8 WWE Stars Who Deserve Bigger Push for the Rest of 2020
With Raw and SmackDown boasting such stacked rosters at the moment, it's easy for certain people to fly under the radar and not be used to their full potential.
To WWE's credit, several Superstars are getting their just due right now. Drew McIntyre, after spending virtually his entire career in the midcard, was finally promoted to the main event scene earlier this year and is fresh off an excellent reign as WWE champion.
The Hurt Business has also rejuvenated the careers of Cedric Alexander, Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin, all of whom were directionless before joining forces with MVP. Over on SmackDown, Jey Uso is being prominently featured for the first time on his own, while Sami Zayn is doing great work as the intercontinental champion.
There will always be those who are considered underutilized. However, post-Survivor Series season is an ideal time for WWE to showcase some of the fresher faces before part-timers such as Goldberg, John Cena and Brock Lesnar are brought back for the Road to WrestleMania 37.
Most of the following eight athletes are already regulars on Raw or SmackDown. The key is giving them a bigger push in the remainder of 2020 in order to increase their chances of making The Show of Shows card next spring.
These are the Superstars WWE should aim to do more with as the year comes to a close.
Keith Lee
1 of 8
Most of the momentum Keith Lee arrived with on Raw is all but gone thanks to the subpar booking he's endured since SummerSlam.
Although The Limitless One hasn't been ruined, he doesn't feel remotely as special as he once did. He was immediately thrust into the WWE Championship picture upon debuting on the Aug. 24 edition of Raw and scored a clean win over Randy Orton at Payback six days later, but that seemed to be the peak of his push.
From there, he failed to defeat Drew McIntyre back-to-back weeks on Raw and got punted in the head by Orton, an attack he never avenged. He now finds himself embroiled in a rivalry with the red brand's newest acquisition, Braun Strowman, who he suffered his first one-on-one loss to late last month.
As a member of Team Raw at Survivor Series, Lee could be in a far worse spot on the show right now. That said, it makes zero sense why he hasn't already stepped up to challenge Orton for his newly won title given their history.
Assuming WWE plans on having The Legend Killer reign as champion for the foreseeable future, Lee vs. Orton is a feud that has to happen at some point. Raw is need of more top babyfaces beyond McIntyre, and The Limitless One can fill that void with ease.
Aleister Black
2 of 8
For someone who possesses every tool necessary to be a world champion in WWE, Aleister Black shouldn't feel like just another wrestler on the roster as he does at the moment.
The Dutch Destroyer debuted with plenty of fanfare at the onset of 2019. Despite being relegated to backstage segments for a majority of his first stint on SmackDown, he remained undefeated in singles competition for over a year before being beaten by AJ Styles in March.
The company was clearly building him up to be a top talent on Raw based on how he racked up wins over the likes of Styles, Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins. He was written off TV with an eye injury over the summer, and although his heel turn had potential, it has hardly changed his current trajectory.
Black was drafted to SmackDown in early October but has yet to wrestle for the blue brand. It's possible WWE is waiting until after Survivor Series to reintroduce him, but that fifth and final spot on the blue brand's team for the pay-per-view should belong to him with what he brings to the table.
His recent rivalry with Kevin Owens saw him lose three consecutive matches. In fact, he hasn't won a formal match by pinfall in nearly six months, a depressing stat for someone who once boasted an undefeated record.
Whether it's as a heel or a babyface, Black must be positioned a bit more prominently on the card going forward. Similar to Keith Lee, he hasn't quite reached "damaged goods" territory, but the way he's been handled lately has been disappointing to say the least.
Ricochet
3 of 8
Ricochet debuted on WWE's main roster on the same episode of Raw as Aleister Black in February 2019, and for as poorly as the Dutchman has been handled this year, The One and Only's stock has somehow plummeted even further.
His month-long United States Championship reign in the summer of 2019 is the only real success he's had as a member of the Raw roster up to this point. Otherwise, the closest he's come to receiving a push was when he became the No. 1 contender to the WWE title at the onset of 2020, shortly before being squashed by Brock Lesnar in short order at Super ShowDown.
For what it's worth, Ricochet may be on the verge of getting more TV time in his newfound rivalry with Mustafa Ali and Retribution. Then again, if the booking of the faction so far has been any indication, it likely won't last long and won't lead to Ricochet becoming any bigger of a star than he already is.
For proof that The One and Only is among the best in the world, look no further than his work on the independent scene as well as in NXT. His unbelievable athleticism make him a treat to watch in the ring and has helped him connect with crowds everywhere he's gone.
Retribution, on the other hand, is an act with a limited shelf life, which is why Ricochet has to ultimately come out on top in their feud. He likely won't be in a featured match at WrestleMania 37, but the time to start building him back up is now before it's too late.
Kevin Owens
4 of 8
Seeing as how Kevin Owens headlined SmackDown in a match with Jey Uso just last week, he isn't in dire need of an aggressive push as much as others on this list. However, he still isn't where he should be on the card for someone who can do it all and is a proven commodity.
KO hasn't been afraid to voice his frustrations with his current spot in the company. In 2020 alone, he went from beating Seth Rollins in what was a WrestleMania moment for him to being stuck in a dead-end feud with Aleister Black.
For his sake, The Prizefighter emerged victorious in his matches against Black, but he has no set direction now that he's on SmackDown thanks to the 2020 WWE draft. Considering how popular he is with the fans, he deserves a real run as a babyface and not be relegated to being a glorified talk-show host as he was on Raw.
The best possible use of KO in the remainder of 2020 would be in a rivalry with Roman Reigns, the universal champion. The two have waged war in the past, but it would be drastically different this time around with the roles reversed and The Big Dog doing the best work of his career.
Owens' recent loss to Jey Uso should pave the way for that storyline following Survivor Series. Until then, he should be an integral part of the PPV and not be eliminated as quickly as he was last year.
Sheamus
5 of 8
It's been a weird year for Sheamus, who returned from a long layoff in January only to do nothing. It wasn't until he entered rivalries with Jeff Hardy and Big E that he started to find his footing again, even though he came out on the losing end of both of those feuds.
Now on the red roster, The Celtic Warrior has a chance to get back on track and work his way back up the card. Unfortunately, his Raw run hasn't gotten off to a stellar start having already lost to the likes of Kofi Kingston and Braun Strowman, but he can easily rebound with a strong showing at Survivor Series as part of Team Raw.
Beyond that pay-per-view, Sheamus should be booked as a top heel on Monday nights. He's achieved almost every feat imaginable in WWE but has still to work with much of the Raw roster, including Drew McIntyre.
It's been well-documented for years that the two have history dating back to their time on the European independent circuit. WWE finally addressed their friendship during a backstage segment last week on Raw, so it seems to be more a matter of when and not if they'll rekindle their rivalry.
An eventual feud with Keith Lee also has the potential to be a ton of fun, as well as with Matt Riddle given the chemistry they had during their recent one-on-one encounter.
Almost five years removed from his last world title run, a return to the main event scene for The Celtic Warrior is long overdue.
Bianca Belair
6 of 8
After an uneventful run on Raw, Bianca Belair is ready to rise up and claim championship gold on SmackDown.
What separates The EST of WWE from the rest of the Superstars listed is that she at least appears to be on the ascent on SmackDown based on her recent booking. She squashed Zelina Vega in her in-ring debut for the blue brand before qualifying for Team SmackDown at Survivor Series.
Considering she eliminated a whopping seven Superstars from the women's Royal Rumble in January, a similar performance should be in order for the November classic. A showdown with SmackDown women's champion Sasha Banks is also inevitable, though that should be saved for WrestleMania 37.
While Belair getting pushed from this point forward is almost expected, it isn't set in stone. WWE originally had the opportunity to spotlight her post-WrestleMania 36 but instead relegated her to Main Event for the better part of the six months she was on the Raw roster.
Thus, there's nothing stopping WWE from pushing her for a brief bit on SmackDown and then moving on to someone else before the end of the year. It's more likely the company will treat her like the top talent she is and put her in the running for a Royal Rumble victory next January.
Belair is bound to be an integral part of SmackDown's women's division for years to come, but her road to the top has to start now.
Peyton Royce
7 of 8
The time was right for The IIconics to part ways when they did in August, as they had done everything they could together in WWE.
More importantly, the breakup presented Peyton Royce with an opportunity to finally branch off on her own and attempt to make a name for herself in the Raw women's division.
Her singles career lasted all of two months before she was randomly paired off with Lacey Evans. They've teamed a time or two in the last few weeks and, despite their bickering, have hinted at becoming partners in the long term—a significant step backward for both women if it happens.
After spending almost her entire WWE run in a tag team, Royce should be flying solo at this stage of her career. Asuka has been floundering lately as the Raw women's champion, and the Australian would be the perfect person to challenge her for it, but both women find themselves lost in the Survivor Series shuffle.
WWE hasn't quite figured out what to do with Royce yet post-IIconics and, needless to say, forming another team with Evans is not the answer. A video package or two would be helpful in establishing who she is and what she's all about, along with a string of wins on Raw to help her build credibility.
Shayna Baszler, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross can and should be players in the Raw women's division heading into 2021, but Royce needs the biggest push of them all so she can prove herself as more than just a tag team competitor.
Chad Gable
8 of 8
The one year Chad Gable spent as Shorty G was painful for fans who are aware of what he's capable of. Therefore, it was a relief to hear him "quit" the name on the October 23 edition of SmackDown, except for how there hasn't been any follow-up since.
An argument can be made that it's Survivor Series season and that's why he hasn't appeared on the program in recent weeks. However, it can also be argued that if he was a priority for WWE, he would have shown up in some form or fashion, or at the very least be given the video-package treatment.
Rather, he's been sidelined the same way he has been for the better part of the past year. Whenever he has been used, it's usually been to serve as an enhancement talent against someone the company is keen on pushing.
The days of booking Gable to elevate everyone else on the roster should be over, as he's too talented to continue being relegated to that role. Fans were excited to see him bring back his Chad Gable moniker, so it'd be criminal for WWE to not capitalize on that during an upcoming episode of SmackDown.
Just letting him do his thing and showcase his skills to the world would lead to him getting over with the audience fairly quickly. If he remains a babyface, he can be an excellent opponent for heels such as Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns, Aleister Black and Seth Rollins.
Gable may be the definition of "underrated," but a bigger push can be what finally jump-starts his singles career and puts him in the conversation for a championship on the blue brand at long last.
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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