10 Biggest Breakout WWE Stars Of 2016

4. Heath Slater

heath slater
WWE.com

He's just one man!

Heath Slater seized an opportunity and has made the most of it, becoming a legitimate breakout star in this latest brand extension era of WWE. Dubbing himself "the hottest free agent in sports entertainment," Slater became a bright spot of Raw and SmackDown and a funny thing happened along the way: fans began to care about his journey back to a contract with either brand.

Chants of "we want Slater" filled arenas and the redheaded step child of WWE saw his role expand. His plight became a key storyline on the SmackDown brand, where he adopted Rhyno as his tag team partner and captured gold at Backlash.

Experiencing the biggest push of his career, and repaying the faith management had in him with the strength of his performances, Slater is poised to end 2016 on a strong note and enter the new year riding a wave of momentum few could have predicted for him as late as three months ago.

Contributor
Contributor

Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.