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The WWE creative team was criticized more than ever last year, due to their repetitive booking strategies and for the usage of their outdated narrative structure, and while they did deserve most of that hate from the WWE Universe, towards the end of the year, WWE did start to make small changes.
And the most notable change was finally giving certain underrated stars a chance to shine, from Mustafa Ali to Apollo Crews, superstars from all over the main roster were given a healthy chance to shine, even if it was for a short time.
Now that we are finally in a new year, it seems certain that WWE is looking to get more of their stars a shot at glory, and the main shot at glory for a wrestler is a title reign. So which one of these stars could capture gold for the first time.
#1 Samoa Joe
Who is better on the mic than Samoa Joe right now, while some may argue for Becky Lynch, Paul Heyman, or Daniel Bryan as the most convincing talkers, Joe is just so impressive as a heel it's hard to see that the man is playing a character.
A natural talker, great in-ring worker, and all-round expert storyteller, Samoa Joe is WWE's most underrated talent, and it might be hard to believe that he has not held one title on the main roster yet. That needs to change in 2019, as Joe can be the man to help WWE carry their shows to new heights.
#2 Ember Moon
Ember Moon's first year on Raw was somewhat of a huge disappointment, as her days in NXT were filled with unforgettable moments that made her a legend down in Full Sail. Who could forget Ember taking Asuka too the absolute limit for the NXT Women's Title, while on the main roster it's hard to remember what Ember did on Raw last week?
But that comes back to the fact that Ember has been facing some real problems with her booking, and that needs to change this year. With the Women's Tag Team Titles being introduced, it seems like Moon could get her chance at the gold or if WWE has enough faith in the star, they could send her straight to the main event.
#3 Sami Zayn
Ah, Sami Zayn, the man that everyone once loved then forgot about him when WWE lost interest in maintaining his pure babyface character, and that is just sad, as Sami is arguably one of the best wrestlers working today.
After being out with an injury for a couple of months, WWE announced that Zayn would return to Raw along with his buddy Kevin Owens, and this return for Zayn should not be wasted by WWE. As it is surprising to realize that Zayn has won not one title on Raw or Smackdown Live yet, so his return to the should see him being given a chance to hold the gold.
#4 Elias
Elias is WWE's best act right now, as his gimmick is so over it doesn't matter how many losses WWE throw at him, the man just bounces back, and most believe that is due to Elias' confidence levels never dropping.
While some feel that his gimmick has been watered down a bit due to his babyface turn, that could be fixed by WWE tweaking a few elements to his character to make him a little bit more entertaining.
But if WWE doesn't capitalize on the success of Elias, they will be kicking themselves in the future, as they could make Elias one of their top stars if he gets the proper treatment from the creative team. And the one thing that could legitimize him as a top star is for WWE to put a title on him.
#5 Andrade "Cien" Almas
Andrade "Cien" Almas is a megastar in the making; Triple H understood that when Almas was in NXT, as he took Almas' bland character and made him into a wrestling machine. Classic after classic, Almas along with Zelina Vega showed why he deserves to be taken seriously by WWE.
But on Smackdown Live, it seems like WWE doesn't fully grasp the fact that this man is future, as week after week, Almas has been losing matches, left of the show, and left with nothing to do.
Moreover, this is the same man who was praised by Vince McMahon himself, as the boss said he is a future star, so instead of WWE praising the man, they should get a plan in action finally give him the push he needs to become an asset to them.
