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WWE is usually seen working hard on long-term prospects rather than wrestlers who are either injury prone or likely to leave. Once they home in on the correct choice, they work hard to take those wrestlers to the top.
Chris Jericho, The Undertaker, John Cena, and Roman Reigns are a few of the men who received great pushes thanks to that very reason. On the other hand, WWE also lost out on great wrestlers such as Cody Rhodes and Neville.
Keeping that in mind, there are quite a few wrestlers on the roster currently who are not getting the fair treatment according to their fans and the WWE Universe. Some of these wrestlers have had a terrible 2018 thanks to weak bookings, and the existence of more dominant wrestlers on the card who are receiving a greater push.
We have compiled a list of four such individual wrestlers and one tag team who deserve better going forward into 2019 and have been the victim of poor creative booking in 2018.
#5 & 6 Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder (The Revival)
One of the best technical tag teams of modern times The Revival are also one of the hardest working men in WWE currently.
After winning the NXT Tag Team Championships on two occasions, the duo made their main roster debut on Raw after WrestleMania 33 in 2017. A lot was expected of them during their debut, and the two men had all the potential to deliver.
However, over one and a half years down the line, the duo have not won a single title on the main roster yet even though they are one of the best traditional tag teams on the main roster.
It can be assumed that their first year on the main roster was focused towards building them, but 2018 was awful for the duo who started off strong but ended up as nothing more than jobbers on the main roster.
Their one chance to win the tag team titles from the B-Team was stolen by Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre and it has been all downhill for the two men since then.
We can only hope that the creatives have bigger plans for the two men going forward into 2019, as they are definitely a tag team that can rule the division.
#4 Bobby Lashley
One of the biggest returns to the company this year was that of Bobby Lashley. The hype surrounding his return was unreal, and there were a lot of expectations and fantasy feuds cooked up by fans which could have bolstered his return.
The former two-time ECW Champion and one-time US Champion made his return this year on Raw after WrestleMania 34 and confronted a mid-card wrestler in the form of Elias.
Since then Lashley has had one of the most boring gimmicks and persona which is largely his own fault as he has failed to cash in on his previous success. The rest of the blame falls on the creatives who have booked him in unnecessary and unrewarding feuds which have seen him fall more and more in the eyes of the WWE Universe.
Lashley’s only memorable match was against Roman Reigns which did lesser for the MMA expert and more for Reigns.
After turning heel and getting a new manager in the form of Lio Rush, Lashley was expected to find his footing on Raw but the same didn’t happen and he’s now not even being Boo-ed by the crowd who seem bored of him already.
Lashley had the potential to have great rivalries with Brock Lesnar, Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, and Braun Strowman, but the same hasn’t happened as yet and a lot needs to improve for him in 2019.
#3 Rusev
Rusev has undeniably improved his wrestling skills over the past couple of years. Along with that, his new Rusev Day gimmick has not only catapulted his own image, but also that of his wife Lana and former team member Aiden English.
Rusev has gotten some of the best matches on SmackDown Live this year and was involved in the ring with AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, The Miz, and Almas to name a few good competitors.
Yet, a piece is definitely missing from the superstar’s overall impact this year as a great competitor. That piece is most definitely a championship win in the year. He won many number one contender matches and even got a few title shots but failed in all of them.
Keeping Rusev in the title picture has been a good move for WWE, but he should have won a title this year to stay relevant enough as Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 2019 are fast approaching.
#2 Asuka
Remember when Asuka had an undefeated streak which led her to become to NXT Women’s Champion and be one of the most dominant champions of WWE not so long ago? Well, all that has been forgotten by the WWE now.
Asuka is currently the only NXT Women’s Champion who hasn’t won a championship in her first year on the main roster. Let that sink in for a bit.
The Japanese born superstar had a great first quarter in 2018, but slowly got buried in the mid-card as the year went on. She was featured in needless tag team matches which did her no good.
Asuka has been long forgotten on SmackDown and even Carmella has won a championship while Asuka’s streak-breaking loss at WrestleMania has actually dented her performances and reputation.
There is little doubt that The Empress of Tomorrow should have won a title by the end of the year, but it seems unlikely that the same will happen, looking at how strong Becky has gotten since turning heel.
#1 Finn Balor
The man who needs no introduction. Finn Balor was once the highlight of Monday Nights. Now he’s nothing more than a jobber for the heels and a man to throw around for strongmen.
Balor was destined for greater things on the main roster, and things started off brightly when he won the Universal Championship. But all has gone downhill for The Demon who hasn’t done well since his return from injury thanks to the creative department.
His year started off well and he was able to get in the mix for the Intercontinental Championship early on with Seth Rollins and The Miz but since then he too has slipped down the roster and finds himself among top-notch jobbers such as Jinder Mahal and Baron Corbin which isn’t doing too well for a superstar who is fit enough to carry the entire brand forward.
2018 was not at all kind to Finn Balor, and we can only hope that 2019 will fair better for The Demon King who should be in the Intercontinental Title picture if not the Universal Championship.
Which superstar do you think has suffered the most in 2018? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
