10 Wild Outside Bets To Win WWE Royal Rumble 2023

2. Montez Ford

Alexa Bliss
WWE.com

Virtually every pro wrestler has an expiration date.

Only a handful of acts in the modern era stay over at a high level for a long time, and even then, they have to use their agency and creativity to steer out of a descent into irrelevance. Agency and creativity are two tools that WWE independent contractors are very rarely provided. One day you're the big-bumping darling of the internet, and the next you're Dolph Ziggler in the seven years between 2016 and 2023.

Why, then, is WWE taking a million f*cking years to sit on the pot with Montez Ford?

He's got the lot. Charisma out the ass, the ability to cast a spell on fans, a Cesaro-tier explosion of a hot tag, and a genuine emotional connection with the audience. He's also a from-scratch Performance Center success story that Triple H can broadcast to the world and say:

"See? The PC wasn't a waste of money and a glorified multi-million gym that doubles as a motel for PWG talents. More than one star was built here!"

Big E should have been WWE Champion years before 2021. The same is true of Braun Strowman, though that doesn't seem quite right these days.

Montez Ford is ready now and has been for ages.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!