9 Wrestlers WWE Has BENCHED
WWE don't leave wrestlers benched with nothing to do...or do they?
Karrion Kross finds himself in an odd position in WWE at present.
As of writing, his t-shirt's one of the best sellers on WWE Shop, various promos he's cut have gone viral beyond even the wildest expectations, and support for him online is starting to stretch way beyond the "cult" tag it was given when he first assumed The Miz was dead in a hilarious hotel room chat with Scarlett at the tail-end of 2024. He's doing all the things wrestlers are told to do to get noticed on television too - maximising his minutes in backstage segments, stealing shows via vignettes that position him as the straw that stirs every WWE drink, and even getting people to tune into episodes of Main Event just to get to see him lock up.
It's almost if he's featured, but then not featured at all. Always playing, but always stuck on the bench.
But then the latter can't be true, because just recently Nick Khan said WWE don't do that. Forming part of a bizarre pre-WrestleMania promo junket from him and his ilk, Khan's comments seemed to be directed more at AEW's large roster rather than trying to get particularly introspective about the market leader's top crop, but then in the wake of the 'Show Of Shows' and a series of releases, there's just as much as chance he was trying to establish some received wisdom before a big round cuts brought it closer to the truth.
Even then, there are exceptions. BIG ones...
9. Omos
Standing at a colossal 7'3", Omos is one of WWE’s most physically imposing Superstars, yet the giant has been curiously absent from meaningful storylines since 2023, and out of the ring entirely since WrestleMania weekend 2024. Once presented as a near-unstoppable force, especially during his time with AJ Styles and later feuds with Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar, Omos has since faded into the background, reduced to footnote status despite his stature offering the opposite.
At this point a name that inexplicably could be speculated on during release season, Omos was cast as a generic monster in the 2024 Royal Rumble and Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal several months later, but unlike the latter's namesake, came nowhere close to victory in either.
This benching feels especially baffling considering WWE’s renewed creative focus over the last few years, and the raves the seven-footer received for his early-2025 sojourn to NOAH as Jack Morris' tag partner. While not the most technically gifted, his sheer size and aura should make him a consistent attraction, particularly in an era where WWE thrives on viral moments and visual dominance of the marketplace. Instead, he's become a special attraction with no platform to be an attraction, his entire appeal going uncapitalised upon.
The question remains: why isn't WWE doing more with him? Whether it's a creative impasse or uncertainty about how to book such a unique performer long-term, the results are the same - lost years and wasted potential. As WWE embraces the media-friendly Netflix era, it’s unclear if Omos fits into that vision, but even more unclear why.