Together with WWE facing recent criticism for overpriced tickets and blocking watch parties, fans have began to change into more outspoken about their frustration with the present product. Creatively, WWE has been accused of overpushing certain stars or running back stale rivalries, however it’s not that there is not other talent available – the corporate just chooses to not utilize them. Whether it’s “WWE NXT” call-ups or signings from the independent wrestling scene, there continues to be an abundance of uber-talented wrestlers on the roster that struggle to earn TV time and have simply been forgotten about.
Listed below is a set of WWE superstars who’ve been unable to search out themselves a consistent role on TV and seemingly haven’t any creative direction in the intervening time, despite there being five and a half hours value of major roster programming every week.
The Street Profits
Five years ago, it might be argued that The Street Profits were WWE’s hottest tag team. Nevertheless, Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford are actually seen as two individuals who’ve definitely not benefited from Triple H taking on as head of creative. Along with not having a televised match on the major roster in 2026, the Street Profits have only had a handful of matches because the middle of 2025, three of which were against the identical opponent. That said, Dawkins and Ford still delivered when given a probability to perform, with their TLC matches at WWE SummerSlam and on the “SmackDown” after WrestleMania 41 being “match of the yr” contenders.
As of straight away, WWE has been using the team sporadically at NXT live events. It was recently reported that WWE selected to maintain Dawkins and Ford off television to maintain them fresh while they resolve learn how to use them creatively, but judging how they have been booked over the past three years, it’s hard to ascertain the corporate utilizing them in a satisfying way.
Johnny Gargano
To today, Johnny Gargano is recognized as among the finest skilled wrestlers to ever step inside an “NXT” ring. Many fans of the “Black and Gold” era would have a tough time believing that Gargano would wander off within the shuffle on WWE’s major roster, especially under Triple H’s leadership, but that is exactly what has happened.
When Gargano first arrived to the major roster, fans expected him to get the identical treatment as Seth Rollins or Finn Balor after being called up from “NXT,” as they were directly inserted into the major event scene. As a substitute, Gargano spent months competing in meaningless singles feuds until WWE decided to have him reunite together with his #DIY partner, Tommaso Ciampa. For a temporary time frame, it gave the impression of the plan to have #DIY team together again was working, as each men found themselves on TV more often after becoming WWE Tag Team Champions. Nevertheless, after their second reign with the titles ended, their appearances on “SmackDown” became fewer.
Last month, Ciampa left WWE for AEW, leaving Gargano to be inserted right into a storyline where he his depressed every week after having lost his tag team partner. On the very least, the story is a brand new direction for his character, but many fans fairly see Gargano return to being the weekly spark plug that was “Johnny Wrestling.”
Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne
Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne are widely considered a few of the very best technical wrestlers the world has seen within the last 10 years, but they’ve consistently been under-utilized on WWE’s major roster, with their recent creative direction being as near all-time low as you may get.
Although the El Grande Americano character has been entertaining in each WWE and AAA, it has been tough to look at Bate and Dunne perform in comedic roles as Bravo and Rayo, a part of Los Americanos. Formerly often called the Latest Catch Republic, Bate and Dunne were a few of the very best wrestlers to come back out of the UK and were arguably probably the most promising talent WWE had of their developmental system, but the corporate has repeatedly failed each men creatively.
At 32 and 28 years old, the one silver lining for the tag team is their age, as Bate and Dunne could still have an extended profession ahead of them, however it’s shocking to appreciate that WWE has neglected to raise either star over the past decade.
Michin
Over the past two years on “SmackDown,” Michin hasn’t been completely forgotten about, unlike among the other entries on this list, but the corporate never seems to have interest in booking her to achieve success. Whether it’s the US Championship, North American Championship, or the WWE Women’s Championship , Michin has never capitalized on a title opportunity within the seven years that she’s worked for the corporate.
After WWE began to lose faith in Michin as a singles star, she’s was paired with B-Fab and joined the ladies’s tag team division, however it’s resulted in her getting less TV time than ever before. The 36-year-old still hasn’t wrestled in a match this yr and has not stepped contained in the ropes on “SmackDown” since September. On the time of writing, WWE has created a storyline for Michin and B-Fab to focus on WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill, however the promotion has given the audience no reason to place confidence in the tag team due to how poorly they have been booked.
Along with her lack of TV time, Michin wasn’t featured on this yr’s Women’s Royal Rumble after having been a participant within the match for 3 years in a row. Like other talent on the major roster, Michin has change into one other former “NXT” star who WWE doesn’t see any potential in, despite the repute she built for herself on the developmental brand and on the independent wrestling scene.
Motor City Machine Guns
The Motor City Machine Guns were probably the most beloved tag teams on the indie circuit for 20 years before signing with WWE in 2024, and the corporate immediately elevated them by having Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin win the tag titles inside their first two weeks on the roster. Nevertheless, things have gone downhill for the “SmackDown” pair ever since.
Nowadays, the MCMG are rarely featured in matches on TV and have been viewed as one among the largest afterthoughts in WWE’s tag team division, despite being among the most expert wrestlers on the roster. For the higher a part of a yr, Shelley and Sabin have continued to fight the identical tag teams on rotation with none real story and haven’t been near the title picture because the Six Pack TLC match at SummerSlam. The MCMG were once presented as a tag team that might be difficult to beat because of their storied history on the indies and in TNA, but they’ve since lost matches to opponents comparable to The MFTs, and have been bumped to shows like “WWE Principal Event.”
At this point, WWE seems clueless in the case of the creative direction for Shelley and Sabin.