WWE remains the biggest professional wrestling promotion in the world, with a high global reach. However, many viewers believe that the Stamford-based promotion has been partial in pushing certain wrestlers to the top despite their talents and ability to connect with the audience.
Although the promotion’s success over the years is credited to its passionate fans, there are several instances where the company has limited the talents of fan-favorite superstars while trying to push certain wrestlers to the limelight, leaving many viewers disappointed.
Let’s explore five times WWE refused to push a fan-favorite superstar.
#4. LA Knight
LA Knight got called up to WWE’s main roster in 2022 and gained popularity the following year during an intense feud with Bray Wyatt, thanks to his tremendous mic skills. Despite being a fan favorite and getting most of the cheers every week, Knight was not given major victories in most of his matches.
The veteran won his first United States Championship at SummerSlam 2024, which he later lost to Shinsuke Nakamura at Survivor Series: WarGames. Despite regaining the title in March of this year, Knight’s championship reign was short-lived as he lost it to Jacob Fatu at WrestleMania 41. Since then, the 42-year-old hasn’t had any success in his championship pursuit in WWE.
While many viewers believe that LA Knight should be pushed to the top by the company, Triple H and his creative team have yet to portray the star as the dominant force he is. However, Knight is currently scheduled to face CM Punk, Jey Uso, and Seth Rollins in a Fatal Four-Way Match for the latter’s World Heavyweight Championship at Clash in Paris. It will be interesting to see if the veteran could finally win his first world title in WWE.
#3. Karrion Kross
Karrion Kross made his return to WWE in 2022, accompanied by Scarlett Bordeaux, where he performed on the SmackDown brand. However, despite establishing himself as a dominant force in the company, The Herald of Doomsday has never won any championship since being called up to the main roster.
This has led many viewers to believe that the veteran was underutilized and deserved to be pushed to the top of the company. However, that never happened as the former NXT Champion suffered a high-profile defeat in his match against Sami Zayn at SummerSlam 2025.
The bout happened to be The Herald of Doomsday’s last match in WWE, as the company is yet to renew his contract. While this has sparked many reactions from fans on social media, the Stamford-based promotion is seemingly not doing anything about bringing Kross back to the company. It now remains to be seen what the future holds for the superstar.
#2. Dolph Ziggler
It is a fact that Dolph Ziggler was seemingly not fully portrayed as a star during his time in WWE. Despite connecting with the audience in the ring, the veteran wasn’t placed on the pedestal by the creative team, as the company instead focused on Randy Orton, John Cena, and other top superstars.
Also, Ziggler never main-evented WrestleMania and never won the Men’s Royal Rumble Match throughout his career in the Stamford-based promotion. This has led many viewers to believe that the 45-year-old’s potential wasn’t fully utilized by the company when compared to some other wrestlers.
#1. Shinsuke Nakamura
Shinsuke Nakamura made his main roster debut on SmackDown ahead of WrestleMania 33. The superstar achieved success in his first year and went further to win the 2018 Men’s Royal Rumble Match. He then challenged AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at The Show of Shows, where he turned heel after losing to Styles. Despite so many attempts to dethrone AJ, the 46-year-old was unable to achieve the goal.
Later in his career, he won the United States, Intercontinental, and SmackDown Tag Team Championships. However, despite Nakamura’s accomplishments in the Stamford-based promotion, many viewers believe that the veteran wasn’t fully portrayed as the great star he is and should have been a WWE Champion.
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