10 WWE Wrestlers Who NEED A Big Push After Royal Rumble 2023

9. Roxanne Perez

Asuka clown
WWE.com

It's very difficult for a pro wrestler to shake a stigma.

Dolph Ziggler did too many jobs to ever become a true headliner. Luke Gallows is the guy who never moves, much less wrestles, even though he's quietly not too shabby at all in trios matches. Nia Jax will always be the wrestler to whom "a body of work" is synonymous with "a killing spree".

And now, in record time, virtually every women's wrestler Triple H has brought back to WWE is just there, existing, doing nothing beyond trading 50/50 wins to almost complete silence. This feeling, of just being so unremarkable, is almost impossible to overcome. Return "pop", the odd match, abject lack of anything approaching a superstar presentation: Papa H might map out stories more effectively than his dad-uh-in-law, but he's nowhere near the promoter Vince was a long time ago.

Which is all the more reason to fast-track Roxanne Perez to stardom.

She was miles and miles ahead of most performers in the women's Royal Rumble match. Fans inferred that she was a prodigy within seconds and were gutted that she was eliminated. Her crisp, spirited work was so strong that it broke Pat McAfee's dreary, performative facade.

She's the NXT Women's champion, but this is WWE; they can always screw her out of it before she lands on the main roster as an ultra-rare young up-and-comer promoted, with no half-arsed "...here's this person, this is who they once feuded with on NXT" b*llocks.

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!