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WWE and its fans were dealt a massive blow earlier this week by the news that Sami Zayn could be out until 2019 after sustaining a shoulder injury. One of the most talented and popular wrestlers on the roster, Zayn will be sorely missed both inside the ring and backstage.
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That being said, the company will likely find a way to paper over his absence. While the former Ring of Honor Star is an important part of the Monday Night Raw product, he's never been absolutely fundamental to its success, largely because the company has never shown in him the requisite amount of faith for a concerted main event push.
This, however, raises the question of what would happen if one of WWE's most valuable assets went down with an injury.
In other words, how would they be able to cope if one of those wrestlers around whom storylines and entire divisions are often centered was away from the ring for a period of several months, or even a year?
Here are five they simply can't afford to lose.
#5 Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens has been one of WWE's most important wrestlers since his promotion to the main roster three years ago.
Already, he's held the Universal Championship more than six months and featured prominently in two major storylines opposite Chris Jericho and, a short while later, Vince and Shane McMahon.
This is no accident either. The fact that he has been entrusted to shoulder this level of responsibility so early in his WWE career (including getting to literally butt heads with the chairman of the board) is indicative of how well he has performed, both on the microphone and in the ring.
Even in the present moment, where he appears to be quite a long way from getting a run at Brock Lesnar's title belt, it seems impossible to imagine an episode of Monday Night Raw without at least an in-ring promo from KO.
#4 The Miz
In terms of pure entertainment value, nobody over the last two or three years can hold a candle to The Miz. For evidence of this, just look at how sorely his short absence was felt at the end of 2017 when he took a couple of months off to film The Marine 6.
Not only is the ex-WWE Champion one of the company's best talkers on the microphone, he also has a useful knack of helping lower mid-carders and even jobbers become relevant.
Both Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas were probably heading for the exit door prior to joining his Miztourage one year ago.
All of this only strengthens the case for giving Miz a belated second run with the world title belt, which he has not held since losing to John Cena at Extreme Rules more than seven years ago. It's been way, way too long.
#3 Braun Strowman
Two years ago, it would have seemed crazy to suggest that Braun Strowman would ever be one of WWE's Most Valuable Players. Like Big Show and The Great Khali before him, he appeared to be little more than a sideshow novelty act whose popularity would soon fizzle out.
Oh, how wrong we were. Not only does The Monster Among Men continue to command some of the best crowd reactions anywhere in the company, he's now a legitimate contender for the Universal Championship, and could well be the man who ends Brock Lesnar's run this summer.
Without him, Monday Night Raw would be a far less interesting place. We'd probably be left watching endless repeats of Lesnar versus Roman Reigns, for a start, and nobody (except Vince McMahon) wants to see that again after the disaster of WrestleMania 34.
#2 Charlotte Flair
Arguably the best female wrestler in WWE history, Charlotte Flair is essentially the glue that holds the company's women's ranks together. Without her, it's hard to imagine who would take over her position as the top wrestler in the division.
The best piece of evidence for this is the incredible match she fought alongside Asuka two months ago at WrestleMania 34, which was most fans' choice for match of the night, even though the result didn't necessarily go the way many of us were hoping beforehand.
Despite losing her SmackDown Women's Title to Carmella a short while after, Charlotte remains one of Vince McMahon's most indispensable assets - especially if he has plans to push Ronda Rousey towards superstardom at next year's Show of Shows.
#1 AJ Styles
AJ Styles has comfortably been WWE's most consistent and reliable performers since debuting in the company two and a half years ago at the 2016 Royal Rumble. The product would have been infinitely worse without his regular involvement.
Mostly, this is down to the sheer quality of his performances in the ring. Even if you think his series of matches against Shinsuke Nakamura have been disappointing, he has still fought incredible bouts with the likes of John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Finn Balor and, most recently, Brock Lesnar.
Furthermore, his continued presence is crucial to attracting die-hard wrestling fans. Otherwise boring pay-per-view cards are now worth sitting through in order to get to an AJ Styles match at the end of the night - and that's huge for the company's viewing figures and subscription rates.
Who do you think is the MVP in WWE at the moment? Sound off in the comments section below!
