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WWE is always on the lookout for their next superstars and future world champions.
WWE Superstars such as, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Drew McIntyre are perfect examples of the wrestlers who rose through the ranks en route to becoming WWE Champion in recent years.
But WWE has been heavily criticised for not creating new stars and relying on the old guard to help boost ratings. WWE Superstar's such as Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and most recently Randy Orton have all held the title this year.
Now, some can argue that WWE uses such legends as their champions to put new stars over, such as McIntyre beating Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36. But the WWE roster is bursting with deserving individuals just waiting for the opportunity to prove their worth at the highest level, and bringing out the legends to win the top titles never seems to be a popular choice. For example, fans took Goldberg defeating The Fiend and Lesnar beating Kofi Kingston for their respective championships with severe negativity.
There are several mid-carders on the WWE's roster that are waiting in the wings to step up into that main event scene and capture a world championship.
But the main event level in WWE is hallowed ground that only the lucky few get to tread. In this article, we will look at five mid-card WWE Superstars who could indeed breakthrough to WWE's top tier and win a world title in 2021.
#5 Bobby Lashley could win the WWE Championship in 2021
The fact that Bobby Lashley has not won a WWE world championship is astounding.
Lashley has all of the attributes one expects from a WWE champion. He is and always has been in phenomenal shape. The Destroyer is a powerhouse highlight reel in the ring and given the right leadership and booking could be become a WWE Championship contender in no time. However, he has never quite reached that coveted main event spot.
Lashley returned to WWE after a ten-year absence on the Monday Night RAW after WrestleMania 34. The reception he received was immense and many expected big things for the Almighty, however, he floundered as a babyface.
He turned heel and became a two-time Intercontinental Champion in 2019, which was mostly memorable for his partnership with Leo Rush. Then the whole Lana thing happened, which was surrounded in controversy from the very start.
Lashley is currently the WWE United States Champion and CEO of the Hurt Business.
Fortunately for Lashley, MVP came along and resurrected his career. Channelling their former relationship from TNA when fans knew them as the Beat Down Clan, they teamed up to create the Hurt Business.
Since the creation of the much-applauded faction, Lashley has never been better. He's strong, smart and powerful. With Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander and especially MVP backing him up he now has a purpose, motivation and a goal to become WWE Champion by the end of 2021.
#4 Bianca Belair could be WWE SmackDown Women's Champion in 2021
The EST of WWE, Bianca Belair is a megastar in waiting. Her persona, physique and ability are all standout attributes she possesses.
While the WWE women's division doesn't have a "mid-card" as such, there is a level of talent underneath the main event platform where Bayley, Sasha Banks and Asuka currently reside. Belair is yet to break through to that main event level, but it is only a matter of time before she does.
Beliar is undoubtedly mixing it up with the right people. Since arriving on the blue brand, Belair has had interactions with SmackDown women's champion, Sasha Banks and former champion, Bayley.
Bianca Belair made her WWE main roster debut at WrestleMania 36.
Since debuting on the main roster at WrestleMania 36, Belair hasn't really had the opportunity to show her exceptional talent in the ring. At Survivor Series Bianca Belair showed everyone glimpses of what she is all about and just how good she is and just what made her famous in NXT.
Belair was brilliant in NXT, and the fact that she never held the women's championship on that brand is baffling. WWE has the chance to right that wrong and put Belair on that top tier where she belongs. Belair could and should become SmackDown Women's Champion in 2021.
#3 Keith Lee could become WWE Champion in 2021
Keith Lee made his WWE main roster debut back in August and fans instantly expected him to do big things on Monday Night RAW.
Lee was thrust into the middle of the Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre feud straight away and had confrontations and matches with both competitors. The Limitless One even got a clean, seven-minute pinfall victory over Orton at Payback, which is not something WWE gives to everyone.
Fans of his NXT run knew full well the awesome things the Limitless One was capable of doing. Lee's matches with Dominik Dijakovic, Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole to win the NXT Championship were all exceptional outings for the big man.
Keith Lee is a former North American and NXT Champion.
Since then, however, Lee has struggled on RAW, having matches of little consequence, meaning or stakes in his early days on the brand. More recently, however, Lee was part of Team RAW, who got a clean sweep victory over Team SmackDown at Survivor Series.
Lee is a phenomenal figure that can do extraordinary things, and WWE in the past has undoubtedly given him the shine he deserves. At last year's Survivor Series, he went toe-to-toe with Roman Reigns at the end of the match, and at the Royal Rumble in January he had a memorable interaction with Brock Lesnar.
Lee is such an astonishing talent and always ready to put on incredible matches that it is only a matter of time before fans get to bask in his glory as WWE Champion.
#2 Mustafa Ali could win the WWE Championship in 2021
Mustafa Ali is a unique and versatile talent that has proven himself to be ready and willing to do anything to thrive and therefore could easily be crowned WWE Champion in 2021.
WWE had confidence in him and was prepared to put the title on him last year. Ali was reportedly supposed to defeat Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship last year at WrestleMania 35, but an unfortunately timed injury meant that his title win went to Kofi Kingston.
There is no doubt that Ali is a phenomenal in-ring performer, but he is yet to discover himself as a character. As a babyface, he wowed the audience when he made his main roster debut with his thrilling move-set, but a defined character did not exist. Then he got injured, and all momentum was lost. Upon his return, he was relegated to Main Event, where he continued to put on amazing matches.
Ali is proving to be a very effective heel as the leader of Retribution in WWE.
Ali deserves a medal, let alone a championship for his drive, determination and commitment to the Retribution gimmick. Ever since their invasion of WWE, Retribution has received virtually nothing but negative feedback. However, when they revealed Ali as their leader, perception of the group changed slightly as fans were happy that WWE was finally giving him something to do on the main roster. However, the group has stagnated and have not been seen together on television since they picked up their first win a few weeks ago.
Despite being put in this challenging situation, Ali has thrived in his role and has really found his groove. If WWE allows him to continue doing what he is doing without Retribution, then Ali will be breaking through to the main event level.
Ali is a genuinely great person behind the scenes, and now that he has found an enthralling character to go with his superb in-ring talent, we could very possibly see Mustafa Ali as WWE Champion in 2021.
#1 Big E could become the WWE Universal Champion in 2021
Big E is one of the most popular WWE Superstars in recent years. Along with Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston, The New Day took over the wrestling world shortly after they formed. Initially, the gimmick was disliked and discarded. But due to the chemistry and drive of all three men, they went from punchline to the big time.
As a group, the New Day are history-makers and record-breakers when they became the longest-reigning tag team champions in the history of WWE. They are an immensely successful trio and practically universally loved. But there has always been something about Big E that makes him a stand out performer.
His physique is impressive, and he is brilliant in the ring, but his charisma is off the charts. Big E possesses the ability to change his character with remarkable ease. One minute he is the fun-loving, joke-cracking entertainer, the next he is a stoic, ruthless badass.
Big E became a solo act in the WWE Draft
During the WWE Draft, the New Day split up, with Kingston and Woods going to RAW and Big E was to remain on SmackDown. Many predicted that the spilt would give Big E the chance to thrive and excel as a singles act and at first it would seem that way. Big E's feud with Sheamus may not have been the opponent fans wanted him to face, but they had some excellent interactions and two particularly brutal matches.
There have been many reports and fan suggestions that Big E will win the Royal Rumble and go on to challenge and defeat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37. If that were to happen, then it would be no less than he deserves and a success story that every fan can get behind and cherish.
Big E has been Intercontinental Champion and must add WWE or Universal champion to that list in 2021.
One of Samoa Joe's colleagues had harsh words for him HERE
