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WWE is an ever-changing place. 2019 has been quite an eventful year for the company. Vince McMahon also introduced the Wild Card Rule, which has almost ended the brand split.
The WWE Universe also saw the return of the 'Doctor of Thuganomics', John Cena. A dream match between Goldberg and The Undertaker also took place at WWE Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia this past May, which may not have gone quite as well as could have been expected.
In WWE, some things change while some stay the same. 'The Beast Incarnate' Brock Lesnar headed into SummerSlam as the Universal Champion last year, this year, the case is same. No one expected that Kofi Kingston would be heading into SummerSlam 2019 as the WWE Champion when he was at ringside during the SmackDown Tag Team Championship match at SummerSlam last year.
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A lot of things have changed in the WWE. Numerous wrestlers who were a part of the 'Biggest Party of the Summer' last year, are nowhere to be seen this year.
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In this article, let's take a look at eight wrestlers who were a part of SummerSlam last year, but won't be a part of SummerSlam this year.
#8 Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy hasn't heavily featured on WWE programming since the end of 2018. Hardy's last proper feud was with Randy Orton during the fall of 2018.
The Hardy Boyz returned to the ring on the road to WrestleMania and won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, but unfortunately, their run did not last long as Jeff got injured just after WrestleMania. Matt and Jeff gave up their titles to The Usos.
Last year, we saw a feud between Shinsuke Nakamura and Jeff Hardy for the United States Championship on the road to SummerSlam, which led to the two facing off at the 'Biggest Party of the Summer'. If Hardy wasn't injured, he would probably be competing in a tag team match this year.
Hardy was recently in the news for charges of being drunk in public, where he looked in pretty bad shape. By the look of things, his return doesn't appear to be too soon and has been reported to be in November. Hopefully, we get to see the former WWE Champion have another decent run in WWE before he retires.
#7 Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin has been the most hated heel in WWE for the past one year. There was an entire change in his character when he became the General Manager of RAW last year. Even though he doesn't hold that position anymore, Corbin utilized it to the fullest to gain heat from the fans.
His recent run proved to be a good one, as Corbin retired Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 35 this past April, followed by a much-hated feud with Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship.
Last year, Corbin had a lengthy feud with Finn Balor, in which Corbin used his power as the Constable to destroy Balor's opportunities on RAW. It finally led to a SummerSlam match between the two in 2018. Balor had such a strong sense of dislike for Corbin, that he brought out The Demon to defeat him at the event.
Recently, Corbin has been one of the top heels in WWE. The way he was going, many fans thought that he would be doing something major at SummerSlam this year. However, that's not the case. Corbin disappeared all of a sudden, after getting a vicious beat-down from Seth Rollins at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view last month.
#6 Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss is one of the top female wrestlers in WWE right now. Last year, she won the RAW Women's Championship at the Money In The Bank pay-per-view, by cashing in her contract on Nia Jax. Following that, she feuded with Ronda Rousey, who was angry at Bliss for stealing her opportunity, as 'The Goddess' had cashed in during the match between Rousey and Jax.
Although Alexa Bliss is currently an active superstar in WWE, she will not be a part of WWE SummerSlam this year, which is a big demotion for her. Bliss defended her RAW Women's Championship against Ronda Rousey in a singles match last year, which she lost.
Her last big opportunity was against Bayley at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, where she fought alongside Nikki Cross for the SmackDown Women's Championship. However, The Goddess won't be in the spotlight this year, which is very unusual, judging by her run in WWE over the past couple of years.
Bliss has mostly been doing her "Moment Of Bliss" segment on RAW these days. She's seen walking backstage with Nikki Cross every week, which may lead to something big in the future. However, she won't be headlining the 'Biggest Party of the Summer'.
#5 Samoa Joe
There's no doubt that Samoa Joe is one of the best wrestlers in WWE right now. Joe is a workhorse, giving fans his best whenever he steps inside the ring. Recently, Joe concluded his feud with WWE Champion Kofi Kingston at SmackVille with a loss.
Over the past couple of weeks, the Samoan Submission Machine has been in a hot rivalry with Roman Reigns. The two have been trying to beat the hell out of each other. On last week's episode of RAW, their "Samoan Summit" turned into a massive brawl, which led to RAW ending in chaos.
By the look of things, a Joe vs. Reigns match was looking imminent for SummerSlam, but according to current reports, there is no plan for Joe to face Reigns at the event.
Joe not being part of the SummerSlam card this year is a big demotion for him, as he was fighting AJ Styles for the WWE Championship last year. We won't be able to see Joe join the biggest party of the summer, unless WWE changes their plan at the last moment.
#4 Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman has been on a roll since becoming The Monster Among Men. Strowman won the Money In The Bank briefcase last year and main evented several pay-per-view events. Strowman also defeated Bobby Lashley in a ferocious match at Extreme Rules pay-per-view last month.
The Monster Among Men faced off Kevin Owens at last year's SummerSlam, with his Money in the Bank briefcase on the line. Strowman easily won the match. Later that night, Strowman tried to cash in his Money in the Bank contract during the Universal Championship match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, but unfortunately, The Beast Incarnate made it impossible.
Strowman had a great SummerSlam last year until Lesnar failed his cash-in attempt, but this year, the case is even worse, as Strowman is not even on the match-card this year. We haven't seen him much on TV for the past couple of weeks. There are very few chances of Strowman making it to the biggest party of the summer.
#3 Luke Harper
Luke Harper had a great run as part of the Bludgeon Brothers last year. But unfortunately for Harper, the run came to a halt when his partner Rowan got injured. If Rowan didn't get injured, The Bludgeon Brothers would be dominating the tag team division in WWE right now.
Harper and Rowan competed against Big E and Xavier Woods of The New Day to defend their SmackDown Tag Team Championship. The match proved to be very physical, but the ending disappointed the fans. The Bludgeon Brothers lost it during the match, and hit Big E and Woods with their mallets, leading to a disqualification.
Harper and Rowan demolished the SmackDown Tag Team Division last year, but Rowan's injury proved to be unlucky for them. Even though Rowan has returned to team up with Daniel Bryan, we haven't heard of Harper from months.
This past April, Harper went public with his desire for a release, which was promptly turned down by WWE. However, there are conflicting reports about Harper's return. There are two possibilities, the first being that WWE has still not decided to use him, or they're keeping his return a secret.
#2 Dean Ambrose
Dean Ambrose shocked the WWE Universe with by returning on the road to SummerSlam last year. Even though Ambrose did not compete in a match at SummerSlam last year, he was present ringside as Seth Rollins' partner.
Ambrose helped Rollins to avoid the distraction caused by Drew McIntyre, who was there as Dolph Ziggler's bodyguard. Ambrose was a big factor in Rollins' second Intercontinental Championship win.
The Unstable One had a great run in WWE last year, which was also his final run. We got to see some magnificent matches when The Shield reunited last year. Later that year, Ambrose turned heel and won the Intercontinental Championship from Seth Rollins.
No one thought that Ambrose wouldn't be a part of WWE this year. Now known as Jon Moxley, working in AEW, no one even remembers that Ambrose worked SummerSlam last year. Although Ambrose had a small part at SummerSlam in 2018, he will definitely be missed this year.
#1 Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey is one of the biggest superstars in WWE right now. Rousey was last seen on WWE programming at WrestleMania 35 earlier this year, where she lost her RAW Women's Championship to Becky Lynch in the main event. Following her loss, Rousey took time off from WWE to start a family.
'The Baddest Woman on the Planet' had a heated rivalry with Alexa Bliss over the RAW Women's Championship last year. Bliss stole her first opportunity for the title at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, which led to the two facing off at the 'Biggest Party of the Summer'. Rousey dominated the match and won her first title in WWE that night.
However, we won't get to see Rousey at SummerSlam this year. According to some rumors, Rousey may return at SummerSlam next week, during the Becky Lynch vs. Natalya match, but nothing is confirmed as of now.
Hopefully, the rumors turn out to be true, and we get to see 'The Baddest Woman on the Planet' at Scotiabank next Sunday. She's one of the most popular stars in WWE and adds a lot of star power to the women's division.
