4 Established Superstars Who Had A Year To Forget

Almost every pro-wrestler wants to join the WWE. The reason is that they are the authority in this industry.

Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, and Rey Mysterio are some of the big superstars who are working for the company, right now. Some of them made their name in this company.

But some wrestlers, however, were not in this company from the beginning but are now at the peak in the WWE. Although this isn’t always the same as some wrestlers, who were considered as “big superstars” in other promotions, are now nowhere near at the place they were once used to be.

Let’s take a look at four established superstars who got buried by the WWE.

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#4 Bobby Lashley

Even though the Hype Man Lio Rush sees money in Lashley, the crowd isn’t invested in him. The day he returned to the company is remembered by everyone, but now, it seems like the crown doesn’t care about him anymore.

He once used to work in the WWE, but left the company in 2007. Later, he made his name in the world of MMA. He also worked for TNA (now Impact Wrestling) where he improved his in-ring and mic skills. He held the world title of this promotion as well.

Fans wanted to see a Lashley vs. Lesnar match, but that wasn’t possible due to both superstars not working for the same company. However, this changed when Lashley returned to the WWE this year.

Fans hoped that Lashley is going to have a dream match against Brock Lesnar.

But, this is still a dream. WWE tried to make use out of him as a face, but they failed. Now they are portraying him as a heel and so far, the idea hasn’t done benefit to Lashley.

#3 Shinsuke Nakamura

The famous Japanese superstar known as Shinsuke Nakamura proved everyone that he is a big deal in the wrestling industry. His matches against Kota Ibushi, Kazuchika Okada and AJ Styles made a mark even on a casual wrestling fan.

WWE recognized this and signed him in 2016. Nakamura worked in the NXT for few months before getting called up to the main roster. During this period, he won the NXT championship two times.

After debuting on Smackdown Live in 2017, Nakamura spent some months as a mid-card wrestler but things changed when he won the 2018 Royal Rumble match.

Fans were excited because Nakamura decided to face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 34. This match was a dream match for the WWE Universe. However, what happened after this match shocked a lot of fans.

Not only that Nakamura didn't win the WWE Championship but he also turned heel against Styles. His gimmick became more interesting than before, but eventually, he ended up getting lost in the mix.

The company didn't know what to do with him. So they gave him the US Championship, but this didn’t help him. Nakamura’s character started to become irrelevant and this was really bad for him.

However, he may again rise to the top if the company tries something new with him. Maybe turning him to a face again or providing him a manager?

#2 Bobby Roode

Just like Lashley, Bobby Roode’s career also got buried after coming in the WWE. Before stepping feet in this promotion, he worked for several other promotions including TNA. There he won many championships, and this includes the TNA World Heavyweight Championship as well.

In 2016, at an NXT Live Event, Roode made his in-ring debut in the company. He worked in the brand for a few months and in this time period, he also won the NXT Title from Shinsuke Nakamura. He was a great heel by then, but after losing his title against McIntyre, he got called up to the main roster.

Everyone was excited to see what he now has to show. However, the company didn’t make good use out of him, and this made him a mid-card wrestler. I know he wasn’t supposed to be the main event star but his work was amazing and he should have been the main event superstar.

Now, Roode is on Monday Night Raw where he and Chad Gable are the Raw Tag Team Champions.

#1 Samoa Joe

Samoa Joe is one of the best heel wrestlers in the company right now. He has the skills to become a main event superstar, but unfortunately, the company is using him in the wrong way.

Joe made his debut in the WWE in 2015. He worked in the developmental brand where he won the NXT Championship after defeating Finn Balor. This isn’t a big thing to consider but the way he was working in the ring as well as on the mic, made him a legitimate superstar.

He worked for almost 1.5 years in this brand and impressed everyone with his work. Joe made his debut on Raw in 2017 where he attacked Rollins for Triple H.

He then went on to attack several superstars too. He even defeated many of them including Roman Reigns. After winning the fatal 4-way match at Extreme Rules, Joe became the No.1 contender for the Universal Championship.

He then faced Brock Lesnar at the Great Balls Of Fire but failed to defeat him. Later, he worked in mid-card for few months before getting drafted to the blue brand as a part of the Superstar Shake-Up.

He was then engaged in a feud with AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. He faced him on several occasions but failed to defeat him. With every loss, Joe’s career was getting hurt and it’s a shame to see a great heel getting buried in the WWE.

It’s true that faces need to win against heels, but a talented superstar like Joe also needs to win some big matches. So far he hasn’t won any world title in the WWE, and I hope this would change in 2019.

Edited by Vineet Aiyer