10: Santos Escobar

When Santos Escobar was first called up to the main roster, there was a ton of excitement amongst fans. Escobar was fantastic in the ring, and there was a firm expectation that the main roster audience would gravitate towards him.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t really been the case. Escobar’s run hasn’t been abysmal, but the crowd just isn’t connecting with him. WWE have tried to get Escobar over, and this has included faction runs in the LWO and even a feud with the legendary, Rey Mysterio.

Escobar lacks character and direction, and this was on full display when WWE aired SmackDown in Scotland. Every wrestler on the show received a great reaction, that was with the exception of Escobar as the fans couldn’t care less.

WWE needs to go back to the drawing board when it comes to Escobar, and work out a way to make him connect with the crowd, because as things stand, his current presentation just isn’t working. 

9: Carlito

WWE had every reason in the world to bring back Carlito in 2023. Fans had been crying out for a final WWE run for the former Intercontinental Champion, and his nuclear pop at the 2023 Backlash event was justification for WWE to offer him another run.

It’s been clear based on his booking that WWE have had zero idea what to do with him. Carlito was just lingering around other members of the LWO as a babyface, and when he turned on Rey Mysterio, fans hoped that things would change, but nothing has.

Carlito lacks credibility and legitimacy, and his current storyline on RAW where he’s pretending to be a member of The Judgment Day seems like a cheap carbon copy of the R-Truth storyline.

There has been rampant criticism aimed at Carlito’s in-ring work on social media, and whilst this may seem harsh, his in-ring work just hasn’t been up to par, and it's understandable why WWE won’t permanently commit to booking him in extended matches. 

‍

8:  JD McDonagh

The Judgment Day has been a major success for WWE. The second version of the stable featuring Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor and Damian Priest took all four names to the next level, and nobody could have ever predicted that the stable would get over to the degree they have.

Unfortunately, not everything about the stable has worked, as honorary member JD McDonagh just doesn’t cut it. JD has talent, and he can certainly wrestle, but the crowd just isn’t invested in him like they are with other members of the faction.

This isn’t necessarily JD’s fault, as his character work and in-ring work has been at the level needed to get over, but something is missing, and it’s the element of uniqueness. JD has nothing about him that makes him stand out against any other member of the roster. When The Judgment Day inevitably breaks-up, it will be interesting to see how JD is presented, and it would be in WWE’s best interests if they offer a slight re-package to JD with the aim of getting him over with the main roster audience. 

7: Karrion Kross

From the moment WWE brought back Karrion Kross in 2022, it was made clear that Kross was someone the fans were to take seriously.

Kross would instantly be presented as a main event talent, as his re-debut saw him gate-crash a segment between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre. A subsequent feud between Kross and McIntyre completely flopped, as the matches were incredibly lacklustre, yet this didn’t stop WWE from giving up their plans to make Kross a major player.

Over the past two years, Kross has feuded with elite names including the aforementioned McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio and AJ Styles. Each of these names is a former World Champion, yet none of these have resulted in Kross fully connecting with the crowd.

WWE have even given Kross his own faction known as The Final Testament. The stable features Kross, AOP and Paul Ellering, yet the fans just couldn’t care less. When SmackDown took place in France, their entrance was met with total silence, which was saying something, as the French crowd was labelled as one of the hottest crowds in WWE history.

It's hard to determine how to fix Kross, as WWE have given him endless pushes, and every single one of them has been unsuccessful.

6: Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson

WWE have struggled with booking Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson since their return. They are an established tag-team, yet WWE refuses to commit to giving them an actual tag-team feud that has any meaning.

WWE’s latest plan with the duo is giving them a run in NXT, as well as re-pairing them with AJ Styles. The issue with re-pairing them with AJ is that WWE have done this an endless number of times over the years, and the re-union just doesn’t hit as strong as it should.

The two struggle to get a reaction from the crowd, and a major contributing factor to this non reaction is the lack of character. The two have zero character outside of being friends with AJ and having prior successful runs in other promotions. This isn’t enough for a WWE audience, and the two could be doing so much more if WWE just invested some creative effort into their booking and personas. 

5: Jimmy Uso

Jey Uso has become a household name since the dissolvement of the original Bloodline. Jey has firmly been accepted as a top-guy, and this is confirmed every time Jey makes an entrance on TV, as the crowd comes alive. Jey has also become a legitimate draw, as he is often one of WWE’s top merchandise sellers, and he is even the face of certain marketing campaigns such as the 2024 Money in the Bank PLE.

The same can’t be said for his brother, Jimmy, as over the past year, Jimmy’s heel character has been a complete misfire. Jimmy turned on Jey at SummerSlam 2023, and his character motivations were so insanely weak that the fans instantly switched off from anything he did. In the subsequent months, Jimmy just lingered around, and WWE completely stripped away any credence his character had.

The eventual pay-off to the Uso vs. Uso feud was heavily panned, and now WWE are planting the seeds for an Usos reunion, and a Jimmy face-turn. This is 100% the right move, as Jimmy has been in an awkward, lifeless place since his 2023 heel turn, and WWE need to fix it before it’s too late.  

4: The Pride

The three members of The Pride, those being Bobby Lashley, Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford are amongst three of the most talented names on the roster. When Lashley is a singles act, and when The Street Profits are a tag-team, they are incredibly over with the audience, yet since the trio grouped up, it’s just not been clicking.

The trio still get a positive reaction, yet the aura of the three respective names has drastically been hindered since they formed. WWE wanted the trio to be top heels on SmackDown, yet this failed, as the crowd didn’t want to boo an established name such as Lashley.

Their run as a babyface trio has lacked any meaning or substance. Their feud with The Final Testament went on for what seemed like a lifetime, and nobody came out of the feud in a better position than when they started. B-Fab joining the faction was likely designed to freshen things up, yet this has done absolutely nothing for the group. B-Fab has very little character, and it’s never been fully explained why B-Fab is even linked to the group.

It would benefit everyone if WWE either went in a completely different direction with the faction or decided to break them up. Lashley is a main event star, and Dawkins and Ford can either be re-inserted into the Tag Title hunt as a duo, or they can go their separate ways, and carve out their own careers as single stars.  

3: Shayna Baszler

When Shayna Baszler lost to Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 36, everything began to go down hill for the former NXT Women’s Champion.

Baszler over the past four-years has mainly been a staple in the women’s tag-division, as she has had an endless array of partners, and it’s unlikely that Baszler ever receives a singles title run ever again.

During her time in NXT, Baszler had a defined aura, and she was presented as this unbeatable titan. This hasn’t been the case on the main roster, as she rarely wins matches, and if she does win a match, it never leads anywhere significant.

The crowd have completely lost interest in investing in Baszler, as she’s a name that barely receives a pop when she appears, and it would be a tough task for WWE to revert Baszler back to how she was presented and received during her initial NXT run. 

2: Shinsuke Nakamura

Between 2017-2018, Shinsuke Nakamura was a name in which WWE were presenting as a total mega-star. Nakamura had a strong initial debut on the main roster, and even won the 2018 Royal Rumble. When Nakamura turned heel following his loss to AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34, this was when the aura of Nakamura began to fade.

Nakamura lost major title match after major title match, and this trend has continued throughout Nakamura’s journey on the WWE main roster.

Nakamura’s latest World Title push came in 2023, when Nakamura feuded with Seth Rollins. Whilst Nakamura’s work was passable, it was a foregone conclusion that Nakamura wasn’t winning the World Title.

In 2024, Nakamura has only won one single match, which is a shocking statistic. WWE are in a difficult position with Nakamura, as his booking has been so flat and lifeless over the past couple of years that even if he ascends to the main event picture once again, not a single fan is going to be convinced that WWE will go all the way with him. It’s a sad state of affairs when it comes to the King of Strong Style. 

1: Solo Sikoa

Solo Sikoa has been given the keys to the kingdom in WWE over the past 12-months. Sikoa was given the win of a lifetime when he defeated John Cena at the 2023 Crown Jewel, and now he is rumoured to be getting set for a WWE Title showdown with Cody Rhodes.

Although Sikoa’s booking has been strong when it comes to his promo and character work, the same can’t be said for his win/loss record. Following the historic win over Cena in 2023, Sikoa went on an extended losing streak, as he went for months on end without winning a single match. This was completely baffling, and a complete waste of a victory over one of the biggest names in WWE history.

Sikoa’s push has received vast criticism, as some believe that Sikoa isn’t ready for the big-time. This criticism does have some merit, and Sikoa until only recently has struggled to receive a noteworthy reaction from the crowd.

It also hasn’t helped that other members of The Bloodline 2.0 have overshadowed him, and with the insanely talented Jacob Fatu debuting on the main roster, this is only likely to get worse for the son of Rikishi.  

‍