Ranking the Top Superstars on Track to Miss WWE WrestleMania 38

For the third consecutive year, WrestleMania will take place over two nights, but even with the expanded show, there is not room for every WWE Superstar to have a match or segment on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

Some, unfortunately, have to miss out on the chance at immortality, watching as their peers get opportunities that could have been theirs.

This year, a handful of competitors do not appear to have clear paths to the extravaganza or are not the subjects of any rumors that they may end up on the card after all.

They are immensely talented and have enjoyed significant roles on television in recent months but appear destined to be odd men out.

5. Sheamus

Sheamus has been one of the best wrestlers in WWE for the past year, churning out banger after banger against a variety of Superstars.

The Celtic Warrior may not be a champion right now but is credible enough to slide into any title feud and belong. Entering Friday's SmackDown, though, it appeared as though he, Ridge Holland and Butch (the recently renamed Pete Dunne) would find themselves opposite New Day in a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania.

That all changed when Big E suffered a broken neck.

Where that leaves Sheamus is anyone's guess. He could still mix it up with New Day in some sort of match. Perhaps a shot at Ricochet's Intercontinental Championship would be more appropriate given how many times he was able to defeat The One and Only in recent months.

Either way, Sheamus has a tendency to find himself on the outside looking in at stacked WrestleMania cards. Even dating back to 2011 and WrestleMania XXVII, when he was bumped to the preshow for his match with Daniel Bryan for the United States Championship, he has repeatedly been left waiting to see what his plans for the biggest night in wrestling are or shunted to a meaningless appearance.

It is not the treatment one would expect for a multiple-time WWE and world heavyweight champion destined for the Hall of Fame.

4. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler has suddenly jumped back into relevancy by way of his appearances on NXT and his first run with that brand's title.

The Show Off has long been one of the most respected in-ring performers of his generation, but after two years of floundering in the midcard abyss, he needed a change. By making the jump over to Tuesday nights and having the opportunity to mix it up with Bron Breakker and some of the other talents on the show, he has rejuvenated his career in time for the biggest event of the year.

But it seems as though he is not destined to appear on the grand stage in Dallas.

Ziggler will defend the NXT Championship, instead, against Breakker at noon April 2 as part of NXT Stand & Deliver, so he and tag team partner Robert Roode will likely watch backstage as others attempt to do what the veteran performer spent his entire career doing: steal the show.

That is not surprising. WWE officials were not doing anything with him before the NXT run came to fruition and probably had no plans of booking him for WrestleMania. Hopefully this latest championship run has reminded those in power that the future Hall of Famer still has what it takes to be a prominent and productive member of the roster.

3. New Day

Big E's devastating injury Friday night on SmackDown altered New Day's course to WrestleMania.

What appeared set to be a six-man tag match against Sheamus, Holland and Butch is likely off the table. What that means for Kofi Kingston and King Woods, with the latter not even having returned to television yet, is anyone's guess.

It was just three years ago that Kingston won the WWE Championship in one of the most emotional feel-good moments in company history, and Woods' King of the Ring victory in October was a crowning achievement for him as a singles competitor (pun most definitely intended). 

That we are a few weeks away from the most prestigious event of WWE's calendar year and two of the best, most celebrated, beloved and respected performers in the company are not guaranteed to have a match is a creative travesty.

Book the six-man match, give them a mystery partner and let them get into the ring with the heels and tear the house down for 10 minutes. They have done it before when those in power have forgotten to give them anything more significant to do, and they are more than capable of doing it again.

The alternative—two consecutive nights spent in catering—is unacceptable.

It is not the first time the writing team could not come up with something of note for New Day. In 2017, at WrestleMania 33, they were booked as the hosts of the show rather than being allowed to perform on the biggest stage the industry has to offer.

It felt wrong then. And now, some five years later, it still does.

They have earned better. They deserve better.

2. Alpha Academy

Alpha Academy's Chad Gable and Otis have been breakout stars for Monday Night Raw in 2022, mixing it up with the likes of RK-Bro and the team of Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins. The world-class athletes have not only proved themselves in the ring, but Gable has shone on the mic, introducing "shoooooosh" into the WWE vernacular along the way.

Their work has been nothing short of extraordinary and has earned them a spot on the WrestleMania card.

Except their presence on said card is still very much in question.

It is apparent that Randy Orton and Riddle will defend their Raw Tag Team Championship on either April 2 or 3 against The Street Profits. The question is whether Gable and Otis can still sneak on to the card, making the basic tag match a Triple Threat.

If there is a silver lining for the tandem, it is that they were booked to interrupt the exchange between the Street Profits and RK-Bro on Monday's Raw, inching closer to that three-way dance for the titles. Hopefully that occurs because the heels have worked too hard to get themselves over and then more than performed up to the moment when presented with the chance.

It would be a shame for that momentum to be extinguished by leaving them off the WrestleMania card.

Worse, it would threaten the connection the team has forged with an audience that previously could not have cared less about them. At a time when WWE needs to bolster its roster and embrace as many popular acts as possible, it cannot afford for that to happen.

1. Ricochet

Ricochet defeated Sami Zayn to capture the Intercontinental Championship on the March 4 episode of SmackDown and then successfully defended it against the conspiracy-minded heel the following week in the night's main event.

Unfortunately, that might be the highlight of the high-flyer's Road to WrestleMania.

The One and Only does not have a clear path to WrestleMania, and with Zayn busy with Johnny Knoxville, he may end up missing out on a spot on the card. That would be supremely disappointing for a guy emerging from a year-plus stuck in irrelevancy, always showing up and showing out but never getting an opportunity at a sustained run.

Now that he has one and is positioned as the No. 2 babyface on Friday nights, having the opportunity to defend his title at WrestleMania would go a long way toward establishing him once and for all.

Maybe he ends up involved in the feud between New Day and Sheamus, Holland and Butch, but there is another awesome possibility that WWE could utilize to help get multiple individuals on the card.

The death of Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall on Monday night has shined a light on the epic, historic ladder match he had with Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania X. A Scott Hall memorial ladder match for the IC title would get Ricochet on the card and defending his gold against as many opponents as WWE saw fit.

It would give the title exposure, the champion a chance to bask in the spotlight and, perhaps most importantly, would afford WWE a way to pay tribute to one of the most influential wrestlers of all time.

If Ricochet does not make the card, it would only fuel speculation among fans who already doubt whether this is a genuine push for the uber-talented competitor or a means to another end.