably won't appear much on SmackDown.

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#3. Legado Del Fantasma got lost in the shuffle

With such a stacked tag team division, one talented duo was bound to be left out of the proceedings. Over the past few months, that has been the fate of Los Garza of Legado Del Fantasma.

Part of the reason is that they've been used more in Lucha Libre AAA ever since WWE acquired the promotion. They won the company's tag team titles but recently lost them.

Even Santos Escobar, the group's leader, has been booked sparingly in 2025. All three are talented, but with such a deep division, Legado Del Fantasma has been an afterthought on SmackDown.

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#2. Shinsuke Nakamura used to be a fixture on SmackDown

Shinsuke Nakamura is still under contract with WWE. Given how he's been used over the last five months, it feels like he was released or retired despite not being injured.

The King of Strong Style traded the United States Title with LA Knight in late 2024 and early 2025. Since that feud, Nakamura has been an afterthought on Friday Night SmackDown.

His last televised appearance was a Fatal Four-Way King of the Ring qualifier on June 13 of this year. He wasn't going to advance with Cody Rhodes, Damian Priest, and Andrade, who were also in the match.

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#1. Rey Fenix followed his brother Penta to WWE

Rey Fenix was an exciting addition to the WWE roster before WrestleMania 41. He was an instant hit with fans and even filled in for Rey Mysterio at The Show of Shows after Rey suffered an injury the night before the two-day PLE.

The former AEW star had exciting matches with Berto, Nathan Frazer, and Santos Escobar before tagging with Andrade. The duo challenged for the WWE Tag Team Titles twice, with the first challenge taking place ahead of SummerSlam.

The two Mexican stars then competed in a six-team TLC Match at The Biggest Party of the Summer. Fenix's last match on SmackDown was on July 25.