WWE has five hours of weekly programming each week between Raw and Smackdown Live. While those five hours — which do not factor in pay-per-views, WWE Network original programming, NXT or YouTube exclusives — may sound like a lot, it is not easy for WWE’s creative team to get everyone screen time each week. Or so it seems.
Here are 15 WWE Superstars who seem to be a bit lost in the shuffle as of late:
American Alpha – On this week’s Smackdown Live, we saw Chad Gable make a cameo as a spokesperson for Sami Zayn. One week prior, he wrestled AJ Styles. But where has been Gable’s push as one-half of one of the top tag teams on Smackdown? And better yet, where has Jason Jordan been?
Curt Hawkins – Curt Hawkins has been acting as an enhancement talent since returning to the WWE. But one must remember that he was reintroduced to the company with vignettes that related to his strength, toughness, and fear-inducing tactics. It makes you wonder if the former tag team champion was intended to play this role all along.
Heath Slater – Heath Slater is a multi-time tag team champion, but he has never needed a championship to maintain popularity. The One Man Band has survived countless ill-fated factions and tag teams. Right now it is debatable whether he is being used as an enhancement talent or as one-half of a tag team not chasing a title. It is also unclear as to whether he is still a babyface.
Rhyno – Speaking of Heath Slater and Rhyno, we recently have seen Rhyno walk Slater to the ring. But whatever happened to the angle of Slater and Rhyno breaking up due to Rhyno’s frustration over them not winning matches? Either way, Rhyno remains a fan favorite and is one of the finer ECW Originals still wrestling today.
Kalisto – Kalisto was teased as a new entrant to the 205 Live circuit, but he has not been seen wrestling much on television as of late. But Kalisto is a two-time U.S. Champion and was a tag team champion in NXT.
The Brian Kendrick – Prior to Akira Tozawa joining forces with Titus O’Neil, he was being recruited by The Brian Kendrick. Kendrick was one of the first WWE Cruiserweight Champions since 205 Live was launched beyond being one of the longest-reigning tag team champs that WWE has ever seen. Kendrick is definitely missed as he is one of the few active cruiserweights on the roster who is undeniably great on the mic.
Dana Brooke – Dana Brooke was used in a tornado singles match a few weeks ago, being squashed by Nia Jax. Since turning babyface, Brooke has not gotten a lot of time on-camera. Quite the change from when she was paired with Charlotte Flair and involved with all of her pay-per-view finishes for a while.
Emma – Dana Brooke’s former tag team partner Emma recently returned after recovering from a back injury. She has not been used in a comedic role nor has she been part of a title-chasing storyline in quite some time. A shame given all of the natural talent that Emma possesses.
Aiden English – Comparable to Curt Hawkins, Aiden English has the gimmick of cutting (singing) a promo, only to be interrupted by a strong babyface who squashes him. As one-half of The Vaudevillains, English was among the top in the tag team division after getting the call-up from NXT. Long-term plans of English’s character are unclear, to say the least, as he is not feuding with anyone in particular.
The Colons – A story broke a few weeks ago that Primo and Epico — Orlando and Eddie Colon, or Diego and Fernando — had requested their release from WWE. While that has not been confirmed by any of the parties involved, we have not seen The Colons part of any key storylines or pay-per-view matches within the last few months. An absolute waste of talent, especially when considering that the two Colons had paid their dues as The Great Khali’s ring buddies for many months.
The Ascension – Speaking of little-used tag teams, The Ascension was one of the most dominant teams in NXT history. In their first few weeks on the WWE roster, Konnor and Viktor looked strong via a series of squash matches. As of late, the two have been alternating between enhancement matches and matches where at least eight competitors are involved. However, The Ascension did great a week or so back in the Fashion Files segment with Tyler Breeze and Fandango.
Luke Harper – Luke Harper is a former Intercontinental Champion and is arguably in the best shape he has ever been in since getting his NXT call-up. Even with his weight loss, he is still one of the biggest guys on the WWE roster. His babyface turn was received very well. Why Harper is where he is on the card is a wonder, to say the least.
