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WWE's roster consists of some of the world's most talented male and female performers. These Superstars entertain fans regularly with their awe-inspiring in-ring maneuvers and captivating bouts. Despite this, not every wrestler is guaranteed a top spot in WWE, no matter how gifted they may be in the squared circle.
The company has the power to push a wrestler to the mountaintop, but they can also unexpectedly end a Superstar's rise at a moment's notice. There have been many cases where WWE eventually decided to give a star a much-needed push, only to bury them moments later or take them entirely off TV without an explanation.
This often leaves fans frustrated as it robs them and the business of a potential major star. Many wrestlers in WWE managed to survive a burial to attain significant success, while some unfortunate stars ended up getting future endeavored by the company. Despite putting on enjoyable matches and gaining the fans' support and interest, WWE still somehow missed the boat with this talent.
Here are five current Superstars WWE seems to have given up on.
#5 Has WWE given up on former NXT Champion Keith Lee?
"Limitless" Keith Lee was a big star in NXT and was widely over with the fans. After dropping his NXT Championship to Karrion Kross at TakeOver XXX, Keith Lee made his main roster debut on Monday Night RAW and scored the biggest win of his entire career by defeating "The Viper" Randy Orton at WWE Backlash.
At that time, it seemed like WWE was going to give the former NXT North American Champion a push, but instead, the company dropped the ball with him. Most of Keith Lee's matches ended in a disqualification, and although it's understandable that WWE did it to prevent him from losing clean, it hurt Lee much more than it helped him.
While Keith Lee did receive a WWE Championship opportunity against Drew McIntyre on RAW Legends Night, which he was unsuccessful in, his main roster run so far has been quite underwhelming.
The news of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon sending Keith Lee back to the Performance Center along with several other stars wasn't received well by fans either. All hope is not lost for Keith Lee though, as he's still capable of becoming a major star in WWE.
#4 Has WWE given up on former Mr. MITB Otis?
Otis had a very good run last year. Not only did he shockingly win the MITB Ladder Match to become Mr. Money in the Bank, but he also defeated Dolph Ziggler at WrestleMania 36 to unite with his lovely peach Mandy Rose.
Vince McMahon is high on Otis, and at one point it even seemed like the SmackDown Superstar was going to be the next WWE or Universal Champion. Unfortunately for Otis, however, things took a nasty turn very quickly. His on-screen girlfriend Mandy Rose was moved to RAW, separating the couple, and he lost his Money in the Bank contract to The Miz.
That wasn't all for Otis, as he also lost his best friend and tag partner Tucker, who he teamed up with in Heavy Machinery. Otis was later paired with Chad Gable, but since Gable was another misused star, it didn't lead to anything significant or long term for either wrestler. Otis is currently floating around the roster, and there's no sign of him attaining the same success he did in 2020.
#3 Has WWE given up on "El Idolo" Andrade?
Andrade is a very talented performer, one who is capable of doing great things in WWE. Before moving to the main roster, Andrade held the NXT Championship, and his pairing with former Superstar Zelina Vega helped his character immensely and it also filled the void that the character lacked.
Andrade was talented in the ring, but he was unable to cut a proper promo, especially in English. He later went on to capture the United States Championship, and he had a series of classic bouts with former World champion Rey Mysterio.
Andrade would then team up with Angel Garza with Zelina Vega serving as their manager. Andrade and Garza could've easily been a dominant tag team, but after several failed attempts at capturing the RAW Tag Team Championships from the Street Profits, WWE decided to break the trio up, which was a very poor decision.
Things became even worse after the company released Zelina Vega. Without her, Andrade's run in WWE won't be the same again, and it's been a while since the former US Champion made an appearance.
#2 Has WWE given up on former US Champion Ricochet?
Ricochet is another WWE Superstar who is skilled in the ring and has lots of potential but has been a victim of poor booking.
Ricochet held the North American Championship in NXT before moving to the main roster and forming a short-lived tag team with Aleister Black. His early run on the red brand as a singles competitor was actually decent.
He scored victories over larger opponents such as Samoa Joe, whom he defeated to win the United States Championship, his first title on the main roster. Ricochet went on to earn a WWE Championship opportunity at Brock Lesnar after he defeated Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins to win the match.
He also helped Drew McIntyre to eliminate The Beast from the 2019 Men's Royal Rumble match. Ricochet's run in WWE, however, hasn't been going the way he expected it to.
His former partner and friend Cedric Alexander betrayed him to join The Hurt Business while Mustafa Ali, a wrestler he allied with in the past, was revealed as the leader of RETRIBUTION.
Unfortunately for Ricochet, he became a victim of the faction's assault, and there might be no other way for him out other than to join RETRIBUTION.
As the saying goes, "If you can't beat them, join them."
#1 Has WWE given up on former NXT Champion Aleister Black?
Aleister Black was booked very strong for the majority of his run in WWE, including NXT. He went on a lengthy undefeated streak on the main roster and he put on several outstanding matches with former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy.
Aleister Black was one of Paul Heyman's projects and the company even reportedly considered booking him to win the 2020 Men's Royal Rumble match and challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36.
That would've been a major accomplishment for Aleister Black, but the accolade went to Drew McIntyre instead. Aleister Black, on the other hand, defeated Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 36, before beginning a feud with the "Monday Night Messiah" Seth Rollins. During this time, WWE decided to repackage Black by turning him heel and changing his attire.
This obviously didn't work out, as Aleister Black soon disappeared from WWE TV, and hasn't been seen since. Things got even worse after his wife Zelina Vega was let go by WWE, and his request to return to NXT was rejected. We can only hope that the company comes up with a proper way to use him in time.
