10 Wrestlers Who Have Suddenly Vanished

O Rusev, Rusev, wherefore art thou Rusev?

Rusev where
WWE

WWE's talent pool is deep enough to drown in.

The company employs over 250 different wrestlers across Raw, SmackDown, NXT, NXT UK, 205 Live, and the Performance Center. Granted, they have nine hours of original programming to fill each week, but they're still dealing with an embarrassment of riches. They've got the kind of assets that even Scrooge McDuck would sell his three dopey nephews for.

World-class wrestlers can be found from the main roster's main event scene all the way down to the PC. A-Kid, a midcarder on a show few people actually watch, is genuinely amongst the most talented young prospects on the planet, while Malcolm Bivens is a top-five manager still waiting to be unleashed on the world. Their situations aren't unique either; this might be the most impressive collection of wrestling talent ever assembled.

Here's the other thing about WWE's roster, though: it's way too f*cking big.

Nine hours of weekly television somehow isn't enough. Performers regularly vanish from view, often without good explanation, as WWE's thirst for name talent has created a logjam at every single level. These men and women are probably getting paid well, though each is overdue a missing person's report...

10. Shelton Benjamin

Rusev where
WWE

WWE has looked like they were going to do something with Shelton Benjamin precisely twice since he rejoined the company in 2017:-

1. His initial mini-push as Chad Gable's second main roster tag partner.

2. Last year, when his whole deal was standing around backstage, eyes darting around the room, big smile etched across his face - with no payoff.

The man routinely goes missing from television for huge chunks of time, though he's clearly happy with how things are going, having recently inked a new multi-year deal with the promotion. Regardless, Shelton hasn't been seen on mainline WWE programming since Royal Rumble 2020. He was one of many wrestlers felled by Brock Lesnar that night and was well-utilised in a spot teasing the former Minnesota Stretching Crew teaming up to batter the comp. Benjamin was all for it, because of course he was, but 'The Beast' hilariously tossed him seconds later.

Prior to that, Shelton's last mainline appearance came on the 6 January episode of Raw. He was Aleister Black's squash match victim that night. He can currently be found trading wins with No Way Jose and other goobers on Main Event.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.