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“Vince McMahon has given up on…” is a sentence that WWE fans have probably become accustomed to reading over the last few years.
In 2019, superstars including Apollo Crews and Humberto Carrillo were reportedly among a select few who Vince McMahon lost faith in throughout the year. Since then, both of those men have appeared regularly on WWE television but their careers continue to have highs and lows.
Vince McMahon is ultimately responsible for deciding which superstars are given prominent positions on his television shows. As a result, he often has to make the tough decision to reduce certain superstars’ television time if he has issues with their on-screen work.
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In this article, let’s take a look at what happened next to five WWE stars who Vince McMahon allegedly gave up on in 2020.
#5. Vince McMahon allegedly gave up on Ricochet in 2020
The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported in March 2020 that Vince McMahon was “so done” with Ricochet’s push on WWE RAW.
The report came after the high-flyer lost a 24/7 Championship match against Riddick Moss on the March 2, 2020 episode of RAW. A few days earlier, Ricochet also lost a WWE Championship match against Brock Lesnar at WWE Super ShowDown in just 88 seconds.
Ricochet ended 2020 by losing singles matches on RAW against all four male RETRIBUTION members: SLAPJACK, MACE, T-BAR, and Mustafa Ali.
Ricochet’s WWE career in 2021
Ricochet has continued to appear regularly on Vince McMahon’s shows in 2021. However, it is fair to say that the 32-year-old has not come anywhere close to fulfilling his potential as a WWE Superstar.
The former United States Champion recently lost a 78-second match against Karrion Kross on RAW. Before that, his most notable WWE rivalry in 2021 arguably came on Main Event against long-term rival Mustafa Ali.
Alarmingly, Ricochet has only competed in one singles match on a pay-per-view main show in the last 24 months. That match – against Brock Lesnar at WWE Super ShowDown 2020 – turned out to be one of the worst losses of his WWE career.
Given how Ricochet has been booked in 2021, those 2020 reports about Vince McMahon “giving up” on him look more accurate by the month.
#4. Vince McMahon allegedly gave up on Shayna Baszler in 2020
Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter in July 2020 that Vince McMahon “never conceptually grasped” Shayna Baszler's style of wrestling.
Baszler, a two-time NXT Women’s Champion, was originally supposed to win the 2020 Royal Rumble before Charlotte Flair was chosen as the winner instead. She was also touted as the possible winner of the 2020 Money in the Bank ladder match, which Asuka ended up winning.
Becky Lynch said there was even a plan in place for Baszler to win the RAW Women’s Championship from her at WrestleMania 36. However, the idea was nixed and Lynch retained the title instead.
Shayna Baszler’s WWE career in 2021
Shayna Baszler confirmed on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast in February 2021 that Vince McMahon told her “not to do any pro wrestling” in WWE.
Like Ricochet, The Queen of Spades has featured frequently on Vince McMahon’s shows throughout 2021, usually alongside Nia Jax. However, after such a dominant run in NXT, it definitely feels like Baszler is now just another member of the women’s division on RAW.
On the latest episode of RAW, Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley joined forces to defeat Baszler and Jax in a 10-minute tag team match.
#3. Vince McMahon allegedly gave up on Cedric Alexander in 2020
Wrestling News Co. reported in February 2020 that Vince McMahon does not view Cedric Alexander as someone who can become a big star.
According to a WWE source, McMahon was prepared to listen to then-RAW Executive Director Paul Heyman on some ideas, but they disagreed on Alexander’s potential.
Later in the year, it looked as though Alexander’s WWE career was finally going in the right direction when he joined The Hurt Business. Alongside Bobby Lashley, MVP, and Shelton Benjamin, Alexander produced some of the best work of his career so far.
Heading into 2021, the group were stronger than ever and the possibility of the dominant quartet splitting up seemed impossible.
Cedric Alexander’s WWE career in 2021
Unfortunately for Cedric Alexander, Vince McMahon seemingly had a different vision for The Hurt Business after Bobby Lashley’s WWE Championship win in March 2021. Lashley continued to work alongside MVP following his title victory, but Alexander and Shelton Benjamin’s services were no longer required in The Hurt Business.
Alexander went on to defeat Benjamin in their month-long rivalry on RAW in May 2021. Since then, he has lost eight matches in a row, including his two most recent matches against Jaxson Ryker on Main Event.
On reflection, it appeared as though Vince McMahon gave Alexander another opportunity after allegedly “giving up” on him in 2019 and early 2020. Now, following the former 205 Live star’s sudden removal from The Hurt Business, it remains unclear whether McMahon has plans for Alexander moving forward.
#2. Vince McMahon allegedly gave up on Mustafa Ali in 2020
Another report from Wrestling News Co., published in August 2020, claimed that Mustafa Ali was yet another person that Vince McMahon had given up on.
Ali returned to WWE television in July 2020 after a six-month absence. He formed an alliance with Cedric Alexander and Ricochet before losing against Bobby Lashley and Riddick Moss, prompting speculation about Vince McMahon’s opinion of him.
After feuding with The Hurt Business, the former 205 Live star went on to become the leader of his own faction, RETRIBUTION, in September 2020. The five-person group disbanded in March 2021 following widespread criticism of their presentation and storylines.
Mustafa Ali’s WWE career in 2021
Mustafa Ali still regularly appears on Vince McMahon’s shows, but he rarely receives much television time compared to many of his co-workers.
The 35-year-old competed in six matches on Main Event between April and June before becoming Mansoor’s new tag team partner on RAW. So far, the duo have won and lost matches against former RETRIBUTION members MACE and T-BAR.
To put Ali’s television time into context, his four most recent matches on RAW all lasted roughly three minutes.
#1. Vince McMahon allegedly gave up on Lacey Evans in 2020
The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer reported shortly before the 2020 WWE Draft that Vince McMahon had given up on pushing Lacey Evans.
At the time of the report, Evans had just defeated Alexa Bliss via disqualification on the September 25, 2020 episode of SmackDown. The storyline was less about Evans and more about Bliss, whose alliance with The Fiend was beginning to gain momentum.
Two weeks later, Evans moved from SmackDown to RAW before forming a dysfunctional tag team with former IIconics member Peyton Royce.
Lacey Evans’ WWE career in 2021
Vince McMahon may have abandoned plans to push Lacey Evans as a singles star in 2020, but that was definitely not the case in 2021.
The Sassy Southern Belle began the year by joining forces with Charlotte Flair’s father, Ric Flair. The storyline was supposed to result in a RAW Women’s Championship match between Evans (w/Ric Flair) and Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 37. However, Evans’ real-life pregnancy forced the angle to abruptly end.
Charlotte Flair ended up missing WrestleMania 37, while Peyton Royce was released from Vince McMahon’s company after her tag team storyline with Evans was dropped.
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