10 WWE Wrestlers With HUGE Mainstream Breakout Potential
WWE desperately needs crossover superstars, and a whole batch are sitting in front of them.
WWE is stewing in a problem of its own creation. In its desperation to stop its stars from outgrowing the company, the world's largest wrestling promotion has almost ensured that it will never again have a crossover superstar like The Rock or Hulk Hogan. You know, guys who led the industry into the two most lucrative periods in history. WWE has made itself the star, and guaranteed itself a fishbowl audience in the process.
It may take generations for this to change, but the company has no shortage of potential stars on its hands. This is objectively the most talented roster in the history of the promotion, and the rigors of modern pro wrestling mean that more and more men and women have the potential to be multi-faceted icons. WWE seems to work against its own talent on this front, but the talent is there.
If anything, the most telling thing might just be the names that are missing from this list. Kevin Owens, Angel Garza, Ricochet and others have intangible greatness oozing out of their pores, but they still sit below a hallowed list of men and women who could easily lead this company into a brave new world, if they were allowed to do so.
There is humongous mainstream potential lurking in this roster...
10. Damian Priest
Fashion is cyclical. What was once cool may well lose that shine now, but rest assured that it will return to fashion at some point in the future. Everything that is fashionable will one day be unfashionable, and everything unfashionable will one day be fashionable. It is a circle of inevitability.
Everything except charismatic party-loving vampires. They will always be in fashion.
NXT needs a new breakout star, a genuinely 'cool' babyface that can inspire the brand and breathe new life into a show in need of a lift. Damian Priest isn't getting any younger but there is something about the Archer of Infamy that has the potential to grab viewers. The promotion made a mistake in moving the North American Championship to Johnny Gargano, but it can right that wrong by pushing Priest into the main event.
Of course, any hope of Priest catching on will be immediately squashed once he moves to the main roster, but the mainstream appeal of a handsome dude who likes to party should not be underestimated. Damian Priest has all the tools to excite a whole new generation of fans.