10 Wrestlers WWE Failed In 2022
7. Xia Li
It might be the case that your writer here is a rose-tinted Xia Li fan who thinks there's plenty to be tapped into with the real-life badass, but it's hard to argue that Li hasn't been totally shafted by WWE since moving to the main roster at the end of 2021.
While Xia's first main roster appearance came on a December '21 episode of SmackDown, it wasn't until the following February that the star made her in-ring bow on the blue brand. Introduced as the Protector, Li was a sh*t-kicking babyface who looked to thwart the nefarious rogues of the Smackers women's division. With a legitimate background in various martial arts, the one-time Tian Sha talent was - and is - as believable as it gets when it comes to slapping people around.
Surprisingly, that SmackDown in-ring debut - where Li defeated Natalya - was followed by a couple of months off TV, which in turn was followed by a heel turn when Xia did return to SmackDown in April.
As of this writing, Xia Li has only had nine televised matches since that February bout, and only one of those - a two-minute June loss to Lacey Evans - has been a singles contest. Throw in several prolonged absences from TV, and it's been a rough year for the Chinese battler.