By:
Joren B. Apiquian
Although
the WWE Brand Extension happened a little over two months ago, there are still
a handful of active WWE Superstars that do not have a place to call home quite
yet. These performers were not selected during the draft due to injury or have
earned the status of being special talent who have reached legendary status in
recent years. Wrestlers dealing with injuries is unavoidable (unless you happen
to be The Miz) and it has put individuals on the shelf time and time again.
Even though part-timers such as The Rock and The Undertaker are destined to return
to the squared circle in time for WrestleMania season, the following WWE
Superstars are full-time performers who went undrafted due to injury or have
been recently signed by the company. With a surplus of talent on both RAW and
Smackdown Live!, the following individuals have a golden opportunity to either
make a statement upon their return or debut. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Tamina
Quite
possibly being WWE’s biggest missed opportunity in the women’s division over
the past few years, Tamina is scheduled to return to action after having knee
surgery in early May. Injuries are never a pleasant time for any athlete, but this
is the perfect time to re-introduce Tamina as a formidable threat to either
brand’s women’s division. Being a part of the historic Samoan wrestling lineage
and daughter of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, she has all the tools to be successful
in WWE. However, the aforementioned Snuka is in the middle of a trial for the
murder of his girlfriend Nancy Argentino which dates back to 1983. This
shouldn’t have any effect on Tamina’s role in the company, but if history has
shown us anything, it is very possible that it might.
With all of that aside, where does Tamina
belong upon her return to the WWE Universe? As I stated earlier, Tamina has a
lot of untapped potential. She may not have the technical prowess like Alundra
Blayze, but she has an intimidating look and strength advantage over most of
her counterparts. It’s also a thing of beauty to see someone of her size jump
off the top rope to perform a Superfly Splash. Enter Nia Jax. Jax has been
running rampant over unknown local talent ever since her RAW debut. She is
scheduled to go one-on-one with Alicia Fox at Clash of Champions, but it does
not seem likely that Fox will be victorious. Until Jax is ready for title
contention, she is going to need a believable challenger. With Summer Rae out
with an injury and Paige not medically cleared to perform yet, Tamina would be
the perfect opponent. Although they are considered cousins, that could be an
interesting showdown to say the least. They can also join forces to tear
through the women’s division which would make for some compelling television as
well.
However,
it appears that RAW only has room for one imposing figure in the women’s
division. Smackdown Live! seems like the destined home for the returning
Samoan. Not only would she be able to thrive in a more competitive division,
but she would also have more storyline options. The Usos recently turned heel
and their change in attitude is promising to say the least. Many may not
remember this, but when The Usos debuted in WWE, they were heels and Tamina was
their manager. Their feud with The Hart Foundation is a forgotten gem of the
past. Having Tamina return as their manager would provide more intrigue to
their act and who knows? Maybe they can snag the tag titles while Tamina is the
Women’s Champion in the very near future.
Luke
Harper
Next
to Cesaro, Luke Harper is one of the most underrated Superstars on WWE’s roster
today. He is also arguably the most successful member of The Wyatt Family
because he is the only one to win a championship within the group. After
suffering a severe knee injury during a dark match earlier this year, he has been
sidelined ever since.
Harper has since been
medically cleared to compete and his return to WWE should take place any day
now. Out of all of the returning Superstars, Luke Harper has the highest
ceiling and his possibilities are endless if he is given the opportunity to
succeed. It is difficult to predict which brand he will head to because his
character could go in a number of directions from a creative standpoint. During
the initial split of The Wyatt Family, Harper proved that he could thrive as a
singles competitor when he defeated Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental
Championship in November 2014. Even though he dropped the title back to Ziggler
27 days later, their showdown at TLC the following month was enough to prove
Harper’s worth in the company.
Going
to Smackdown Live! seems like the next logical path for Harper. He can reunite
with Bray Wyatt and Erick Rowan to bring back the original trio of The Wyatt Family
because they have not reached their full potential as a group even though they
have been on the main roster for a little over three years. He is the workhorse
of the group and can perform moves that typical men of his size can’t pull off.
Even though Rowan has shown tremendous growth since the brand extension, he
still has a very low ceiling as opposed to Harper. This can be very intriguing
for Harper’s return, though. Wyatt has called on Rowan to do his dirty work for
him and Rowan has failed every time. Wyatt has walked away from the White Sheep
at times and after Randy Orton decimated Rowan last week on Smackdown Live!, the clown-painted sheep mask left
in the middle of the ring was the lone image of the segment. Wyatt has teased
dissension within the family, but when Harper returns, what will happen? Harper
has always been loyal to The Eater of Worlds while Rowan has never been shy to
venture out on his own. Will Harper
return to lay waste to Rowan? Will Harper come back and attack Wyatt in order
to help Rowan? Or will the Wyatt Family simply coexist with no issues
whatsoever? If any of these storylines take place, they can all be promising if
booked correctly.
Although
heading to Smackdown Live! seems to be the most logical destination for Luke
Harper, logic and WWE never seem to go hand in hand. Going to RAW wouldn’t
necessarily be a bad thing for Harper at all. Many of his independent circuit
peers reside on WWE’s flagship show. His potential wars with Sami Zayn, Cesaro,
Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and Finn Bálor are mouthwatering to any diehard professional
wrestling fan as he has feuded with most of them in the past. Also, Braun
Strowman is in serious need of a legitimate opponent. Unknown local enhancement
talents, including internet favorite James Ellsworth have outshined
Strowman. This Sunday’s Clash of
Champions event would be the perfect opportunity for Harper to return. Have
Strowman destroy his opponent with ease. He can pick up a microphone and call
out someone from the back for a real challenge. Harper can return and give
Strowman a run for his money. The bout can end in a count out or a
disqualification in order to further the rivalry. Harper can express his anger
towards Strowman the following night on RAW by saying that he felt replaced
during his absence. Not only would this scenario give Harper direction
immediately upon his return from injury, it allow fans to see a new side of him
that they haven’t seen before.
Harper
has proved that he is a valuable asset to WWE whether he returns to the Wyatt
Family on Smackdown Live! or ventures out on his own once again on RAW.
Emma
The
Melbourne, Australia native has had an odd career in WWE. She found success in
NXT as a bubbly airhead who possessed an impressive repertoire of crowd-pleasing
moves. Unfortunately, that success did not translate to the main roster where
she seemed destined to be a comedic act alongside Santino Marella. After
Marella’s untimely injury followed by his release, Emma was in limbo. She went
back to her roots in NXT and turned into an Aviator-wearing badass heel with an
even catchier theme song than her previous one. She partnered up with Dana
Brooke and they developed good chemistry that carried over to the main roster.
Emma finally found her footing within the company and a promising feud with
Becky Lynch seemed underway.
Sadly, Emma
suffered a back injury during a live event that required surgery in May. Brooke
has found success as Charlotte’s wimpy protégé who is destined for a huge
babyface turn and monster push, but where does that leave Emma? She recently
returned as a guest referee at a live event which suggests that she is
returning to action sooner rather than later. Having her return to RAW without reuniting
with Brooke would be a puzzling move, but with Summer Rae being the latest
addition to WWE’s injury report, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad move because
she would be able to forge her own path as a singles star without Brooke weighing
her down.
If Emma joined Smackdown
Live!, not only can she resume her rivalry with Smackdown Women’s Champion
Becky Lynch, she can also be on the same brand as her real -life boyfriend Zack
Ryder. Since her character still needs to be fleshed out, going to either brand
would be a good move for Emma.
Honorable
Mention: Jack Gallagher
The
English Gentleman Jack Gallagher captivated the audience in the inaugural
Cruiserweight Classic. Even though Akira Tozawa eliminated him in the second
round of the tournament, many believed that would not be the end of his run in
WWE. He was featured in vignettes for RAW’s Cruiserweight Division which seemed
to suggest that he would be a member of the red brand. However, Daniel Bryan’s
admiration for him during the tournament might lend itself to the possibility
of Gallagher heading to the blue brand instead. Daniel Bryan spoke very highly
of the young gentleman during an episode of Talking Smack a few weeks ago. If
the GM speaks that highly of him, it would make sense for him and Shane McMahon
to sign Gallagher to their roster. Not every Cruiserweight has to be a part of
RAW. Just take a look at Kalisto for
example. Jack Gallagher has a unique look and his technical prowess mixed with high-risk
offense is a spectacular thing to watch. This gentleman can be a low-key
breakout star in WWE.
Speaking of
gentlemen, there are two manly individuals on the Smackdown Live! roster who
can significantly benefit from Gallagher’s presence: Aiden English and Simon
Gotch of The Vaudevillians. The duo found great success in NXT as both babyfaces
and heels. Much like Emma, their success in NXT did not carry over to the main
roster, but they’re not to blame. With no build up whatsoever and a debut on
Smackdown prior to the brand extension, the duo was doomed to be glorified
jobbers. Gotch’s backstage heat doesn’t help either. With their initial push
being snuffed out quicker than Tyler Breeze’s, The Vaudevillians never had a
chance to impress management despite their commendable qualities. They are tremendous
performers, but their gimmick can be hard to grasp on the main stage.
Introducing Gallagher to their act would be a genius idea to get the tandem
over. In an already heel-dominated tag team division on Smackdown Live!,
bringing in Gallagher can make them babyfaces. Let’s face it, Gallagher is way
too likeable to ever be considered villainous.
However,
all signs point to Jack Gallagher being a part of RAW’s Cruiserweight Division,
but taking a chance and pairing him with The Vaudevillians would be a risk
worth taking as well.
Where do you think
WWE’s top free agents will land? Let us know below!
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