WWE SmackDown Live: Examining The Best and The Worst of the Brand for 2017

Worst Debuting Superstar: Tye Dillinger

Tye Dillinger spent much of 2015-16 honing his “Perfect 10” character. In the process, he became one of the most popular superstars in NXT. Fans couldn’t get enough of Dillinger, pulling for him against the likes of SAnitY and Bobby Roode.

WWE gave the impression that they understood how popular Tye was at the 2017 Royal Rumble, when Dillinger was a surprise entrant in the Rumble match. He entered at – you guessed it – number 10, getting a huge pop and lasting about 5 minutes.

After finishing up in NXT, Dillinger officially debuted with the main roster on SmackDown Live following WrestleMania. He had some decent matches that ultimately went nowhere, then kind of lucked into the United States Championship picture with AJ Styles and Baron Corbin.

Turns out, Dillinger was just there to take a pin for Corbin at Hell in a Cell on October 8, and then he would disappear from the face of the earth until the final episode of SmackDown in 2017 – losing to Jinder Mahal. That non-injury related, completely unexplained absence – immediately following a championship match – killed any momentum Dillinger may have had.

Honorable Mention: Mike Kanellis

I feel terrible including Mike Kanellis here, because much of his absence from television may be related to his battle with drug addiction. It’s admirable to admit to a problem, and to take the necessary steps to fix it, and he deserves praise for recognizing that.

But regardless of that, he wasn’t exactly having a great go of it before his extended absence during the fall. His “Power of Love” gimmick with his wife Maria was not well received by the fans – and honestly, Miz and Maryse had already been doing it much better. Kanellis never got too much of an opportunity to show what he’s capable in the ring – a couple of matches against a pre-main event Sami Zayn were okay, but nothing special.

Here’s to 2018 being a great year for a healthy and clean Kanellis.