5 WWE Superstars Who Should Get More Air Time (And Who They Should Replace)

It has been a pretty interesting past six months in the WWE.

We've seen guys like The Rock, Chris Jericho and Brock Lesnar return to the company taking TV time away from some up-and-coming superstars.

But we have also seen some of them like Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan, and Sheamus really make their mark on the WWE. 

However, I can't help but feel like there are still some guys getting left out. Some are former main eventers who have since been replaced. Others are younger superstars who can't seem to get the push they deserve for whatever reason. 

WWE has four TV hours a week to advance all of their current story lines and put on at least a fair amount of quality matches. (It is wrestling after all.)

That may seem like a lot, but it isn't. That's why things like Superstars and dark matches exist—because the WWE has more superstars than they know what to do with.

If done properly, though, I believe those who really deserve their time could get it—if only the WWE would eliminate those athletes who really serve no purpose.

Superstar Who Needs More Time: The Miz

I'm quite confused about what in the heck the WWE is doing with The Miz right now. Sure, his absence from television could be leading to a bigger storyline down the road, but isn't that what was said about his epic losing streak before WrestleMania as well?

Miz was made to look strong in the last three WWE pay-per-views (longest amount of time in the Royal Rumble, runner-up in the RAW Elimination Chamber Match, pinned Zack Ryder to win for Team Johnny at WrestleMania) so clearly the company still believes in him as a main event player.

I expected to see Miz all over my TV screen on Monday Night Raw being in high profile matches and feuds after WrestleMania. What did he get instead? A win over Zack Ryder and now a United States Title Match at Extreme Rules against Santino Marella on YouTube.

The match is nice, but is that really all John Laurinaitis could come up with for Miz since he "owes" him for WrestleMania?

Whether or not getting a mid-card title match after being a former WWE Champion is an insult or not is a different debate. But it seems unlikely Miz will even be booked to win that match at this point, plus we haven't seen him on Raw in two weeks.

Its time to get him back on the show and looking strong, before he loses his credibility altogether. 

Who He Should Replace: Jack Swagger

To be completely honest, Jack Swagger's best days in the WWE (being World Heavyweight Champion) are well behind him, and it's time for one of two things to happen.

He either needs to completely change his character or he needs to move on to a different company. Swagger is not bad at all in the ring. But his Kurt Angle ripoff character is boring at this point, and he is well behind Dolph Ziggler in their tag team. 

Swagger benefited briefly from teaming up with Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero and winning the US Title, but he has since lost it and now shows up every week just to be in pointless mid-card matches. 

There are other guys (like Miz) who still have something left in the tank from a character perspective, and they should be getting Swagger's TV time on Raw every week.

Think of it this way, when was the last time you actually heard Jack Swagger come out to his own entrance song on RAW?

Superstar Who Needs More Time: Zack Ryder

So the WWE has a Superstar who is getting a tremendous pop, he has one of the most popular catchphrases in the WWE and not to mention, he has a tremendously popular YouTube series. 

After pushing him to win the United States Championship, the WWE decides they will have him not only lose the title, but get destroyed by Kane, written off TV for months, screwed over by Eve and pinned and kicked in the..."private area" at WrestleMania.

Welcome to the life of Zack Ryder.

I've literally never been more baffled by any other treatment of a superstar. Maybe the WWE doesn't understand his appeal or maybe he isn't who they expected.

But the fact of the matter is, he was (and still is) one of the most popular Superstars in the WWE. 

Get him some legitimate time on TV. He should not be getting squashed, put in tag matches, or just not be featured on the show at all.

Come on, WWE, you have really dropped the ball on this guy. But it's not too late, get him back to where he belongs, in the upper mid-card on his way towards the top. 

Who He Should Replace: Santino Marella

I know I'm probably in the minority on this one, but for the life of me, I can't understand the appeal of Santino Marella.

Sure, he has his moments when he can be funny. But the Cobra? Really? Plus his non-stop backstage "comedic" promos just get out-of-hand stupid. He essentially is comedy relief, andhe should be a jobber. Instead, he is the United States Champion, and I just don't get it.

To his credit, he does get a big pop, but Ryder got an even bigger one when he was getting pushed. What is the justification for making Santino ahead of him on the card. Just doesn't make sense to me. 

Superstar Who Needs More Time: The Usos

As the WWE lacks competitive tag teams to push into the title picture, they have one staring them right in the face—the team of Jimmy and Jey Uso.

Unlike most current WWE tag teams, the Usos are just that—a team.

They are not just two random Superstars thrown together because they have nothing else going on (aka Kofi Kingston and anyone). They will likely never be successful singles competitors. They will be together as a tag team for the entirety of their run in the WWE, and they are actually darn good at it.

What else do the Usos need to do to get the WWE to believe in them? They have a unique entrance, great chemistry and are pretty formidable in the ring.

I'm not saying you need to make them champions right now, but they should not be losing to Darren Young and Titus O'neil on SmackDown when they finally do get on TV. That's for sure. 

Who They Should Replace: The Divas Division

The way it has been booked for the past few years, it is clear the WWE doesn't care enough about their Tag Team or Divas divisions to find enough time for both on a consistent basis. 

So if I am going to choose, it's a relatively easy selection. I like to ogle at the Bella Twins as much as the next guy, but come on, their five minutes of air time an episode is a waste. Beth Phoenix is about the only hope in the Divas division right now, and she isn't even holding the belt anymore.

The Divas for the most part are incapable of putting on watchable TV matches, and I only am interested in seeing them on TV if they are going to move forward a story line (example AJ vs. Natalya from last week) or have direct Divas Title implications.

No more random tag team matches with Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox. No one cares. 

Superstar Who Needs More Time: Tyson Kidd

There's probably a better chance Tyson Kidd gets released in 2012 than him receiving any kind of major push—and that saddens me.

I have been a huge fan of Kidd for a while now, and I fully believe he has the tools necessary to be a top player in the WWE. This guy is easily one of the top five technical wrestlers in the business, but for whatever reason, he never has caught on with the WWE brass or the fans.

Still I hold out hope that he can be a success. If Daniel Bryan can make it to the top, why can't Kidd?

Give him a shot at the IC title and just see how entertaining his matches can be. I know this will probably fall on deaf ears, but it was worth a shot. 

Who He Should Replace: The Great Khali

Do I really need to explain why The Great Khali should not be on television?

Superstar Who Needs More Time: Dolph Ziggler

No one will ever be able to convince me that Dolph Ziggler doesn't have all the tools needed to be a top five WWE Superstar right now.

He has the look, a decent gimmick, his in-ring work is above average, he sells better then anyone since Shawn Michaels and his promo work has drastically improved to the point wof being on par with upper-echelon Superstars in the company.

In January, I thought Ziggler was finally receiving his well-deserved spot at the top of the company, when he looked like a legitimate threat to dethrone CM Punk as the WWE Champion.

Ziggler lost his match at Royal Rumble, which I was fine with. However, what I haven't been fine with is Ziggler's treatment since. He has been pushed back down to the mid-card and being stuck on Team Johnny at WrestleMania, instead of getting his own singles match.

Simply put, Ziggler is the most underutilized star on the roster, and he now is forced into matches with Brodus Clay, and, worse yet, Hornswoggle. Really, WWE, I mean come on.

Ziggler needs to be WWE Champion in 2012, or they will be completely dropping the ball on this promising Superstars career.

Who He Should Replace: Brock Lesnar

I know I'm probably going to take some heat for this one.

But Brock Lesnar's return to the WWE has been so far...disappointing.  I popped when he returned to F5 John Cena the night after WM, and I was thrilled to see him back with the company that made him famous.

But the more I think about it, and the more I see of him every week, the more I think maybe the WWE might have been better off without him.

Lesnar basically can't talk, which was evident last week in his train wreck of a promo in the Main Event of Raw. He is also 10 years older and has gone through tons of wear and tear since his first run in the WWE.

It's clear Lesnar doesn't really care about being a WWE Superstar, which is fine, after all, I'm sure it was the WWE who reached out to him after his retirement from the UFC.

But wouldn't it make more sense to create new WWE legends, then trying to continuously recycle old ones? Guys like Dolph Ziggler will never be able to reach their full potential as long as guys like The Rock, Triple H and Lesnar are still involved with the company. 

Sure, the Extreme Rules PPV buys may go up because of Lesnar, but unless he blows me away in the ring (which I highly doubt he will), I think it is safe to say his return has been less than spectacular up to this point.