Have you felt under-appreciated at your job even though you are putting your best foot forward and producing effective results that benefits the entire entity? This seems to be a recurring case in the professional wrestling world. WWE has plenty of untapped potential on the main roster. Unfortunately, those wrestlers are underutilized even though they are showcasing top tier performances in the small time windows they are afforded on television. They should be pushed now before their stock drops some more. Here are 5 superstars WWE needs to promote in 2025-2026.
(1) Carmelo Hayes
Carmelo Hayes was the #1 draft pick to SmackDown when he got called up from NXT, but he has not been treated as such since then. The only big accomplishment he had so far was winning the Andre The Giant Battle Royal, which did not lead him to capitalize on any title opportunities. As a singles star, he has lost most of his matches on the main roster and has been treated as a "hand" to top stars like Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Damian Priest, Sami Zayn, and recently Gunther. What should have been a rub to showcase the future of this business has now turned into a burial of the next rising star.
Despite delivering top tier performances in the ring with those top superstars, Hayes then found himself relegated to the tag division with The Miz. However, Hayes did not treat this as a demotion. He used this as opportunity to showcase his ostentatious character that connected with the fans in NXT. Also, The Miz has a lot of experience when it comes to character development and could feasibly help Hayes get to that next level. However, WWE broke up the team when it was actually getting over with the crowd and truly became a lightning in a bottle for what was a boring tag division.
No matter what WWE hands Carmelo Hayes, he turns chicken crap into chicken salad. If his gimmick is going to be based on "not missing," they need to start booking him to swish and make nothing but net, especially when his superb talent inside the ring and outside the ring speaks for itself. It is long overdue for him to be at least U.S. Champ or even tag champs with Trick Williams. He is a believable pro wrestler with a strong aura and appeal that draws fans to connect with his character. And, at the end of the day, he clearly has all the tools to be a future world champion and main event player.
(2) Roxanne Perez
Roxanne Perez is another NXT Call Up who has been treated as an afterthought on the main roster. The only big accomplishment she had so far was being tag team champs with Raquel Rodriguez in the Judgment Day, and the only reason she had that title was because Liv Morgan got injured and WWE needed someone to replace her as champ. As a singles star, Roxanne has lost most of her matches on Raw and has been treated as a "hand" to top stars like Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Charlotte Flair, Bayley, and recently Stephanie Vaquer. Hopefully, she does not lose to Maxxine Dupri too.
If her gimmick is going to be the prodigy, she should be leagues ahead of her NXT comrades. For example, Stephanie Vaquer and Tiffany Stratton already became world champs on the main roster and they were in NXT long after Perez became the top star there. She should be MITB Winner and future champion in 2026. It can be argued that WWE is slow burning Roxanne's push by having her lose a lot of matches now and redeem herself later, but that only works for underdog faces, not prodigal heels.
(3) LA Knight
LA Knight was once criticized as merely a flash in the pan and a one-dimensional walking catchphrase whose shelf life of relevance in the WWE would be no more than a year. However, Knight proved those doubters wrong, as he been quite dynamic on the microphone and in the ring. He proved that he can be a solid sports entertainer, as evidenced by his show-stealing feud with Cameron Grimes in NXT. He also proved that he can be a proficient professional wrestler, as evidence by his show-stealing matches with the likes of Roman Reigns and AJ Styles on the main roster.
However, WWE has booked Knight in between a rock and a hard place despite the undying popularity he has and the emphatic ovation he receives from the crowd on a weekly basis. For example, his two U.S. Title reigns ended at Survivor Series and WrestleMania, two big PPVs where he needed a win to solidify his reigns. He lost those titles to Shinsuke Nakamura and Jacob Fatu, two men who had transitional reigns that led to nothing of value or importance. It is questionable as to why WWE would hinder Knight's momentum as champ when they had no plans for the ones who dethroned him.
Ever since getting traded from SmackDown to Raw for a push to the main event scene, he has been losing matches left and right to top talent like Seth Rollins, rising talent like Bron Breakker, and walking catchphrases like Jey Uso. He was unjustifiably left off the Team Punk Survivor Series Team even though he had more beef with The Vision than Jimmy Uso this year. And to top it all off, his mic got rudely cut off in a panel interview where he was about to cut a dicing promo on John Cena for the "Last Time Is Now" Tournament, which he needs to win. If not, he must become Mr. MITB in 2026.
(4) Lyra Valkyria
Lyra Valkyria seemed like she had a promising push off the gates as the inaugural IC Champion on the main roster. In fact, she had one of the fastest rises due to the valuable tutelage she received from Becky Lynch since her NXT days. Her biggest feud on the main roster was with Bayley and Lynch this past summer. She was eminently impressive in that feud both in the ring and especially on the microphone, which was not always her strong suit during her time in NXT. She really broke out of that shell on the main roster and proved that she can tell compelling stories without being boring.
When she lost the IC Title to Lynch, it felt that she should have moved up to the main event scene as a graduation from the mid card. However, WWE relegated her to the tag division with Bayley, which felt like a downgrade rather than a consolation prize because she and Bayley have not been on PPV since July, despite their compelling work as a team. It almost seems like she has been swept under the rug when she should be a prime exemplification of the future of this business. Her work rate is unmatched, and it's befuddling that her momentum has been hindered in an unexplainable way.
(5) Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn is the biggest unsung champ right now. He is an impeccable storyteller and master of his craft, as evidenced by show stealing yet underrated storylines. For example, Zayn's history with the Bloodline already runs deep. Formerly known as Sami Uso, he made The Bloodline more entertaining with his quick wit, relatable persona, and excellent storytelling abilities. He went toe to toe with the original Tribal Chief at Elimination Chamber in his hometown of Montreal back in 2023, which was the closest he was to winning the big chip. Since that day, he has not been in another world title match.
Then, his storyline with Kross this summer turned some heads. WWE executed this storyline in a perfunctory manner, as it received minimal time on TV to truly flesh out and felt like a start-stop storyline that never truly felt like a main attraction on the show. The match itself even receievd the least amount of time at SummerSlam. Despite how much WWE set up for the storyline between Zayn and Kross to fail, Zayn still made sure that the story felt important. He elevated Kross to the point that the WWE fans wanted to see Kross re-sign with the WWE instead of being unceremoniously let go.
More recently, his U.S. Title Open Challenges was pivotal in elevating rising talent such as Carmelo Hayes, Aleister Black, Je'Von Evans, Rey Fenix, and Ilja Dragunov. During that reign, he also developed his own character as the one who does not have to turn heel, sell his soul, or perform an immoral deed to win the top prize. Zayn can be thrown into any position in WWE and deliver, proving that he is championship material. Whether he is in the plans to win Rumble or MITB, his push is long overdue. He has become a hero in the hearts of the fans, and now is his time to prove them right.
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