5 WWE stars who will rise in 2018

2017 is officially in the books. As we look ahead to 2018, WWE fans are eager to see who may be the next NXT call-up, who will win their first main-roster championship and more. In 2017, we saw the rise of many stars including Braun Strowman, The Usos, and Asuka.

With a Women's Royal Rumble, 205 Live touring on its own, and more NXT call-ups in a few months, the WWE roster is going to be as crowded as it's ever been.

With that in mind, here are five stars whose stock may rise in 2018.

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#5 Elias

Will Elias take the next step in 2018?

When Elias was called up after Wrestlemania, many NXT fans were left confused. NXT has a strong cult following, and Elias was not someone who fans were clamouring to see on the main roster. After all, he was far from the finished product, and he was even sporting multiple names. For a while, Elias failed to find his niche. However, he seems to have finally found it.

Over the last few months, Elias has been getting consistent airtime, with weekly segments in which he gets to sing and play guitar. He still makes the list since he has not necessarily "broken out".

Despite getting a nice chunk of weekly television time, he has still not had any meaningful wins or feuds, which is something he will need to do in 2018 to prove that he can be more than filler time on a three-hour show. Given the large amount of television time he receives, there is a good chance of that happening.

#4 Mandy Rose

It is only a matter of time before Mandy Rose breaks out on her own

Considering how crowded the Women's Division has been getting, this could be a bold claim. However, it is clear that WWE has big plans for Mandy Rose. Despite WWE's recent efforts to push the Women's Division from the glamorous Divas Division, looks will always play a part in the mind of Vince McMahon.

By being part of a trio, Rose can be protected, as she continues to learn. It is also apparent that the commentators on Raw have been gushing over her looks. Just last week, Corey Graves said that Mandy Rose looks like she was made in a laboratory.

Once Rose eventually breaks off from Paige and Sonya Deville (most likely during the superstar shakeup, or perhaps summertime), WWE will be sure to give her a big solo push. If she goes to Smackdown, she can instantly contend for the Women's Title there.

#3 Aiden English

Aiden English and Rusev could quickly become a top act in all of WWE

When Simon Gotch parted ways with WWE, Aiden English looked like he was buying time before his inevitable release. However, with a little bit of time on the microphone, his personality came out.

His first shining moment was when Chris Jericho put him on the list, and English started crying. Going forward, English was given time to sing on the microphone before most of his matches.

Since then, he had a few competitive matches against Randy Orton, and was chosen as the foe for Bobby Roode's main-roster debut. Over the last several weeks, English has been paired with Rusev, and they are getting very strong crowd reactions.

Given that WWE has a track record of going with whatever is hot, it would not be surprising to see the duo capture tag team gold in the next few months. Whether it is with Rusev or on his own, English could be seeing big things in 2018.

#2 Mojo Rawley

Mojo Rawley is officially on his own

Given that Mojo Rawley won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, it would seem like he had a great 2017. However, after he won the event at Wrestlemania, Mojo was treading water for the rest of the year. Because he recently turned heel on Zack Ryder, Mojo has a much fresher outlook for 2018.

In theory, Mojo is a good looking guy, passable in the ring, good when given a chance to speak, young, a former football player, WWE homegrown, and being good friends with Rob Gronkowski does not hurt as well.

He has the potential to have the total package, and it is just about putting the pieces together. While Mojo may not necessarily win the current tournament for the US Title, he definitely has a legitimate chance to win the strap at some point this year.

#1 Bobby Roode

2018 will be glorious for Bobby Roode

Bobby Roode was a top act in NXT, which was shown when he defeated Shinsuke Nakamura at the NXT: Takeover show during Wrestlemania weekend. When Roode was called up to the main roster, he had a hot debut in front of the Brooklyn crowd.

However, much like Shinsuke Nakamura debuted, Roode would go on to feud with Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin, and a lot of his momentum suffered because of it. Roode was then in the star-heavy Survivor Series elimination match, but he was quickly an afterthought.

Roode may be best served as a heel, but it seems as if he has the ability to play on both sides of the field, which will help his cause going forward. Like Mojo, Roode is in the US Title tournament, and also has a chance to win. Even if he does not, it would not be surprising to see Roode hold the US Title this year, or perhaps even the WWE Title.

WWE tends to reboot after Wrestlemania, and that might be the time for Roode to get a strong push. If Jinder Mahal was able to win the WWE Title in 2017, why not Roode in 2018?