6 Wrestlers Set To Disappear After WrestleMania 33
Enjoy these wrestlers on Sunday, because they won't be around much longer.
While it's never labelled as such, WrestleMania has operated as WWE's traditional "season finale" for years now. The company's biggest storylines all come to a head at the grandest show of the year, and with their issues finally settled, WWE presses the reset button, and the performers (mostly) move on to something new.
WWE typically use this period to refresh their talent pool, and with talk of another draft doing the rounds, the company's post-Mania roster changes could be bigger than ever in 2017. An influx of new faces is almost certain, and with NXT stars like Shinsuke Nakamura knocking on the door of a main roster call-up, RAW and SmackDown could look very, very different in a few weeks' time.
As much as this is a time for new beginnings, however, WWE are also set to shed a number of major players in April. Some of the company's most prominent wrestlers are on the verge of stepping aside to make room for the newcomers, and while most will eventually return to WWE television, April 2nd could be the last time we see a number of them compete.
6. Nikki Bella
Nikki Bella will team with boyfriend John Cena to take on the husband/wife duo of The Miz and Maryse at WrestleMania 33, and it could be the last time WWE fans see her for a while. Speculation suggests that Nikki will take an indefinite leave of absence following April 2nd, with complications from neck surgery as the suspected reason.
Nikki previously missed 11 months of action prior to returning at SummerSlam 2016, and underwent a career-saving operation during this time. She has featured prominently on SmackDown ever since, but reports suggest she still faces numbness on one side of her body, and hopes further time-off will ease the issue.
While full-on retirement doesn’t look likely, Nikki is expected to move into a part-time schedule should she eventually return. She’s a popular figure on the blue brand, but her long-term health must obviously take precedent, particularly if her neck is still troubling her. Even if she is forced to retire, however, Nikki will still have Total Bellas and Total Divas to fall back on, making it extremely unlikely that she’ll be removed from the WWE Universe as a whole.