10 Current WWE Stars Worth Their Weight In Gold
Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, and the other wrestlers defining WWE's gold standard in 2021...
One of the most common criticisms of WWE for well over a decade has been that they have become incapable of creating new stars.
As ratings have continued to decline, fans online have gotten more and more vocal, while the company has failed to get their chosen top stars like pre-turn Roman Reigns over with the hardcore fanbase as faces in the way Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock to name just a few were able to in the decades prior.
However, none of this should lie at the feet of the talent. It comes from the company's 50/50 booking policies and other harmful practices, which prevent anyone from standing out from the pack and their focus on pushing the WWE brand as a whole rather than the wrestlers themselves.
In truth, WWE's roster is the most talented it has ever been. Whereas some wrestlers in the past were labelled as unsafe or dull in the ring, virtually every member of WWE's roster can have a great match with the right opponent and story, and you could write at length about all of them and the qualities they bring to the company.
For now though, here are ten that spring to mind...
10. Finn Balor
Back in 2016, it looked like Finn Balor was set to be pushed to the moon by WWE. After finally being called up following the brand split, Finn took Raw by storm by beating Roman Reigns clean on his first night before beating Seth Rollins to become the first-ever Universal Champion at SummerSlam.
Hopes of a long Balor main-event run were shattered however, when it was revealed he injured his shoulder during the bout, causing him to relinquish the belt and be put on the shelf for six months. Upon his return, Balor struggled to maintain a top spot at the main event, but after years of stop-start pushes, the former Prince Devitt returned to the revamped NXT in late 2019.
Since returning to the black and gold brand, Balor has experienced a career renaissance reminiscent of Shawn Michaels in the 2000s, putting on show-stealing matches with every opponent he has faced since returning to the brand. Having ditched the always smiling white meat babyface he was always positioned as on the main roster, as well as the watered-down Demon King gimmick, Balor has appeared rejuvenated as a brash and arrogant heel.
Since winning the NXT title, Balor has continued his excellent run, having incredible matches with Kyle O'Reilly and Pete Dunne to name but a few. Balor has shown himself as the perfect person to build NXT's top division around, with his experience, popularity, hateable character and astonishing ring-work all making him a perfect focal point of the show. WWE should do all they can to keep him around for as long as possible.