Four WWE fan favorites who will never get a lengthy main roster title run

WWE has a stacked roster across all its brands. SmackDown and Monday Night Raw are recognized as the “main roster” where the top names perform each week. With so many of the best names in the business on two shows, it’s impossible for every talented performer to reach the pinnacle and become a champion. And even if they reach a main event championship, it’s clear that some aren’t seen as “The Man or Woman” to build around. Here are four names who fans would want to see get a lengthy run as a dominant champion on the WWE main roster.

The parameters for this list are men and women who’ve either never been the main champion on WWE Raw or SmackDown, or they’ve held a title for less than 150 days. There are several individuals like Kevin Owens, Kofi Kingston, Big E, Naomi, and others who’ve been champions for a lengthy run but were never booked as featured talent. These four names below never got that opportunity, and even though they are huge favorites among fans, there’s a good chance those runs will never come.

Shayna Baszler

Shayna Baszler is one of the most legit performers on the WWE roster. While Brock Lesnar’s name is thrown around for being a decorated mixed martial artist, Baszler is a trailblazer in that sport. She competed at a time when women weren’t allowed to compete in major organizations, but she still carved out a space for herself at the top. When she transitioned to pro wrestling, she cut her teeth on the independent scene rather than making the jump to a major company. Along the way, she’s become one of the most important “shooters” in women’s wrestling today.

Becky Lynch talked about wanting to drop the championship to Baszler when they battled at WrestleMania. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Baszler hasn’t recovered momentum since, even though she could be one of the biggest threats in women’s wrestling today.

Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura is one of the biggest examples of WWE fumbling a talented performer from another company. There was a time when Nakamura was recognized as one of the best wrestlers in the world, and he was treated as such. Unfortunately, that was not the case when he joined WWE, at least not since reaching the main roster.

Nakamura has held several mid-card titles, but never reached the top championship. He even won the Royal Rumble, only to lose in the title match of WrestleMania that year. Ironically, this was the same year Asuka won the Women’s Royal Rumble just to lose to Charlotte Flair that same day. Nakamura has recently returned to SmackDown after a lengthy absence, but there’s still little hope in the idea of him becoming a top champion in the company.

Kairi Sane

Kairi Sane is one of the best women’s wrestlers in the world. Those in the know of what she’s done outside of the WWE would not be surprised by that statement. She’s held several of the top titles in Stardom and was the first to hold the IWGP Women’s Championship. Sane has put together a Hall of Fame-worthy career, yet she will never hold a women’s top championship on Raw or SmackDown.

This is unfortunately due to the lack of opportunities available to the women’s division. Even though there are two titles for the women, just like two for the men, the women’s division lacks angles outside the title picture, making it difficult for anyone to rise through the ranks. Sane is far behind other names that the WWE sees as more important, and that will keep her out of holding a championship of her own.

Finn Balor

Finn Balor is a name that hurts to add to this list. The reason is that Balor had the WWE Universal Championship placed in his hands. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury was caused in the match against Seth Rollins at WWE SummerSlam 2016. He held that title for about 24 hours before having to relinquish it. Not only did he let go of the title, but he let go of the momentum that was built during his run in NXT. All of it was gone and it hasn’t come back nearly a decade later.

Balor is one of those individuals who would be perfect for a WWE Championship run on the main roster. He has the look, in-ring abilities, and crossover appeal that the company would want to see. Sadly, so many other individuals have leaped in front of him over the years. Balor will remain popular, but it would be exceptionally difficult for WWE to build him up in a way that would make him a believable champion thanks to how he’s been handled over the years.