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WWE have had a difficult and tricky 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has brought a halt to live shows, while WWE RAW, SmackDown, NXT, and PPVs have been held in an empty Performance Center.
The pandemic also forced WWE to let go of several Superstars and backstage talent. Several mid-card Superstars, producers, and writers were let go by WWE recently.
But, there have been a few Superstars who survive the mass releases that WWE made, despite not featuring in the company for a long time.
Let's take a look at 5 Superstars you forgot are still a part of WWE in 2020:
#5 Maryse
Former Divas Champion Maryse hasn't been on WWE television for a long time, with her last appearance coming in 2019. She last featured in December during vignettes for her husband The Miz's match against The Fiend.
The two-time Divas Champion has been away from WWE following the birth of her second child in September last year. She is a part of SmackDown, along with The Miz, and is still listed as an active Superstar on WWE's official website.
Maryse's in-ring career is possibly over, having last wrestled two years ago in 2018. She spoke fondly about her career and how far the women's division has come since she started in WWE over a decade ago.
"I’m proud. I really enjoyed my time, even though it was the very difficult at times? I really enjoyed the years that I was there, maybe I think it really shaped the person I am today. You know we’re all fighters I think. We created a sisterhood, you know? These girls they will talk to each other and we’re all…it’s just…we all get very emotional when we talk about that. Because it was the thing that we were fighting for every every single week for years.” (H/T WrestlingNews)
if she does return to WWE, it will mostly be as The Miz's manager. There has been talk that she could be the mystery hacker on the Blue brand, but we aren't quite sure that would make sense for her or WWE at the moment.
#4 Bo Dallas
Bo Dallas hasn't quite had the career that many would've expected after having a promising start in WWE over a decade ago. The former NXT Champion has only won the RAW Tag Team Championship on the main roster and hasn't reached the heights of his brother, Bray Wyatt, on WWE television.
Dallas hasn't wrestled in WWE for a very long time, with his last match coming in October 2019 at Crown Jewel. He and his former partner, Curtis Axel, were a part of the tag team turmoil match at the Saudi Arabia PPV.
That was the last match for the tag team known as the B-Team as Axel was released by WWE recently. Dallas, though, survived the spate of releases, with Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealing the reasons why he was kept by the company. Meltzer said that Dallas did not complain about being unhappy in WWE, which maybe helped him keep his job.
Another thing that helped Dallas remain in WWE is his age, as he is just 29, while Axel is 40 years old.
#3 Kalisto
One of the three members of the Lucha House Party, Kalisto has been missing from action for a while now. The former United States Champion last wrestled in a WWE ring back in December 2019 in a dark match on SmackDown. His last televised match was even before that in November 2019, when he was in a triple threat match against Lio Rush and Akira Tozawa for the Cruiserweight Championship.
But, Kalisto suffered an injury in December in a match at the Staples Center, which has kept him on the sidelines for a while.
He gave an update recently and revealed that he is still a part of WWE.
"I wanted to take this moment because I'm seeing a lot of fans tweeting at me, messaging me, [asking] where am I, am I still with WWE? The answer is yes, but unfortunately, I got hurt back on December 31 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. So I ended up having an AC [joint] separation in my shoulder, and some ligament tear. Thank God no surgery, but it's a longer recovery and I'm taking my time to come back, and I want to come back 100%. Every time I've watched SmackDown or RAW I just want to get in there so bad, but I know my boys are doing great." (H/T WrestlingInc)
#2 Lars Sullivan
The WWE Universe had a lot of hopes for Lars Sullivan, who was touted to have a bright future in the company, who was slated to face Brock Lesnar and was handpicked by Vince McMahon. And WWE gave him a big push in WWE in 2019 attacking legends like Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, and Hardy Boyz and was primed to go on and be a star.
But, an injury brought a halt to his push. And then reports emerged of Sullivan making homophobic comments on a chat room years ago, while it was also revealed that he was an adult actor earlier in his life.
Dave Meltzer gave an update on Sullivan's status earlier this year:
"Another name who should be ready but whose future is uncertain is Lars Sullivan. Sullivan underwent knee reconstruction surgery in June, so should be ready fairly soon. His name hasn’t been mentioned at all of late."
But three months on since that report, there has been no talk about the former NXT Superstar featuring on WWE television. His last match on WWE was back in June 2019.
#1 Mickie James
Mickie James has been in the wrestling business for two decades and has achieved a lot in her career. She is in the latter end of her WWE career, and may just have a few more years remaining in the ring.
James, who is a five-time women's champion, hasn't wrestled since WrestleMania 35 in 2019, where she was a part of the Battle Royale. She suffered a nasty ACL injury last year, which has kept her out of the ring but is closing in on a return to the ring.
On a recent appearance on the Sunday Night's Main Event podcast, she gave an update on her current status.
“I feel really good at moments. I’m due to return. I felt I was so, so close to getting ready to be cleared, and then obviously my timing, per usual, is impeccable. So, I’ve just been kind of still steadily rehabbing because even now and I’m just nine months or whatever it is post-surgery, I can tell within myself where perhaps my hamstring isn’t as strong as my other one and they are not completely equal so if I have more time in my own right to continue to heal and recover and build to come back, I’d rather come back at 110 percent than 90.” (H/T Fightful)
She recently challenged new RAW Women's Champion Asuka for a match in the near future. James has commentated on WWE's Main Event show a few times during this in-ring hiatus.
