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In the simplest of terms, not every WWE Superstar receives the same treatment and pushes. Some stars get shots at titles every year while others often wait for a good portion of their careers just for that one major chance at a major WWE belt.
The likes of Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss and many others usually get a shot at a Champion once a title changes hands. It's just the nature of the beast and who the WWE likes to push. But even then, it can certainly seem unfair for some stars to consistently get title shots while others struggle to get even just one.
Ever since they debuted at the beginning of 2019, both Lacey Evans and Nikki Cross have received numerous title shots. It's a part of the fact that the women's roster isn't as deep as the men's roster, but that still isn't a great reason. The likes of Sonya Deville and Big E haven't had a single Championship match for the major title of their brand. And before she was hurt, Ember Moon only had one shot at a title in her two years on the main roster.
With that said, there are certainly stars that the fans always want to receive title shots. Sometimes it happens, like when Daniel Bryan rode the Yes! Movement to his title win at WrestleMania 30.
There are, however, several other men that deserve a shot at either the WWE or Universal Championship. Here are five male WWE performers who should get their chance. The title they challenge for would obviously be determined by which brand they belong to, unless they switch shows in the upcoming draft.
#5 Cesaro - Shot at WWE Universal Championship
The Swiss Superman has long been considered one of the best - if not the best - in-ring practitioners in all of professional wrestling. He brings out the best in his opponents and has anchored the tag team division for the better part of the last five years.
For whatever reason, however, he hasn't really sniffed singles glory since his debut. He won the United States Championship way back in 2012, but ever since then, it's been tag team gold or nothing. Perhaps he isn't valued as a main-event level talent (which is a shame) and they feel his main value is best used as a springboard for new stars.
The majority of true wrestling and WWE fans - at least those over 25 - would love to see Cesaro get a shot at either major title. He's an amazing competitor and deserves to get an opportunity at either the WWE or Universal Championship depending on the brand he is a part of at the end of the year.
The match quality wouldn't be in question, and despite perception, he's perfectly fine on the mic. It's well past time that the Swiss Superman has a big chance at a major WWE belt.
#4 Daniel Bryan - Shot at WWE Universal Championship
For the longest time, Roman Reigns was the babyface that WWE brass wanted the fans to cheer for but Daniel Bryan was the actual face most cheered for. It wasn't Reigns' fault, but rather how he was consistently pushed opposed to other stars.
Both men would have their runs as the WWE/Universal Champion (Reigns) or WWE Champion (Bryan). But as things currently sit, The Big Dog is working on becoming the top bad guy on SmackDown. It's a slow-burn process as his first challenger is his cousin, Jey Uso. But once Reigns dispatches of his cousin, I expect him to go full heel.
Bryan has been off of TV since around the time of Money in the Bank. He was one of the competitors in this year's match but hasn't been a fixture on screen since May. Brie gave birth to her and Bryan's second child, so he opted to sit out while she was pregnant. But before too long, we will have the former WWE Champion return to the fold on SmackDown.
It was a sticking point a couple of times as Reigns and Bryan "squared off" in WWE in the past. When Reigns won the 2015 Royal Rumble, he still had to beat Bryan at Fastlane before challenging the Beast for the WWE Championship. And even last year, we had the whole "who attacked Reigns" storyline between the Big Dog and Bryan. When all was said and done, it was actually Rowan, and not Bryan, that had attacked Reigns.
Bryan is the epitome of a face and he was doing his very best to get some chances for the likes of Drew Gulak and members of the Lucha House Party. When he comes back, he should still be a face because Reigns will need a lot of good guy challengers.
Hardcore fans (like myself) will likely always root for Bryan and especially whenever he opposes the Big Dog. Factor in that Reigns is actually a heel this time and that Bryan always gets great matches out of people, and it should be a no-brainer to book.
#3 Kevin Owens - Shot at WWE Championship
Kevin Owens benefitted from Finn Balor's injury in the match to crown the inaugural WWE Universal Champion back in 2016. Triple H turned on Seth Rollins, setting the stage for KO to win his first Universal Championship in a match to crown the next Universal Champ.
Throughout his whole run, however, Owens was booked as a cowardly heel that often ran from challenges. He also cheated and had his ally Chris Jericho interfere on his behalf most of the time. Owens didn't really get a great run as Universal Champion despite holding the title for around 6-7 months.
Fast forward a few years and Owens is a face. He's stood up to Seth Rollins, Randy Orton and the heels that have tormented the faces of RAW. KO has already proven that he'll do anything for the benefit of the match as evidenced by his performances in MITB matches and at this year's WM.
If Drew McIntyre drops the WWE Championship to Randy Orton or another heel, Owens should be in line for a shot. He never received a rematch once he dropped the title to Goldberg the first time.
Even though WWE still operates with "no automatic rematches," stars often get more than one shot at a title if they lose it or fail once. KO did face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship a few times, but once again, he was playing a cowardly heel. Regardless of the past, Owens deserves a shot to be a proud Champion and not a scared one.
#2 Kofi Kingston - Shot at WWE Universal Championship
Kofi Kingston never sniffed a rematch once he lost the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar last October. He shifted back to the tag team scene and quickly became a tag team Champion once again.
While it's good that he won some gold again, it's which Championship that's the slightly unfortunate thing. He fought 11 years just in order to get one chance at the WWE Championship. People like Randy Orton, John Cena, Reigns and Rollins sometimes have had two reigns with the Championship in the same year.
It would have been a good storyline for Kingston to have a more serious edge because he was being overlooked for a title shot again. He and The New Day could still have been allied but Kofi could have pursued some unfinished business after losing the WWE Championship. Instead, it seems as if his run never happened.
Now that Reigns is champion and is turning heel, someone like Kingston is a perfect foil. Reigns has been the WWE golden boy for years, whereas someone like Kingston has had to scratch and claw just in order to get one major title shot. Fans have been waiting for Kingston to get that rematch/title shot, so this seems like another slam-dunk feud for Reigns that's waiting on an open platter.
#1 Big E - Shot at WWE Universal Championship
Even before his recent foray into singles action, many WWE fans and analysts alike were clamoring for more opportunities for the big man of the New Day. He has always been just as entertaining - and often more entertaining - than his brothers Xavier Woods and Kingston. But instead, he and his members of the New Day have been mainly relegated to the WWE tag team division.
That all changed last year as Kingston began his journey to his first-ever shot at a major WWE title. It was 11 years coming and he made good on his shot by defeating another one-time underdog, Daniel Bryan. (See how good Bryan is at selling feuds for his opponents?)
Once both Woods and Kingston suffered injuries, Big E was given a "blessing" by Kingston to branch out into the singles division. Not that he needed a blessing, but even the commentators often forget that Big E is a former Intercontinental Champion.
It can easily be argued that Big E - and not Otis - should have at least been in the 2020 Money in the Bank match. Instead, no member of the New Day participated and now WWE is looking for a way to get the briefcase out of the hands of Otis. So much has changed between what was planned and what has transpired in 2020.
Whenever it happens, however, Big E needs to have a shot at the Universal Championship. We already know how entertaining he is and how great he is in the ring. He just needs that chance.
Some people have called for him to win the 2021 Royal Rumble and challenge Reigns at WrestleMania 37, but that's still a long ways away. The fact still remains, however, that few stars in WWE are more deserving of a major title shot than Big E.
