12 Ups And 15 Downs For WWE In 2017 (2nd Opinion)

Downs...

15. Wasting/Misusing Talent

Roman Reigns John Cena The Club
WWE

One of the biggest frustrations – and subjective points – for fans is how wrestlers are used in WWE. Someone who was a big deal on the independent scene, in Japan or elsewhere might just be a bit player in WWE. Someone who enjoyed success recently in the company might find him/herself shuttled down the card.

Some names that immediately come to mind are Bayley, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, Mike Kanellis, Finn Balor, and even Shinsuke Nakamura. While some of these wrestles might have had a decent or even good 2017, that doesn’t mean they were used well or to the fullest of their potential.

Bayley’s misuse since her 2016 call-up has been well-documented and constant source of frustration. The Club went from a top tag team in the division to a comedy act portraying their Southpaw Regional Wrestling alter egos on Halloween. Kanellis flamed out to the point where he’s been invisible. Balor ended 2017 feuding with the Miztourage. Nakamura was near-iconic in NXT and is now a guy hanging around the top of the card on SmackDown rather than setting the trends.

There are other examples, and readers might disagree with some of these choices, but if you think WWE is using everyone to the best of their abilities, then you’re missing something.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.