With the brand split last Summer, WWE entered a whole new era. More opportunities suddenly became available to certain superstars, and while part of this is down to the simple fact that splitting the roster means there are theoretically twice as many top spots, there is no doubting that a significant number of performers have benefitted from this move. However, what has also become apparent is that there are several superstars currently employed by WWE who will likely never receive a strong push again.
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These performers have already reached their peak and are now simply there to make up the numbers in the lower card. Many of these superstars still have what it takes to perform at that level, but the office simply doesn’t see it this way. Over the past couple of years, the arrival on the main roster of fresh talents such as Finn Balor, AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Baron Corbin, Samoa Joe and others has ensured that many of the more seasoned veterans in WWE are consigned to a future well outside the main event.
The new era is here, and that spells bad news for those who are battling to remain relevant. One option for these guys would be simply to accept their fate and move on to Ring of Honor where their skills may be better appreciated. While not a particularly common career path, it has been done before. ROH is a place where more emphasis is placed on in-ring ability, as opposed to WWE’s approach of placing more importance on the marketability of a superstar than their actual wrestling skills.
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This must sound like an extremely attractive proposition for those who have always been held down in WWE, and never allowed to taste the main event spotlight. Smackdown LIVE may be known as the land of opportunity, but the wrestling promotion that truly fits that description is Ring Of Honor. Many current WWE superstars could totally revamp their careers if they were to go through a spell in ROH, and following are the 5 superstars who would be most suited to doing so.
#1 Dolph Ziggler
For a long time now, it has been clear that Dolph Ziggler will never be a top guy in WWE. While he has always been regarded as one of the most talented members of the roster at any given time, there has just always been something working against him that has prevented him from reaching the very top. This is why ROH would be a fantastic place for Ziggler to resurrect his career.
Of all the men on this list, Ziggler would likely receive the biggest reaction of the lot from the ROH faithful, as he has long been seen as an “internet darling”. He could use this newfound star power to develop a character, unlike anything we’ve seen from him in WWE. There’s absolutely no questioning Ziggler’s in-ring skills, but not since his initial run as a heel have we seen anything remotely close to a truly engaging character from the Showoff.
While partly due to horrible booking, this can also be attributed to Dolph clearly lacking motivation at times. Stepping into ROH, where the main event scene would very quickly become his playground, may offer an opportunity for Ziggler to show everybody that he actually can “Steal The Show”.
Just imagine the dream matches he could have with the likes of Jay Lethal, Adam Cole and Marty Scurrl.With the spotlight on him, it’s highly possible that he could make such an impact that Vince McMahon may have no choice but to bring him back and finally use him correctly.
#2 Zack Ryder
At WrestleMania 32, Zack Ryder appeared to have finally overcome years of mistreatment by WWE management when he won a 7-Man Ladder Match to become Intercontinental Champion. It was a truly beautiful moment, emphatically well received by the fans who were more than happy to see Ryder succeed after years spent at the very bottom of the card, being constantly embarrassed by the big names. So, you might ask, how do WWE follow up this emotional moment? How does the story continue? Well, it didn’t.
The very next night on Raw, Ryder was screwed out of the title by The Miz and Maryse, then lost his rematch on SmackDown. And that was that. Ryder was out of the title picture entirely, less than a week after winning it and with nowhere to go from there. This alone should have convinced Ryder to walk out of the company and try his fare in ROH. While not quite a performer on the level of Ziggler, Ryder is still a talented guy who would be very well received in ROH.
He would enter the company with inbuilt babyface credentials, which would set him up nicely for a possible programme with somebody like Christopher Daniels. A new finishing move may be in order, as ROH fans are used to seeing far more exciting match-ending moves than the Rough Ryder, but a move to ROH would bring about a whole host of new opportunities for Ryder.
#3 R-Truth
R-Truth may currently be seen as a joke in WWE, but there was once a time where he was actually looking like one of the hottest talents in the industry. Under the name Ron “The Truth” Killings, Truth made big waves in the very early days of TNA. In one of his promos, he angrily stated that he felt he was being held back due to his race and became a top heel during this period, also becoming the first and only African-American to win the NWA World Heavyweight Title in August of 2002.
While never the top guy, his performances and position on the card were strong. This just goes to show that there is far more to R-Truth than what we have seen on WWE programming over the past few years. Not since his 2011 heel run alongside The Miz has Truth been taken seriously, his character has degenerated into something beyond a joke. Clearly, Vince McMahon sees nothing in R-Truth, but his talents could be put to far better use.
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This is not to say that Truth should go to ROH and leap straight into Title picture; the man is 45 years old and at the tail end of his career. But a scenario where Truth moves to ROH, competes occasionally and spends a lot of time backstage working with the younger talent appears to make the most sense.
Finally, Truth would be at a place where he can be taken seriously again; his skills can be used for something other than bad comedy skits. WWE wouldn't have to pay him anymore, and ROH would gain a very experienced wrestling mind. Everybody wins.
#4 Kofi Kingston
One man who always seemed destined for big things in WWE was Kofi Kingston. There is absolutely no doubting that he has developed into a very well-rounded performer with an impressive resume, being a 4x Intercontinental Champion, 3x United States Champion and holding the record for most cumulative days as Tag Team champion.
However, as a singles competitor, he’s never really had any real momentum behind him aside from a brief period during his 2009 feud with Randy Orton. Ultimately this momentum fizzled out, and from that point, he was effectively finished as a credible singles competitor.
His reputation has improved significantly since then, mainly thanks to his exploits with The New Day, but a switch to ROH could totally transform Kingston’s career for the better. Finally, at the age of 35, it may be a chance for Kofi to step into the main event spotlight on his own. His athleticism and in-ring skills are still at an incredibly high level, which would ensure a good reception from the notoriously hard to please ROH fans.
New Day are clearly well past their best, and with Kingston unlikely to break out again as a singles star in WWE, moving to ROH could finally gain him the recognition he deserves as a world-class professional wrestler.
#5 The Colons
It may surprise you to learn that Primo has been in WWE since 2008, and Epico since 2010. In the time that has elapsed since their signings, they have achieved virtually nothing. Sure, they held the WWE Tag Team Championships, but that was way back in 2011, a time where the tag team division was dying. The fact that the makeshift duo of Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defeated them to win the titles tells you all you need to know about their reign.
They have been known as Primo and Epico, Los Matadores and The Shining Stars over the past few years and now, they’ve been sent to SmackDown LIVE and are being referred to as The Colons. Nice try, WWE, but another name change and a change of brands will not suddenly get this team over. While The Colons are talented, the way they’ve been booked over the years has been so poor that absolutely nobody cares about them.
The only way they will regain some fan support is to leave WWE and start totally afresh. In ROH, The Colon’s would be very sternly tested, as they’d have to be at their very best every night just to ensure that the crowd remain interested in them. This may be exactly the environment they need to be in, to finally excel as wrestlers.
Facing off aginst teams such as The Young Bucks and The Briscoes would undeniably force them to raise their game to a level not yet seen from them in WWE. They should go to ROH and do it very soon before it’s too late for them to recover.
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