10 Wrestlers WWE Gave Up On In 2017
5. Luke Harper
Luke Harper had boatloads of momentum at the start of the year. Turning on Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt saw the talented big man's popularity surge, and he wrestled 'The Viper' to his best match of the year at Elimination Chamber. There was even talk that he'd be added to his former allies' WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 33, but WWE tanked him instead, and soon banished Harper from television altogether.
Rather than continuing the intriguing 'man in the middle' story they started with Luke, WWE decided "nah, we're not going to push this guy," and he vanished in early summer. The set-up was for nothing. He didn't appear at all from July 4th to November 21st, and all hope of him ever receiving a considerable singles push has gone.
The good news is that Harper has recently returned from the wilderness, having reunited with (Erick) Rowan to form The Bludgeon Brothers. WWE have given up on him as a singles worker, but not as a tag specialist, which sweetens the blow somewhat. Still, it would've been great to see them give him a significant run near the top of the card.