6 WWE Superstars in Danger of Missing WrestleMania 41

The Road to WrestleMania is when some WWE Superstars shine their brightest, while others fall into obscurity.

Bigger names such as John Cena, Logan Paul and The Rock returning for The Show of Shows creates less openings on the card for the company's full-time competitors who have been plying their trade throughout the year.

Not even the most popular acts are immune to being left off the event. As of now, there are no definitive paths for the men's and women's Intercontinental and United States champions, while the men's and women's tag team divisions are also being overlooked.

WWE will want to make WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas a historic happening, though it will be difficult to outdo the last few installments. 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 then.

With most of the major matches for 'Mania either officially announced or heavily teased, where does that leave the rest of the roster?

Based on their current whereabouts and booking, the following six Superstars are in the most danger of missing this year's event all together.

Sami Zayn

In February 2023, it seemed Sami Zayn's Road to WrestleMania peaked early when he unsuccessfully challenged Roman Reigns for the then-Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in his hometown of Montreal at Elimination Chamber.

That was before he redeemed himself by beating The Usos alongside Kevin Owens on Night 1 for his first taste of tag title gold. Although he was again involved in a Match of the Year contender with KO at this year's installment of Elimination Chamber, it doesn't look like his Road to WrestleMania will follow a similar path this time around.

All signs point to Zayn being out indefinitely following the brutal beatdown he endured at the hands of his former friend at the premium live event. It's not as if he can resume his rivalry with Owens, either, considering his former tag team partner has since transitioned into a program with the returning Randy Orton instead.

Zayn could get involved in their match in some form or fashion, but it wouldn't be the same as having a contest of his own, especially after winning the intercontinental title from the then-undefeated Gunther at WrestleMania 40.

He could finally face Karrion Kross after all the interactions they've had backstage as of late, but that bout would hardly be WrestleMania-worthy.

Braun Strowman

Braun Strowman has been utilized just about perfectly in the time he's been back with WWE. From fun feuds with Bronson Reed and Omos to teaming with Ricochet, he's had a consistent presence on Raw and SmackDown and remains over with the audience.

Currently, he's embroiled in a heated feud with the former Bloodline, most notably Jacob Fatu.

Their first and only singles match at Saturday Night's Main Event in January ended with Fatu getting himself disqualified. Strowman retaliated by eliminating his rival from the men's Royal Rumble and brawling with him all over the arena on last week's SmackDown.

The WrestleMania match will clearly be between Fatu and Solo Sikoa once they have their long-awaited falling out, which leaves Strowman without an obvious opponent for The Show of Shows.

A Triple Threat isn't completely out of the question, but WWE has already hinted at two other such contests on the Raw brand with CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns as well as Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair and Iyo Sky.

There's no need for Strowman to be involved when the story is primarily with Fatu and Sikoa. Strowman and Fatu can settle their score once and for all in the weeks preceding WrestleMania.

The best-case scenario for Strowman over WrestleMania weekend will be taking part in the annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal (which he's won before) on the SmackDown beforehand.

Bayley

Bayley is no stranger to WrestleMania moments, but odds are she won't be getting one this year.

Her unseating Iyo Sky for the WWE Women's Championship at last year's Show of Shows was an outstanding moment, but it was also all downhill from there for her as a babyface.

Her reign was solid if unspectacular, and she hasn't been involved in a whole lot of note since dropping the title to Nia Jax in August.

Returning to Raw as part of the talent transfer window should have given her a fresh coat of paint, but she's still fairly uninteresting as a character. The best thing she's had going for her was the mini feud with Roxanne Perez, but there's been no progression of that program since their interaction at Elimination Chamber.

Ideally, Bayley and Perez would the perfect addition to the undercard at WrestleMania, but there's been nothing to suggest that will be the case. Other women's matches—including Jade Cargill vs. Naomi, which wouldn't be contested for a championship—are bound to be bigger priorities.

Bayley losing to WWE women's tag team champion Raquel Rodriguez in anticlimactic fashion on Monday's Raw wasn't exactly an encouraging sign, though there's still the possibility that they have their match at NXT Stand & Deliver over WrestleMania weekend instead.

The Viking Raiders

Thankfully, The Viking Raiders were allowed to revert to their War Raiders roots upon returning from injury late last year and immediately felt fresh again as a result.

They mercifully ended The Judgment Day's uneventful run as world tag team champions in December, and although they've had a few titles defenses in the last few months, they've hardly been a focal point during the Netflix era of Raw.

That doesn't bode well for their chances of making 'Mania this year.

Their sole WrestleMania match came in 2023 when they took part in a forgettable Fatal 4-Way with nothing at stake. This year, they should still be champions by the time the event rolls around, but they haven't been set up for anything significant having just finished their feud with The Creed Brothers.

WWE has a tendency to throw random tandems into multi-team matches for WrestleMania and the upcoming installment could be no exception, but it's far more likely The New Day, The LWO and potentially The Lucha Brothers make the card before the Raiders do, which ensures the belts won't be represented this year.

Finn Balor

The Judgment Day drama has fizzled out considerably since Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley were exiled at SummerSlam. The group has been worse off without them, though Liv Morgan has done what she can to keep them relevant with her recent title reigns.

Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio have teased tension of their own over the last month, but the WrestleMania lineup will be loaded with so many other matches that a bout between them doesn't appear to be in the cards.

The only other contests that would make sense for Balor are facing whatever new member of the group Dominik wants to recruit, and challenging for the Intercontinental Championship in a multi-man match.

There isn't a need for the latter seeing as how the Irishman will be getting a shot at the strap on next Monday's Raw. Fans have no reason to believe he'll emerge victorious, so battling for that belt on the flagship show might be the closest he comes to getting a 'Mania moment this year.

Balor is supremely talented and plays his role well, but being booked as the ultimate utility player at this point in his career makes a match at WrestleMania that much harder for him to obtain.

Becky Lynch

For someone so heavily featured in the advertising for Raw's arrival on Netflix, the absence of Becky Lynch on WWE TV right now is puzzling, to say the least.

The Man was last seen on Raw failing to regain the Women's World Championship from Liv Morgan in a steel cage match. last May It was the ideal sendoff, but the time has come for her to return and reclaim what was once hers—or at least attempt to.

The belief among fans was that she'd be back in time for the Royal Rumble and the Road to WrestleMania, but she wasn't in the women's Rumble match and hasn't resurfaced on Raw.

Time remains on the Road to WrestleMania for her to do so, but with the Women's World Championship picture full at the moment, the only match she can have is with Lyra Valkyria for the Women's Intercontinental Championship.

Otherwise, The Man is better off waiting in the wings until after WrestleMania 41 and making a splash on Raw as soon as it's over, whether it be rekindling her rivalries with Rhea Ripley and Morgan or conquering new goals entirely.

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.