Ronda Rousey and 6 WWE Stars in Danger of Being an Afterthought at WrestleMania 39
WWE's road to WrestleMania is when some Superstars shine their brightest, while others fall into obscurity.
Bigger names such as John Cena, Logan Paul and Brock Lesnar being brought back for The Show of Shows leaves fewer openings on the card for those who have been appearing full-time for the company throughout the last year.
Not even the most popular acts are immune to being left off the event. In fact, neither the Intercontinental Championship nor the United States Championship were defended or showcased at WrestleMania 38.
WWE will want to make WrestleMania in Hollywood an absolute blockbuster. Most of the top talent will be prioritized to ensure it's a success, but not everyone is going to have a clear creative direction between now and April 1-2.
With most of the major matches for 'Mania already set in stone (though not officially announced), where does that leave the rest of the roster?
Based on their current whereabouts and booking, the following six stars are in the most danger of being an afterthought come WrestleMania 39, assuming they're able to make the card at all.
Shinsuke Nakamura
1 of 6
Amazingly, Shinsuke Nakamura hasn't wrestled a televised match for WWE since the Nov. 11 edition of SmackDown, where he lost to Santos Escobar in the opening round of the World Cup tournament. He was used sparingly by Triple H prior to that point as well.
He came across like an absolute star when he faced The Great Muta at a Pro Wrestling Noah event on New Year's Day. Unfortunately, WWE failed to acknowledge or follow up on his big victory over the retiring legend.
It's hard to believe it was around this time five years ago that The King of Strong Style was fresh off winning the men's Royal Rumble match and riding high heading into his WWE Championship clash against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34.
His heel turn killed most of his momentum, and although he later returned to his roots as a babyface and regained the intercontinental title for a six-month period, he's done nothing of note since losing it.
His most recent tag team partner, Rick Boogs, moving to Raw on his own isn't an encouraging sign for Nakamura's future. All signs point to him missing 'Mania this year unless he resurfaces in the next month or so to kick off a feud fans aren't thinking of.
Ronda Rousey
2 of 6
Ronda Rousey's return run since the 2022 Royal Rumble has been less than stellar.
From being miscast as a babyface early on to an underwhelming WrestleMania match with Charlotte Flair and then two forgettable reigns as SmackDown women's champion, any mystique she had left is long gone.
Both in the ring and on the mic, the former UFC star hasn't been able to find her footing again. It doesn't help that there's no obvious role for her on The Road to WrestleMania.
Rousey lost the SmackDown Women's Championship to Flair in quick fashion on the final SmackDown of 2022. She hasn't been seen since, and there's been no update on when she might be back.
Flair vs. Rhea Ripley is already set for WrestleMania, and the next challenger to Raw women's champion Bianca Belair will be determined at Elimination Chamber. Rekindling her rivalry with Becky Lynch is an option, but the best time to do that match would have been a year ago.
Her only other option is to team up with Shayna Baszler and go after the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships, but holders Damage CTRL could be busy with other opponents instead.
Above all else, there isn't a Rousey match that fans are clamoring for, so sitting this installment out may be the right call.
Matt Riddle
3 of 6
While AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Big E and others are virtually guaranteed to miss WrestleMania 39 due to injuries, Matt Riddle has been absent from WWE TV for the last two months for other undisclosed reasons.
On his last appearance in early December, he failed to win the Raw Tag Team Championships from The Usos and was subsequently attacked by Solo Sikoa. The angle was designed to write him off television temporarily, as WWE announced he'd be sidelined for six weeks.
We're past his expected return date, so his Raw return could be imminent. If so, it would be only logical for him to exact revenge on Sikoa for putting him on the shelf.
However, that may not be a big enough bout to make the WrestleMania 39 card. Sikoa has the Bloodline storyline to fall back on, whereas The Original Bro has no other obvious direction.
Even prior to his hiatus, Riddle was floundering in the undercard instead of capitalizing on beating Seth Rollins in the main event of Extreme Rules.
Despite a recent update from the former United States champion, there's no telling when he'll be back and how he'll factor into any potential plans for The Show of Shows.
Karrion Kross
4 of 6
For someone whose SmackDown run started out so strong, it's surprising to see Karrion Kross already become just another player on the roster.
His rivalry with Drew McIntyre saw him positioned as a top heel for his first few months on the show, but he has hardly featured since it concluded. He then transitioned into a program with Rey Mysterio that he came out on the losing end of on the final SmackDown before the Royal Rumble.
This week, he'll take part in a Fatal 4-Way to determine the next No. 1 contender to the Intercontinental Championship. Even if he emerges victorious, WWE appears to have another match in mind for Gunther on The Grandest Stage of Them All, and thus Kross' title shot would merely be a one-off.
Kross' entrance is such a spectacle that it would be disappointing for him to not walk down the WrestleMania ramp this year. Unfortunately for him, though, most of SmackDown's top babyfaces are currently busy and he's left without an opponent for the event.
Alexa Bliss
5 of 6
Per PWInsider's Mike Johnson, Alexa Bliss joins Matt Riddle as the latest Superstar to be taking time off seemingly not-injury-related reasons, putting her status for WrestleMania 39 into question.
The Goddess has since denied the report, but either way she hasn't been seen on TV since the Royal Rumble.
This comes one year after she was left off WrestleMania 38 despite having a clean bill of health at the time. Rather, WWE simply had nothing for her creatively.
Not only is Bliss one of the company's biggest female stars, but she was also in the midst of a significant storyline with Bianca Belair heading into the Royal Rumble. Although she was unsuccessful in her pursuit of the Raw Women's Championship, there was another tease after the match linking her to Bray Wyatt.
WrestleMania would be the perfect place to pay off the angle and explain what her involvement in all of it is. That would likely mean she wouldn't be wrestling, but it would be better than keeping her off the show entirely.
On the bright side, Bliss will undoubtedly have something to do once she resurfaces.
Drew McIntyre
6 of 6
Compared to everyone else listed, Drew McIntyre has the best chance of competing in a featured match at WrestleMania 39, but it's all dependent on what direction WWE wants to go in with the Intercontinental Championship.
The Scot was subjected to midcard mediocrity at 'Mania last year, with Happy Corbin the best feud WWE had to offer at the time. He was involved in key 'Mania contests for the three years prior, and it's about time he returns to the spotlight on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
He's already conquered Karrion Kross, so unless he starts a storyline with either LA Knight or Santos Escobar in the coming weeks, Gunther is the most realistic opponent he can have at the event.
Sheamus beating Gunther for the intercontinental title should still be the endgame, but WWE can easily insert The Scottish Warrior into the mix. It wouldn't be completely random, either, as he is currently teaming with the Irishman and they were both eliminated by The Ring General in the men's Rumble match.
If WWE doesn't take this route, McIntyre's place at WrestleMania is uncertain. He's too big of a star to be overlooked for a second straight year, and an intercontinental title match would keep him in the upper echelon of the card where he belongs.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
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