5 Biggest WWE Winners & Losers In 2021
Who's had a year to remember and who's had a year to forget?
2021 has been another dramatic year for WWE.
They’ve returned triumphantly(ish) to shows in front of crowds, crowned new champions, and put on some great and occasionally groundbreaking matches. Simultaneously, they’ve seen their competition grow exponentially and come under fire for baffling booking and callous staff cuts.
So that’s how the company has fared, but what of the wrestlers in its employ? Wrestling is, in kayfabe and otherwise, a hierarchy of sorts, and at any given time, not everyone can be a top star. Some performers have grabbed 2021 by the scruff of the neck and taken their careers to new heights, being embraced by the fans or put to good use by the office.
Others, meanwhile, have endured a slog of a year, losing match after match, being asked to do nonsensical things, or simply falling off the radar altogether.
The fickle nature of WWE, its management, and sometimes its fans, means that the wheel of fortune may spin around for any of these 10 come January 1st, but for the time being, here are the superstars who’ve had, for good or for ill, the most eventful of 2021s...
10. Winner: Riddle
Riddle may have lost his forename in moving to the main roster, but he’s gained a whole lot more. The former MMA star has all the tools he needs to succeed, and his outspoken manner and comedy stylings seem to have won him fans in the office.
He started the year winning the US Championship from the dominant Bobby Lashley, and while it wasn’t a particularly eventful reign, it culminated in a terrific match on WrestleMania night two, during which he and Sheamus put on a stiff clinic and Riddle’s scooter-mounted entrance gained one of the biggest pops of the event.
He then started teaming with the reluctant Randy Orton, who couldn’t help be charmed by his goofy manner. RK-Bro was one of the lone highlights of Raw for much of this year. The two clearly have a blast bouncing off each other, and like fellow hybrid athlete Kurt Angle before him, Riddle has an uncanny ability to turn from class clown to killer as soon as he steps in the ring.
The ace up his sleeve is the future break up of the tag team. Provided the booking isn’t bungled, Riddle has a heated angle with a future hall of famer to look forward to, and from there, the sky’s the limit.