5 Underrated WWE Superstars who would've been top stars in the Ruthless Aggression Era

WWE's Ruthless Aggression Era was initiated when the likes of 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, The Rock, and Hulk Hogan finally started winding down from the top of the pedestal, as Vince McMahon's company was set to enter a new phase with a brand new fanbase. They had the daunting task of creating a batch of brand new Superstars.

With Vince McMahon's company also relabeling themselves as the World Wrestling Entertainment from the World Wrestling Federation, the WWE Chairman decided to mark the beginning of a brand new chapter, courtesy of the Ruthless Aggression Era.

In June 2002, Vince McMahon informed the WWE RAW roster, which surrounded the ring, that it was time for them to shake things up in the company and bring out the 'Ruthless Aggression' in them.

And thus, began WWE's Ruthless Aggression Era.

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Arguably the most underrated era of all time, the Ruthless Aggression Era to date remains as one of the biggest fan-favorite periods of all time and was filled with top Superstars including the likes of Triple H, Batista, John Cena, Eddie Guerrero, and Kurt Angle. As for the female batch of Superstars, the likes of Trish Stratus, Molly Holly, and Mickie James did formidable work with the limited platform provided to them.

Fast forward to 2020 and two decades later, the present-day WWE roster has several underutilized Superstars who definitely would've been a hit in the 2000s and would've certainly thrived as part of the Ruthless Aggression Era.

With that being said, here is a list of 5 current underutilized WWE Superstar who would've been top names in the Ruthless Aggression Era.

#5 Ali

Now, being a top Superstar doesn't necessarily mean that you'll constantly have to be in the world title picture. That concept is absolutely wrong and the same would go for Ali if he was a part of the Ruthless Aggression Era.

Currently, a part of the SmackDown roster, Ali hasn't been seen on TV for weeks now and many believe that the former 205 Live sensation is undergoing a gimmick change. Regardless of that, Ali certainly wasn't at the top of his game before his supposed change of gimmick and never really lived up to the heights that he had achieved as part of the Cruiserweight Division.

Being the fine high-flier that he is, Ali definitely would've been a solid addition to the stacked Cruiserweight Divison back in the Ruthless Aggression Era. Consider Rey Mysterio as a fine example, the veteran luchador started as a cruiserweight but ended up winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22.

#4 Sonya Deville

Many fans believe that Sonya Deville should've been given a solid singles push by now. Despite recently splitting away from her former tag team partner Mandy Rose on SmackDown, the former has barely done anything as a singles competitor.

Sonya Deville is massively talented both as an in-ring performer and on the microphone and if you ask me, it is quite shocking that the SmackDown star is yet to hold a title in WWE. In all honesty, she's barely even had a proper shot at a singles Championship!

As part of the Ruthless Aggression Era, Deville would definitely have been at the top of the food chain in the women's division and in contention of winning the WWE Women's Championship, along with the likes of Mickie James and co.

She's as charismatic as they come and her background in mixed martial arts would've certainly been a huge factor in the Ruthless Aggression Era. Deville is certainly more than capable of hanging in the ring with the very best in the business today and if WWE put her in the ring with Trish Stratus or Lita, we would have probably ended up with an instant classic.

#3 Chad Gable/Shorty G

Chad Gable aka Shorty G is arguably one of the finest wrestlers in WWE today and certainly has all the charisma in the world. However, during his tenure in WWE so far, Gable has struggled on the main roster, especially since the split-up of The American Alpha and hasn't had proper exposure.

Gable is quite athletic and is also technically sound in the ring, which makes him a perfect candidate for a Superstar who would've been at the top of his game during the Ruthless Aggression Era.

If used right, Gable could've been a top star in WWE today, even as a singles competitor, however, that hasn't been the case and by the looks of it, WWE isn't too keen on pushing the former SmackDown Tag Team Champion anytime soon.

Nevertheless, Gable as part of the Ruthless Aggression Era would've been in contention for numerous shots at WWE's mid-card titles and given everything had worked out accordingly for him, the multi-time WWE Tag Team Champion probably would've ended up in a similar spot as Kurt Angle did back in the day.

#2 Ruby Riott

It has been four years since Ruby Riott made her WWE debut and the fact that she is yet to win a title or an accomplishment in WWE is beyond belief at times.

During her time in NXT, Riott mostly competed as a babyface and has previously challenged for the NXT Women's Championship. However, she is yet to taste gold in WWE.

Nevertheless, upon her debut on the main roster in 2017, Riott along with other members of The Riott Squad made a lot of noise and quickly established their place as one of the biggest fan-favorite factions of all time.

Riott had already gotten off to a solid start on the main roster and following the split-up of The Riott Squad, it seemed like the leader of the faction would go on to become the biggest singles star out of herself, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan.

However, fast forward to 2020 and that certainly hasn't been the case, as Riott is struggling to break into the women's title picture on RAW and has also had her fair share of issues with significant injuries.

Riott is charismatic and brings an intensity with herself, something which certainly helps her stand head and shoulders above the rest, but she has been overlooked in WWE so far.

Former known as Heidi Lovelace, she would've been a huge star in the Ruthless Aggression Era and would've clicked with the fanbase of that generation. Riott is a Superstar who would've been at the top of her game back in the day, mostly due to her character work as a heel Superstar and the sheer intensity that Riott brings to the table.

#1 Robert Roode

Robert Roode is a sensational wrestler. However, if you ask me, he probably was a little late in making his way over to WWE.

Roode started out in WWE in 2016 and quickly got himself over with the NXT Universe, simply because of his exceptional mic skills and his catchy 'Glorious' theme song, which became a fan-favorite in its own right.

The former TNA sensation had mainly worked as a heel before, but he underwent a huge change in character in NXT and adapted well. So much so, that the current SmackDown star went on to win the NXT Championship.

However, moving up to the main roster, Roode failed to capitalize on the momentum and was instead recognized as a mid-card Superstar, whereas, someone of his talent should've been in the WWE title picture.

Instead, all Roode was offered was a forgettable United States Title reign and was shifted to the tag team division. All his charisma and mic skills had gone in vain and it was pretty much crystal clear by this point that WWE didn't consider Roode as a main-eventer, and his age could've been the potential reason.

Roode in the Ruthless Aggression Era, however, could've ended up being a top star and someone whom the WWE Universe probably would've hated with all their heart, solely due to the tremendous work he is capable of doing as a heel.

'The Glorious One' certainly should've been a part of The Ruthless Aggression Era with his modern-day gimmick.

Edited by Atharva Papnoi