10 WWE Stars Who Should Be WAY More Over Than They Actually Are

6. American Alpha

seth rollins
WWE.com

The problem with American Alpha is that the tandem were sidelined almost immediately following their main roster promotion.

It made sense; WWE had (or seemed to have) grander plans for the team who lit up NXT with their ultra-athletic update on the classic southern tag babyface formula. Chad Gable suffered a kayfabe knee injury in order to generate sympathy on their behalf and justify and create anticipation for their delayed entry into title contention. It was logical stuff.

They then won the titles on the December 27, 2016 SmackDown before embarking on a feud with The Usos shortly thereafter. They lost the titles in a barnstormer of a match on the March 21 SmackDown. A WrestleMania 33 rematch beckoned - only, WWE doesn't care enough about tag team wrestling to present two such matches on the biggest show of the year, and thus Gable and Jason Jordan were stigmatised as losers in short order - so much so that they now rarely appear on a show devoid of star power.

This just further reinforces the idea that they don't matter. It's no wonder the act hasn't connected with fans; they evidently aren't worth investing in.

The casual audience didn't follow their developmental origin story, something WWE can't really emulate, beat for beat, on SmackDown. There's nothing stopping the blue brand from reintroducing the tandem and retelling that tale via video packages.

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!