(Disclaimer: This article is a WWE opinion piece.)
Following the release of Andrade from WWE, some superstars might be facing similar issues.
Andrade returned to WWE at Royal Rumble 2024 after a three-year absence from the company, during which he spent time wrestling in AEW, CMLL, and AAA. Unfortunately, his second run in the Stamford-based promotion wasn’t the most fruitful.
Although he had a memorable and impressive 7-match series with Carmelo Hayes, it didn’t lead to either athlete winning a title, not even the midcard gold like the United States Championship. Before Andrade’s release, he was in a tag team with Rey Fenix, but just as the duo was reportedly supposed to battle The Wyatt Sicks at Clash in Paris, the former All Elite star encountered some problems with the company.
Reports also indicated that the former All Elite star’s exit might be discipline-related, as it was also indicated that WWE has reached out to him for several weeks but received no reply. After his release, many fans expressed that Andrade’s talents were wasted and that the Stamford-based promotion didn’t do a good job with his bookings, noting that he was underutilized and they weren’t shocked by his exit.
With this in mind, some other WWE superstars in this list might also be facing similar issues in relation to how they are being booked by the Stamford-based promotion. Let’s take a look:
#4. Austin Theory Hasn’t Been The Same Since Triple H Took Over WWE
Austin Theory was once one of the rising young stars in the company who quickly achieved success. It’s no secret that his success came from Vince McMahon’s favoring him, which explains his United States Championship and Money in the Bank win. However, all that changed when Triple H took charge in 2022.
Theory’s character was never as successful, losing the MITB cash-in and the gold quite quickly, and winning against John Cena didn’t do him anything major. Just as fans were behind him for a babyface turn against Grayson Waller, WWE never pulled the trigger on the turn or even a proper onscreen split.
Now, Theory is currently out of action after a reported injury, and the company decided it would be best to break up A-Town Down Under during this time, not even giving the former Tag Team Champions a proper feud.
#3. Carmelo Hayes May Be Returning To WWE NXT
Carmelo Hayes was among the WWE NXT stars who were called up last year, joining him were names like Bron Breakker, Lyra Valkyria, and Tiffany Stratton. The latter have all experienced becoming champions, but not Hayes.
Melo has been impressing fans on SmackDown not just through his mic skills, but also inside the ring. As mentioned above, he had an impressive 7-match series with Andrade, which didn’t really result in anything fruitful for either man. Following this, he was paired with The Miz, which isn’t even featured regularly on the Friday night show.
Recently, Carmelo Hayes returned to NXT, where he aligned with Trick Williams. It remains to be seen if this return to the developmental brand is permanent or not.
#2. Shinsuke Nakamura Has Been Absent From WWE Television For A While
One of the most hyped WWE signings in the 2010s was Shinsuke Nakamura, being a major star in NJPW. Unfortunately for the Japanese star, his massive success in Japan didn’t exactly follow him to the Stamford-based promotion. Aside from a few mid-card title wins and even the Royal Rumble victory in 2018, he never became World Champion.
Despite the many changes in his character, he didn’t connect well with the fans. Now, it seems like he is teasing another feud for the United States Championship against Sami Zayn, which came months after losing the title on the Friday show. However, he isn’t over with the WWE Universe.
#1. Omos Hasn’t Appeared
One of the superstars signed with WWE is Omos. Standing at 7 feet 3 inches, The Nigerian Giant has the build to be one of the dominant talents in the Stamford-based promotion, joining the likes of Big Show, Mark Henry, Andre the Giant, to name a few. However, it seems like this formula has its limits.
Omos’ only title win was the RAW Tag Team gold alongside AJ Styles, and his biggest feud was against Brock Lesnar and Seth Rollins. Yet despite being paired with the top stars of the company, the 33-year-old struggled to capture the support of the fans.
The closest time Omos came to being a fan-favorite was when he wrestled in Japan in the latter part of 2024, only for WWE to call him back and shelf him again. Last month at AAA Triplemania XXXIII, he proved to the company again that he can be the talk of the town after winning the Bardahl Cup Battle Royal and creating a viral moment by facing Microman.
After being used for comedic and unserious moments, along with only appearing several times a year, it wouldn’t come as a shock if Omos grew frustrated with WWE and parted ways.