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Pro-Wrestling is an odd business, because the Champions are pre-determined, so winning the top prize doesn't necessarily mean you are the best, but it's still seen as a great reward for working hard and entertaining the masses.
Unfortunately, there's just one guy who is in charge of making such decisions, and while he's got it right a lot more than he's got it wrong over his career, there are some obvious exceptions. The WWE is still at the top whether you like it or not, so Vince McMahon has obviously done something right, but sometimes, he just gets it so wrong.
Today we are going to take a look at some of those times he got it wrong in regards to his top champion, as we look to analyse 5 current WWE stars that should have been at the top of the mountain by now.
#5 Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is one of the greatest performers of all-time, putting together a legendary career outside of WWE, but his style translates perfectly to the world's biggest sports entertainment company. Joe rose through the ranks of NXT, winning their coveted Championship on 2 separate occasions, and despite an unfortunate injury bug since coming to the main roster, he's still shown himself to be an elite level performer.
Joe has just become the United States Champion, but due to his great matches and unmatched promos over the past year, it's a shock and almost a shame that he hasn't gone on to win the WWE Championship.
He's getting up there in age, but Joe can still go with the best of them, so it will be a shame if he isn't given at least one run at the top, but with at least 2-3 years left in his career, there's a great chance that he does indeed get to the top of the mountain.
#4 Braun Strowman
When you look at him, you think that Braun Strowman is a prototypical main event star in the WWE, but for some reason, their booking of him over the past year has been up and down and very odd. The Monster Among Men has size, the look, the fan following and surprising athleticism that makes him the total package for the WWE, but rumoured laziness behind the scenes may be costing him his spot.
As you can see above, he was the winner of the first 'Greatest Royal Rumble', and that looked like the start of a big push for the former Black Sheep of the Wyatt Family, but that just hasn't happened.
He's been in the main event, having bouts with the likes of Lesnar, Corbin, McIntyre, Rollins, Reigns and others over the past year, so it's only a matter of time until he reaches the top, but it's just very strange that it hasn't happened yet.
#3 Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre debuted on Smackdown 10 years ago, dubbed 'The Chosen One' by Vince McMahon himself, but to this day, he's yet to make it anywhere near the top of the mountain. His return to the WWE was highly praised, and it's clear just how far he's come, to the point where he's considered a big time main event player in the future, but he would have been a great option for Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania.
Unlike the next two guys on our list, there's still plenty of hope for The Scottish Psychopath, and with his old rival Seth Rollins likely to come out on top at WrestleMania, it's only a matter of time until Drew gets his shot.
His first run in the WWE was handled incredibly poorly by the WWE, and this time around hasn't been that much better, but it's clear that he's one of the best performers in the company, and it's only a matter of time until he's on top.
#2 Rusev
Rusev came to the WWE as an unknown entity, but he quickly rose through the ranks in NXT, and made his main roster debut as an incredibly hot prospect. The Super Athlete quickly tore through the main roster, going on a massive winning streak, but as we've seen plenty of times, he fell to two different WWE cliches: Super Cena and the foreign heel trope.
When a foreign heel comes to the main roster, they often go on a big undefeated streak, lose a big match and then descend into comedy/undercard status, and despite all his potential, it happened to The Super Athlete too.
Unlike others, Rusev managed to overcome that demotion, and he coined the 'Rusev Day' moniker that's made him incredibly popular with the WWE Universe, but unfortunately, WWE just have no interest in pushing him, and again have missed out on the chance to make a new, fresh main event star.
#1 Cesaro
Cesaro is arguably the most talented wrestler in the world today, and there have been several times throughout his WWE career where the fans were behind him and he was ready to take the next step. The Swiss Superman has an incredible fan following, and before he joined Sheamus to form The Bar, the Cesaro Section were filling up WWE crowds all over the world.
Sheamus has some serious injury issues, and he's not going to be able to bump forever, so this tandem has to come to an end, and if the WWE can do it right, Cesaro could be a top star in just months.
Vince McMahon famously said on the Stone Cold Podcast that Cesaro 'doesn't have the It Factor', but that couldn't be further from the truth, and in an age where fans appreciate work rate above all else, The Swiss Cyborg needs to get his main event push.
