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Even though it has been a Road to WrestleMania filled with several twists and sometimes unnecessary turns just to get to the Grandest Stage of Them All, not every superstar is going to be able to get on the show.
WWE always tries to cram as many superstars as possible onto the card, and those who don't get a featured match either on the main card or on the pre-show likely get thrust into one of the annual battle royals that don't have worthy prizes attached.
Not every wrestler can make the card, but with such a deep roster and so many titles, a lot of deserving people will likely get lost in the shuffle.
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Someone like Asuka, who has traditionally been overlooked on the main roster, went from winning the Royal Rumble last year and a title shot at 'Mania to the pre-show battle royal.
And the same goes for Shinsuke Nakamura who also won the Rumble and challenged for a major title at WrestleMania 34 only to see him miss out on a match of consequence.
While most of the bigger stars have their spots on the card and in the company, the constant lack of attention or under-booking of some superstars, especially come 'Mania season, will see some superstars simply walk away once their current WWE contracts expire.
Duos like The Revival and and the Kanellis' may or may not have asked for their releases but the booking of each hasn't been the greatest in 2019.
With that being said, the following superstars will likely cut ties with WWE once their current contracts with the company run out.
#10 Shinsuke Nakamura
Until Asuka actually won the SmackDown Women's Title at TLC WITHOUT pinning either Charlotte Flair or Becky Lynch, I thought that maybe creative might actually book bigger stars from countries like Japan on par with the rest of the talent.
But ever since both she and Nakamura both won Royal Rumbles last year and failed at WrestleMania, the fact is that neither will ever be considered one of the top stars of their respective divisions.
Even if they are extremely talented and/or over like both Japanese stars are, WWE doesn't seem to book them all that well.
And that even extends to wrestlers from NJPW like the Good Brothers. Sure, they had a title run, but it was uneventful and they found themselves back at the bottom of the pecking order.
The rumble wins actually seem like placating the fans for a brief moment in retrospect rather than a genuine push to the main event.
Although he did win the US Title twice, the first reign barely saw him on TV while the other reign lasted all but two days.
Nakamura would have every right to walk away once his contract ends later this year as companies like Ring of Honor, All Elite Wrestling and NJPW would certainly book him more like the superstar he is.
#9 and #8 The Revival
Once booked as one of the best teams to ever come out of NXT, you wouldn't know it by their run on the main roster.
The Revival debuted by attacking the New Day, but any potential to make an immediate impact was cut short due to injuries to each member at different points in time.
Perhaps that soured management on the duo, or perhaps they just never thought much of them since their arrival.
They expressed their unhappiness by requesting a release from the company in early 2019. The tag team division on Raw was a mess with a mix of teams consisting of singles wrestlers (Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler, Chad Gable and Bobby Roode) and the disappearing act of the Deleters of Worlds.
One of the few actual teams outside of the Authors of Pain was the Revival, who actually only recently won the tag team titles to 'keep them happy'.
If that's the message that WWE wants to send to some of its talent, then fine, but they shouldn't be surprised if more talent expresses unhappiness in order to get pushed.
The duo has practically lost every match since winning the titles, so I'm expecting them to follow through with their request by walking away when their deals are done.
#7 and #6 Mike and Maria Kanellis
It actually surprised me that WWE signed these two a couple years ago. Sure, Maria was a big hit on the indies in ROH and NJPW, but Mike was usually nothing more than a decent tag team wrestler or mid-card guy at best.
There was a reason he never received a main-event run in ROH or Impact Wrestling when both were there. Think of the B+ player storylines only with a C instead of a B.
Maria actually seemed to get more from their deal with Impact as she became the tyrannical head of the Knockouts Division.
They probably think of themselves as big deals, but I was actually surprised that WWE thought enough of the duo to sign them to contracts.
The brand split was in full swing and WWE was trying to sign up as much talent as possible so that the competition couldn't.
But since they had a run in practically every other big promotion, where else would they have gone?
They may or may not have requested their releases earlier in the year, but I cannot see them sticking around once their deals expire. Perhaps going back to one of their prior homes will be better for them since they haven't been booked as world-beaters.
#5 and #4 Rusev and Lana
Unlike the Kanellis', Rusev and Lana actually have had real momentum in WWE on a few occasions.
They hit the ground running on the main roster as ruthless 'Anti-American' heels complete with a run with the US Title and a feud with John Cena.
But once that lust wore off, they were shuffled down the card a little after a debacle of a feud involving Dolph Ziggler and Summer Rae.
Although announcing their engagement on social media while they were embroiled in a feud that saw them on separate sides wasn't timed the best, they rebounded from that with the hilarious 'Rusev Day' gimmick, which actually seemed to have happened by mistake.
During a backstage bit with the New Day, Rusev said 'No once cares about New Day, only Rusev Day.'
And from that, one of the most popular acts of 2018 was born. Mr. McMahon didn't seem to run with it as he should have, only giving Rusev a shot at the WWE Championship rather than giving him a meaningful run with any major title.
He did win the US Title earlier this year but lost it almost as quickly as he formed a partnership with the man he was feuding over the title with.
Now, he and Lana just seem like supporting pieces or parts of an extra team whenever a match or storyline deems it necessary, like the gauntlet match on last week's SmackDown.
Lana is also very outspoken on social media and even Rusev said it was frustrating to come up with ideas and constant pitches only for them to fall on deaf ears. They'll be a huge gain for whichever promotion signs them once they leave the WWE.
#3 and #2 Gallows and Anderson
It seems like once their partnership with AJ Styles ended, WWE forgot to book the Good Brothers into anything meaningful.
Coming off of a successful career in NJPW and ROH, WWE signed both Gallows, Anderson, Nakamura and Styles in 2016 in a small talent raid of NJPW.
They were initially treated as big deals, but after two years, only Styles appears to remain someone that creative wants to book positively.
The Good Brothers have barely been on SmackDown and only appeared during the New Day gauntlet match as an easy stepping stone in the match.
WWE clearly values teams like the Bar, New Day and Usos more than they ever have the Good Brothers, so it's not surprising that the former success in the aforementioned promotions is likely calling to Gallows and Anderson.
While it is true that not every team is able to be booked like the top dogs in the division, lately they've been booked more like the Colons than anything close to resembling a former tag team of champs.
#1 Dean Ambrose
Ambrose has not resigned with WWE and it was a big story directly after the Royal Rumble. He expressed his desire to move on from the WWE even though they have been in negotiations to try to resign him before his deal expires at the end of Apri 2019.
He has always been booked as the third most important member of The Shield even though he did win the WWE Championship in 2016 by pinning Seth Rollins at Money in the Bank.
But every time a Shield reunion comes up, he's usually booked to take the pin if they lose or booked as the least important member.
'The Lunatic Fringe' was more like 'the PG Fringe' due to the era the WWE was in, but a person can only take so much before they make their stand or walk out (See CM Punk).
While it is strange for WWE to acknowledge the fact that his deal is up and he isn't coming back during recent Shield matches, he has been booked to lose a lot of singles matches in the interim.
Despite beating EC3 one time, he's lost to him another time and has constantly been on the short end of matches with Drew McIntyre.
If it is a work by everyone involved, then it is a masterful one, but I am expecting both Ambrose and WWE to move forward in their own ways once May becomes the month on the calendar.
