10 WWE Wrestlers Who Have Been Directionless During The Brand Split
Not everyone has stood to benefit from the Brand Split.
The announcement of WWE bringing back the Brand Split this summer was met mostly with excitement from fans who had longed to see SmackDown and Raw have their own distinctive rosters again. While it would virtually be cutting the rosters in half, it has granted opportunities for those who have been overlooked for far too long and deserved more television time than they were previously getting.
AJ Styles has perhaps been the biggest beneficiary of the Brand Split so far, quickly capturing the WWE World Championship on the blue brand and becoming the face of Tuesday nights. Likewise, Kevin Owens probably would not be WWE Universal champion right now if there was still only one world title.
However, not every one has been better off because of the Brand Split. In addition to the stars whose status in the company hasn't changed, there are a number of names who are even more directionless than they were six months ago. Of course, not everyone can be prominently pushed at the same time, but for popular fixtures on the SmackDown and Raw rosters to be relegated to Main Event and Superstars without a storyline in sight is simply inexcusable.
Here's hoping these superstars will find their footing on their respective show before more damage is done to their fledgling credibility.
10. Zack Ryder
Zack Ryder flies solo to kick off the list and isn't included with Mojo Rawley because when his Hype Bro tag team partner was drafted to SmackDown Live in July, it was pretty clear he would never get above a certain level. And if it wasn't for Ryder, he likely wouldn't be on the main roster at all.
Ryder, however, was on something of a roll at the start of the summer, winning the main event of Raw on July 4th, beating Sheamus in clean fashion, and contending for the United States Championship at Battleground. Even prior to that point, he had won the Intercontinental Championship in one of the biggest upsets of all-time at WrestleMania 32.
Thus, it appeared he could be a huge beneficiary of the Brand Split, but that has been anything but the case so far. Sure, he and Rawley have scored a few wins in tag team action here and there. But they haven't been in contention for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at all and likely won't be for a while. The Long Island Iced Z could be a valuable asset to the blue brand's midcard, but instead he has been wasting away in the tag team division.