10 Unbelievable WWE Superstar Burials

Just over a year ago, I had graduated high school, Jinder Mahal was WWE Champion and Brock Lesnar was Universal Champion. While some things change, others stay the same. Unfortunately, the roles of certain WWE Superstars have changed for the worst. In this list, I rattle off 10 wrestlers who WWE has managed to bury in one year’s time.

10. Finn Balor

You could go back two years ago for Finn Balor because he still hasn’t gotten his rematch for the Universal Title. Don’t worry, going back one year is enough. Summer 2017 was a forgettable for the Demon King as he feuded with Bray Wyatt, and then the rest of the year consisted of inconsistent booking. He hasn’t fared very well this year, either, losing in the Intercontinental Title triple threat at WrestleMania 34 before languishing in this never-ending feud with Constable Corbin. Since coming back from injury, Balor has been completely lost in the shuffle despite constant positive fan reaction. If he couldn’t do anything on Raw, then WWE should have at least put him on SmackDown.

9. Bobby Roode

As a babyface, the Glorious One has been bland on the main roster, failing to reach the momentum he had as a villain in NXT. The highlight of his run has been a brief United States Championship reign; now he’s in danger of jobbing to Mojo Rawley in a feud that is being watered down by 50/50 booking.

8. Sanity

Yes, if you still remember them, they are on SmackDown. There isn’t much evidence to support that as they’ve been missing from the Tag Team Title picture. This isn’t the typical burial as far as being squashed in all your TV time – it’s more of a “I don’t care about you” burial. This is a far cry from their NXT run. Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain were part of War Games and felt like they were slowly transitioning to a roster call-up, but it’s just not the same flavor. Their partner Nikki Cross has not even joined them yet, which could spell trouble.

7. The IIconics

Billie Kay and Peyton Royce were one of the hottest acts in the NXT women’s division. Their character work has grown and their in-ring work has become solid. Neither of them were going to become NXT Women’s Champion, but that was due to timing and the nature of their partnership. Their SmackDown debut was decent, as they mocked Charlotte and left her laying for Carmella to cash in. Unfortunately, that has been the peak of their run. They have been left off pay-per-views and have been slowly integrated into jobber roles. Money in the Bank could have been an opportunity for either Billie or Peyton to have a breakout performance, but Billie Kay was jobbed out to fucking Lana in the qualifying matches.

6. The SmackDown Women’s Division

A dance-off between Lana and Naomi…an actual match between Lana and Zelina Vega…Carmella as champion. What the hell has happened? Charlotte is an upgrade compared to Natalya as champion, but after that, nothing makes sense. Becky Lynch has been portrayed as someone who can’t get the job done. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are just footnotes in the program. Don’t get me started on Billie Kay and Peyton Royce again. Since when is Lana on the same level as her competitors? Carmella remains one of the least improved performers, and she can only perform a kick.

5. Daniel Bryan

All seemed right in the world when WWE doctors miraculously cleared Daniel Bryan. He was going to tag with Shane McMahon against Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, but then there was an injury angle to make Shane look tough by fighting alone. Bryan eventually returned, but it seemed botched. He got a match on SmackDown against AJ Styles, that although was only 10 minutes, was still nice to see.

And then, faster than anyone could expect, Bryan’s return went downhill. He ended up in a feud with Big Cass of all people, which wasted everybody’s time as Cass was fired before the feud was even over. Then Bryan joined Kane for a brief Team Hell No reunion, which has transitioned into the match everyone wants to see…at WrestleMania. Instead, WWE hotshotted Bryan vs. Miz for SummerSlam. Although he’s going to be featured in WWE 2K19, a new deal hasn’t been announced and it appears Bryan may be leaving WWE for good this time.

4. Matt Hardy

While his brother Jeff has had a smooth transition into singles competition, the same can’t be said for Matt. After a slow, awkward transition into Woken Matt Hardy, a feud with Bray Wyatt became a case of too little, too late. If WWE had booked Wyatt properly over the past year, it could have been a fascinating collision of universes rather than the goofy midcard shenanigan that it was. When they finally faced off at Raw 25, it was simply filler and forgotten.

What could have been a fight on Bourbon Street between a reunited Wyatt Family against the Broken Hardys was instead an Ultimate Deletion match that vanished Wyatt until Mania, when he nonsensically joined forces with Hardy. Their Tag Team Title run was ended by the B Team, which is just ridiculous. Now speculation is rapid that Matt is going to retire due to his hip and pelvis fusing together.

3. Asuka

How the mighty have fallen.

A year ago, Asuka was riding a 500-day undefeated streak in addition to being the longest-reigning NXT Women’s Champion. After an epic match with Ember Moon at last year’s NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, the Empress of Tomorrow had to relinquish the title as she set her sights on the Raw women’s division. She toiled outside of the title picture, gathering wins in somewhat convincing fashion, before making history as the winner of the inaugural Women’s Royal Rumble.

And that was the worst thing to ever happen to Asuka. Instead of challenging Alexa Bliss, she switched brands and faced Charlotte. While the match was incredible, the result was shocking, and in hindsight, terrible. No longer undefeated, Asuka has suffered a couple of losses to Carmella and even finds herself off of SummerSlam.

2. Braun Strowman

Not even amazing demonstrations of strength can keep Braun off this list. Despite winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, Strowman has lost a ton of momentum since last year. He has gone from challenging for the Universal Title to a silly feud with Kevin Owens. He went from being the surefire pick to finally topple Brock Lesnar to being the jolly giant teaming with children. While his partnership with Alexa Bliss in the Mixed Match Challenge was entertaining, it shed some of his monster aura. Although he won the Greatest Royal Rumble, much like the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, the victory means nothing.

Strowman has become less monster, more man.

1. Shinsuke Nakamura

What a bumpy road to WrestleMania for Shinsuke Nakamura. After losing to Jinder Mahal, Nakamura’s chances of facing Styles on the big stage didn’t look good. Somehow, someway, he outlasted 29 other men at the Royal Rumble and earned a title shot against the Phenomenal One. Well, the match failed to live up to the hype, but the immediate aftermath lit a spark under the Japanese sensation.

Nakamura shockingly turned heel, low blowing Styles and adding some much-needed depth to his character. Their WWE Championship match at the Greatest Royal Rumble was just filler, and then their rematch at Backlash ended in a disappointing double countout. Finally, Styles put Nakamura away in a great match at Money in the Bank. In this rivalry, he was just used to enhance Styles’ title reign, and that’s a shame. Some would argue he served his purpose against Mahal, but the modern-day Maharaja was simply a failed marketing project. Now as U.S. Champ, Nakamura still feels like a side piece next to Randy Orton.