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What many fans don't seem to realise about WWE is that a run on top is often rotational in nature. When one superstars' run on the top ends, another one begins. More often than not, the superstar may not reach the same levels of success as before, unless, of course, they're top-calibre superstars such as John Cena and Roman Reigns, who the company build long-term plans around.
Either way, for both the men and women, we've seen that while they might be hot and in a marquee WrestleMania match one year, the same may not happen the next. There will be more opportunity handed out to everyone, who could take that spot instead. It doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing, but in some cases, it certainly is.
We take a look at five superstars who were in great positions at last year's WrestleMania but have fallen down the pecking order a bit.
#5. AJ Styles
Last year, AJ Styles was in the earlier stages of what would be a historic WWE Championship reign. Nobody knew that when he walked into WrestleMania as WWE Champion, he would end up holding the title for over half a year after that.
He faced Shinsuke Nakamura in a much hyped "dream match" for the WWE Championship. though the match didn't deliver as expected, it was done to further their feud. AJ Styles would lose the WWE title to Daniel Bryan in November of 2018, and after multiple failed attempts at regaining the title, he found himself in limbo.
There hasn't been much buzz for AJ Styles heading into WrestleMania season, and though he's set to have another dream match at WrestleMania (with an impressive set of opponents so far), one can't help but feel that the intensity and glow that he possessed a year ago isn't there now.
#4. Braun Strowman
While it's hard to say that Braun Strowman was in a great position at WrestleMania 34 last year, it's hard to deny that he's fallen down the pecking order, something that really shouldn't have happened.
Strowman would take on Sheamus and Cesaro for the RAW Tag Team titles, showing that WWE really didn't have too much planned for him at that period of time. He teamed with 10-year old Nicholas and won the RAW Tag titles, vacating it the next night on RAW.
However, post-WrestleMania, Strowman was back in full form and ended up winning the Money in the Bank, only to fail his cash in at Hell in a Cell. It seemed certain that he would end up becoming Universal Champion, but even after the title was vacated, WWE did not want him to beat Brock Lesnar.
Now, he's in a series of meaningless feuds with no known direction for WrestleMania for the third year in a row.
#3. Kurt Angle
This is somewhat understandable atleast, given that Kurt Angle is now a part-timer. His role over the past couple of years has been more or less to put over younger talent, a job that he's done all too well.
In fact, Kurt Angle's only real notable victory since his 2017 return was his WrestleMania 34 match against Ronda Rousey. That was the most talked-about match on the card last year, primarily because of Rousey and the expectations set for her.
Kurt Angle did his part in that story, and later ended his role as RAW General Manager. From the look of things, his retirement is imminent and could happen as soon as some point soon in 2019.
It was a fall from last year, but it's hard to say that it's a tragic one. Either way, we hope that Angle does get the send-off that he truly deserves.
#2. Shinsuke Nakamura
What a tragic fall from grace it's been for Shinsuke Nakamura. When he was signed in 2016, he was viewed as one of the most important international signings in WWE history and a big money asset. While he proved his worth in NXT, his main roster run since 2018 hasn't been the best.
Sure, it started off great with a Royal Rumble win and the securing of the dream match. But the match not living up to expectations definitely tarnished Nakamura in the eyes of fans, and despite a shocking heel turn, WWE never really went anywhere with him.
His United States title reign was disappointing and since then, he's been in an odd-pairing storyline with Rusev, a person who he was feuding with a couple of months ago. It's crystal clear that WWE has no real plans for Shinsuke Nakamura, and until his contract ends, he'll likely just be floating around not doing too much.
#1. Jinder Mahal
Jinder Mahal's fall from grace has been since December 2017, but at WrestleMania 34, it still seemed like WWE had big plans for him. A few months removed from the WWE Championship picture, Jinder Mahal entered the United States title picture and had a Fatal-4-way match at WrestleMania 34 against Randy Orton, Bobby Roode and Rusev.
While Rusev was as hot as ever during the time, WWE decided to make the bizarre decision of having Jinder Mahal pin The Bulgarian Brute clean and become United States Champion. He was the first pick in the Superstar Shake-up of 2018, and after he lost the United States title to Jeff Hardy in an impromptu match, his 8-day title reign ended abruptly.
Since then, it was all downhill for him, with his most notable accomplishment being that he reached the finals of the Mixed Match Challenge. It's a long shot to say that he'll reach the same heights that he did again, but in WWE, you never know.
