4 WWE and AEW Stars Who Aren't Living Up to the Hype
There are many reasons why a star in WWE or All Elite Wrestling doesn't live up to the hype surrounding them, including several that have nothing to do with them as performers.
One could be the result of creative. That can include their placement on the card, a push they were not ready for or a lack of clear direction.
Such is the fate of a handful of high-profile names from the two companies, each of which has received considerable television time or significant hype, only for what they are involved in to be deemed underwhelming or their push to become stagnant.
Who are they, why have they not lived up to the hype and how can WWE or AEW fix that problem?
Let's take a look.
Jey Uso
1 of 4
It feels wrong putting Jey Uso on this list.
He is the most popular star on Raw this side of CM Punk, is selling a load of merchandise and can believably appear in any marquee match on Monday nights and be accepted by the audience.
The problem is that he has been hyped up on commentary, been given an elaborate entrance through the fans who have made him a legitimate main event attraction and is routinely in main event matches, but he still feels like someone biding time before his involvement in the Bloodline 2.0 story.
Despite overwhelming fan support, a world title match at Backlash, two phenomenal matches against Gunther and major merchandise sales, Uso has become creatively stagnant.
He is in the men's Money in the Bank ladder match on July 6, and he's even the poster athlete for the show. Until there is some development that makes it feel like he is not just there to pop the crowd, though, Uso will have trouble living up to the hype.
That is, until his brother, Jimmy, and Roman Reigns come calling for him to reunite the OG Bloodline and combat Solo Sikoa and the group's new incarnation, a direction Jey appears destined to head in.
Mercedes Moné
2 of 4
From the moment her debut in Boston wrapped up, it became apparent Mercedes Moné was going to struggle to live up to the hype that surrounded her arrival in AEW.
An entire episode of Dynamite was built around her debut and, without consistently appearing in the arena or the ring, it was always going to be difficult to match the energy of that first night.
That she was never really allowed to establish herself as a babyface or heel in the build to Double or Nothing and was routinely overshadowed by Willow Nightingale, who had built a connection with the AEW fans that made her the clear favorite in their match.
That Moné has not been on television regularly since winning the TBS Championship in a show-stealing match against Nightingale in Las Vegas on May 26 has not helped her case.
Some of that is on the performer, whose availability has not been what you might hope for from a star of her magnitude, but there is a decent amount that belongs on the creative forces for failing to present her in a way that played to her strengths.
Is Moné the strongest promo? No, but she was still booked to deliver them in front of fans in segments that accentuated that part of her performance.
The former Sasha Banks is and always has been at her best when she has been able to let her character shine within the context of a match. We saw it at Double or Nothing and, again, on the Dynamite after against Skye Blue.
Get her to the point where she can do that and the star power everyone knows Moné possesses will be evident. Continue down a path of inconsistent appearances and segments that don't play to her strengths, and the result will be disappointment.
Solo Sikoa
3 of 4
Solo Sikoa is the face of The Bloodline right now and while he has put in the work to develop himself both between the ropes and as an on-screen presence, there is an argument to be made that he was elevated to the position of interim Tribal Chief way before he was ready for it.
The enforcer of the group spent his first year and a half as the silent bodyguard for Roman Reigns, doing his bidding and watching at a distance. We knew he was dangerous, but he never looked comfortable on the mic or felt like the perfect option to run things when the real Head of the Table stepped away.
Little has changed.
Sikoa, 31, has enjoyed more opportunities to speak and to grow comfortable, but he still feels like a guy who is in a position he was not wholly ready for.
It's not difficult to understand why, though.
Considering none of Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa or Jacob Fatu had any built-up equity with the WWE Universe, the storyline called for Sikoa to make the jump sooner rather than later. He assumed the role of Bloodline leader before he had a chance to tell his story completely.
We had seen hints at displeasure with some of Reigns' moves and decisions, and that there was a greater thinker behind the menacing exterior, but not in a way that was readily apparent to the fans.
Had there been more time to flesh out the character before his sudden elevation to the spot he currently fills, there is no chance Sikoa makes this list.
As it is, he is a young star with a bright future who has filled in admirably, but he still needs some seasoning, primarily on the mic and in character development, to live up to the hype that comes with being the centerpiece of the revamped Bloodline.
'Switchblade' Jay White
4 of 4
Jay White debuted for AEW fresh off a main event run in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he earned acclaim both for his ring work and what he was able to accomplish on the microphone.
The 31-year-old was supposed to be the next big signing, a guy who would help AEW continue its goal of revolutionizing the industry.
Outside of a single main event program with MJF over the world title, though, he has been relegated to trios action as one-third of the Bang Bang Gang alongside Austin and Colten Gunn.
His most prominent feud was against The Acclaimed, and even that was more of a backdrop to highlight an angry Billy Gunn than anything.
Add to the creative disappointment that White's promos have not quite reached the level of his work in Japan, and you have a legitimate star who has failed to live up to the initial hype that accompanied his arrival in April 2023.
The effort has been there between the ropes, regardless of whether the match was really reflective of his stature within the industry, but little else has been up to snuff for the former IWGP heavyweight champion.
That could change with the return of Juice Robinson, who should carry on the trios mantle with the Gunns while White focuses his attention on singles competition, but none of that erases what has already been a hype-killing run for a star who was once one of the hottest free agents in pro wrestling.
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