Sheamus and 8 WWE Stars Ready for a Big Push Heading Into WrestleMania 36 Season
With WrestleMania 36 right around the corner, every WWE Superstar from SmackDown and Raw is looking to put their best foot forward in an effort to secure their spot at the Show of Shows.
In the lead-up to WWE's biggest show of the year, fans should keep an eye out for the wrestlers with the biggest chance of being pushed.
Already, several stars have shown signs of either breaking out or working their way up the roster. Sheamus, for example, returned in emphatic fashion on SmackDown to begin 2020 and is bound to be in line for a significant push going forward.
After sitting on the sidelines for so long, Sheamus is ready to be catapulted back to the top of the blue brand, but he isn't the only one. Many more competitors have been quietly building momentum and have been long overdue for some direction.
January 26's Royal Rumble pay-per-view should give us a better indication of what the future holds for a majority of the Raw and SmackDown Superstars and whom WWE intends to spotlight in the coming months. Until then, though, expect these eight athletes to make an impression en route to WrestleMania.
Sheamus
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Following a long injury layoff, Sheamus is ready to remind the WWE Universe what's made him so successful over the last decade.
The first-ever Irish-born WWE champion has spent the better part of the past four years honing his craft in the tag team ranks alongside Cesaro. As entertaining as The Bar was, it clearly had done everything it could together, and it was high time The Celtic Warrior returned to singles competition.
Sure enough, he laid out Shorty G in his long-awaited comeback to SmackDown two weeks ago and looked like the Sheamus of old. One can only assume that his aggressive nature is here to stay and that he'll be a force to be reckoned with on the blue brand in the weeks and months ahead.
Sheamus hasn't received a push on his own since his brief run as WWE champion in late 2015. However, SmackDown could use more credible heels at the moment, and he can fill that void nicely.
Although it's happened several times before, a feud with Daniel Bryan isn't entirely out of the question for WrestleMania 36. If/when Bryan fails to beat Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble, it'd make sense for him to rekindle his rivalry with Sheamus soon after.
Drew McIntyre
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It's safe to say that Drew McIntyre's 2019 was a total waste. He was primed to have a breakout year on Raw coming off his dominant victories over Kurt Angle and Dolph Ziggler at the tail end of 2018, but instead he floundered in random partnerships with Shane McMahon, Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley.
Thankfully, he's rebounded in a big way lately. Not only has he been unbeaten in one-on-one action since August, he's shown signs of a possible face turn.
McIntyre embracing the audience would be the best way to take his character (and his push) to the next level.
Of all the Superstars who could feasibly win this year's men's Royal Rumble match, McIntyre has to come close to leading the list. He'd pose a legitimate threat to WWE champion Brock Lesnar and needs to have the trigger pulled on him sooner rather than later.
Even if a Rumble win isn't in his immediate future, The Scottish Psychopath should be involved in a marquee match at WrestleMania 36. He's on a roll at the moment and needs to ride this wave of momentum into Tampa on April 5.
The Miz and John Morrison
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Within weeks of returning to WWE, John Morrison has already established himself as a player on Friday Night SmackDown.
He wasted no time in reuniting with his longtime friend The Miz and targeting SmackDown tag team champions The New Day. The two teams will meet for the titles at next Sunday's Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
Assuming the feud extends well beyond the Rumble (as it should), Miz and Morrison will be a breath of fresh air in the blue brand's tag team division. They were terrific together over 10 years ago and have proved in recent weeks that their chemistry is still as strong as ever.
There's no reason why The Dirt Sheet duo shouldn't be SmackDown tag team champions at some point. The New Day will benefit from being back in chase mode while Miz and Morrison can mix it up with a bunch of fresh faces, from The Revival to Heavy Machinery.
All things considered, their reunion is one of the most compelling stories on SmackDown right now. It'll be fun to see their tandem develop on the road to WrestleMania, and hopefully they can get an important match on the 'Mania card out of it.
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Aleister Black
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Aleister Black didn't get off to the strongest of starts in WWE on SmackDown, where he was criminally underutilized for nearly six months.
Being drafted to Raw in October was the best thing that could have happened to him. In the short period of time he's been on Team Red, he's remained undefeated and amassed victories over the likes of Akira Tozawa, Shelton Benjamin and Tony Nese.
Black's most recent series of matches with Buddy Murphy showcased what he could do in the ring and all ended in triumph for the former NXT champion. With The Best Kept Secret in his rear-view mirror, it's onward and upward from here.
The chances he shocks the world by winning the Royal Rumble are fairly slim, but that doesn't mean he can't continue to be a focal point on Raw heading into WrestleMania 36. In fact, a feud with Andrade (with whom he has history from their NXT days) over the United States Championship would be ideal.
Either way, WWE must have something significant in mind for Black, given how they've handled him up to this point. He is unquestionably main event material and is ready to shine regardless of whom WWE decides to put him up against on the grandest stage of them all.
Lacey Evans
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Lacey Evans arrived on WWE's main roster with more fanfare than most NXT call-ups when she stepped up to then-dual champion Becky Lynch on Raw, one night removed from WrestleMania 35.
Unfortunately, the feud failed to cement Evans as a star. None of their matches were memorable, and she came up short in all of her opportunities at the Raw Women's Championship.
To her credit, she didn't let her losses get her down and instead scratched and clawed her way back to championship contention. Although her face turn at the end of 2019 was a bit abrupt, she quickly proved to be a natural in the role and has gotten over with the audience at an impressive rate.
For the past two months, she's had her sights set on Bayley's SmackDown Women's Championship and will likely get her shot at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. There's no rush for WWE to put the belt on her there, but don't be surprised to see her continue chasing the gold on the road to WrestleMania.
Aside from Sasha Banks, no one else makes as much sense to dethrone Bayley as champion than The Sassy Southern Belle. In fact, fans will want to see her take the title even more if she's unsuccessful at the Rumble, and WrestleMania would be the perfect place for that to happen.
Kevin Owens
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Never before has Kevin Owens been closer to breaking through WWE's proverbial glass ceiling than right now.
Granted, he once reigned as universal champion, but his time on top was largely overshadowed by bad booking and on-air authority figures. He slowly slipped down the card after that and has since been positioned as an upper-midcard competitor.
Once Seth Rollins went rogue, WWE needed someone to fill the babyface void on the Raw roster and quickly turned to Owens, who has been believable in the role as of late. Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio and Big Show have come to his aid against Rollins and AOP, but don't let that distract you from how the storyline started with Owens and Rollins going at it.
Owens could conceivably win the Royal Rumble and advance to WrestleMania 36 to face Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship. He could also blow off his rivalry with Rollins sometime before then, if not at the event itself.
The Prizefighter missed WrestleMania 35 because WWE had nothing for him creatively. The company must redeem themselves this year by booking him in a prominent position on the WrestleMania card and actually utilizing his talents in a high-profile program.
Roman Reigns
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Roman Reigns is no stranger to being the featured attraction at WrestleMania. He headlined the event four years in a row before taking a backseat at WrestleMania 35, when he faced Drew McIntyre.
It's worth noting that Reigns spent all of 2019 out of the title picture after being forced to vacate the Universal Championship the prior October. Reigns competing for the championship he never lost at this year's Show of Shows is too logical of a route to not take.
Bray Wyatt has a scheduled title defense coming up at the Royal Rumble against Daniel Bryan, but beyond that, no one else is waiting in the wings for a shot at his coveted prize. Reigns winning the Royal Rumble for a second time may not be the best way for WWE to endear him to the audience, but he could always earn the opportunity by reigning supreme inside the Elimination Chamber in March.
No matter how it happens, it's hard to deny that all roads will likely lead to Wyatt vs. Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36. The Big Dog has paid his dues in the midcard, and once he wraps up his rivalry with King Corbin at the Royal Rumble, he should be on the fast track to the main event scene.
Reigns will no doubt be holding world title gold again in 2020. It's more a matter of when and not if, and it sure seems like his time will come at WrestleMania.
Buddy Murphy
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Regardless of whether it's been on NXT, 205 Live, SmackDown or Raw, Buddy Murphy has impressed everywhere he's gone. His Raw run in particular has been a blast and has been highlighted by his stellar series of matches against Aleister Black.
Following his latest loss to Black on Monday's Raw, he sat at ringside for the remainder of the show, seemingly contemplating his future with a bewildered look on his face. He was then goaded into helping Seth Rollins and AOP defeat the trio of Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe and Big Show before celebrating with them at the end of the episode.
In a matter of moments, Murphy went from being a directionless midcarder to being associated with the top heel faction on the flagship show. Rollins could boot him from the group as soon as this coming Monday, but it's more likely he remains an integral part of their stable through WrestleMania 36.
Murphy proved his worth thanks to his rivalry with Black and is now in prime position to find success. While it may not be at WrestleMania, he could very well feud with Rollins down the line and emerge as a breakout babyface.
The Best Kept Secret has a far better chance at making the 'Mania card now that he's aligned with Rollins and AOP than he did when he was on his own. He'll be one to watch during WrestleMania season and beyond, as he has all the potential in the world to be a focal point on the program and hold some serious singles gold.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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