Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
Wyatt and Balor are two perfect examples of stars who don't appear to be in line for a push anytime soon. For a wide variety of reasons, whether that be a lack of in-ring ability or not being "over" with the crowd, we see the pushes of many stars fade away. That remains true even for some incredibly talented performers who have reached the promised land and won a world title, which is quite the accomplishment but one that no longer guarantees long-term success.
On the flip side, for every couple of stars who lose the backing of the creative team and the push that comes along with it, there is another star or two who is elevated up the card as a result. This is something that will always remain true as we've seen over the years that stars like Jinder Mahal can skyrocket from the lower card to the main event in the blink of an eye even though perhaps no one outside of Mahal himself saw it coming.
Typically, though, when stars suddenly or gradually rise up the ranks, we can see it coming, and there is good reasoning behind it. Here are five stars WWE is likely to elevate up the card in a major way in 2018.
Matt And Jeff Hardy
Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
It looks like Matt Hardy's legal battle with Anthem Sports over the "Broken" trademark is in the rearview mirror, so Matt has officially become "Woken" in WWE.
That will be the name of Matt's "Broken" gimmick in WWE, which company officials feel could be a huge merchandise seller (and rightfully so). "Broken" Matt was arguably the most innovative and captivating gimmick in all of pro wrestling in 2016, and with the WWE machine finally able to legally get behind it, expect the recently overlooked Matt, along with his brother Jeff, to get a massive push to help get the gimmick over with a new audience.
The December 4th edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that both Matt and Jeff are expected to use the "Woken" gimmick in WWE when Jeff returns from injury, which Jeff himself has said should happen by April 2018. Jeff was one of WWE's most popular stars and best merchandise sellers during his singles run in 2009, and judging by the overwhelmingly positive reaction they've received since returning at WrestleMania 34, he and Matt together as the "Woken Hardys" will become a huge force to be reckoned with under the WWE banner.
Yes, the booking of Matt and Jeff has been up-and-down since their return back in April. But with Jeff's popularity likely to soar upon his return (plus the likelihood that the "Woken" gimmick takes off), 2018 could be a tremendous year for the Hardys, who will be pushed as WWE's top tag team and potentially as top singles acts as well, especially with Vince McMahon being a huge fan of the gimmick.
Elias
Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
Elias is one of those unique stars who didn't do much in NXT but has been surprisingly successful on the main roster.
With a clear lack of heels on Raw and especially now with The Miz currently on hiatus, WWE has pushed Elias to the upper midcard and it has worked out shockingly well. Elias has been incredibly entertaining, is constantly improving, continues to be one of WWE's most hated heels and has been labeled a breakout star by fans and critics alike. After all, Elias' gimmick certainly isn't a fresh or innovative one, but he's knocked it out of the park every time he's been featured in a major segment.
Most of WWE's biggest YouTube draws appear to be heels from Raw, and now that Elias settled into a role as a solid upper midcarder, he could soon join that group as one of WWE's most must-see villains, as evidenced by his recent segment with Braun Strowman generating a very impressive 1.6 million YouTube views. At the very least, he is showing tremendous potential to a reliable star who will challenge for midcard titles and have a consistent and prominent spot on TV, and just by doing that, he will exceed any and all expectations anyone had of him when he first made his way to the main roster.
But the more that Elias appears in major TV segments, the more hated he gets, which should solidify him as a focal point of the red brand for the foreseeable future and presumably set him up for a ton of success in 2018.
">WWE will never be able to push everyone at once. Just ask Finn Balor or Bray Wyatt.
Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
Wyatt and Balor are two perfect examples of stars who don't appear to be in line for a push anytime soon. For a wide variety of reasons, whether that be a lack of in-ring ability or not being "over" with the crowd, we see the pushes of many stars fade away. That remains true even for some incredibly talented performers who have reached the promised land and won a world title, which is quite the accomplishment but one that no longer guarantees long-term success.
On the flip side, for every couple of stars who lose the backing of the creative team and the push that comes along with it, there is another star or two who is elevated up the card as a result. This is something that will always remain true as we've seen over the years that stars like Jinder Mahal can skyrocket from the lower card to the main event in the blink of an eye even though perhaps no one outside of Mahal himself saw it coming.
Typically, though, when stars suddenly or gradually rise up the ranks, we can see it coming, and there is good reasoning behind it. Here are five stars WWE is likely to elevate up the card in a major way in 2018.
Matt And Jeff Hardy
Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
It looks like Matt Hardy's legal battle with Anthem Sports over the "Broken" trademark is in the rearview mirror, so Matt has officially become "Woken" in WWE.
That will be the name of Matt's "Broken" gimmick in WWE, which company officials feel could be a huge merchandise seller (and rightfully so). "Broken" Matt was arguably the most innovative and captivating gimmick in all of pro wrestling in 2016, and with the WWE machine finally able to legally get behind it, expect the recently overlooked Matt, along with his brother Jeff, to get a massive push to help get the gimmick over with a new audience.
The December 4th edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that both Matt and Jeff are expected to use the "Woken" gimmick in WWE when Jeff returns from injury, which Jeff himself has said should happen by April 2018. Jeff was one of WWE's most popular stars and best merchandise sellers during his singles run in 2009, and judging by the overwhelmingly positive reaction they've received since returning at WrestleMania 34, he and Matt together as the "Woken Hardys" will become a huge force to be reckoned with under the WWE banner.
Yes, the booking of Matt and Jeff has been up-and-down since their return back in April. But with Jeff's popularity likely to soar upon his return (plus the likelihood that the "Woken" gimmick takes off), 2018 could be a tremendous year for the Hardys, who will be pushed as WWE's top tag team and potentially as top singles acts as well, especially with Vince McMahon being a huge fan of the gimmick.
Elias
Credit: WWE.comCredit: WWE.com
Elias is one of those unique stars who didn't do much in NXT but has been surprisingly successful on the main roster.
With a clear lack of heels on Raw and especially now with The Miz currently on hiatus, WWE has pushed Elias to the upper midcard and it has worked out shockingly well. Elias has been incredibly entertaining, is constantly improving, continues to be one of WWE's most hated heels and has been labeled a breakout star by fans and critics alike. After all, Elias' gimmick certainly isn't a fresh or innovative one, but he's knocked it out of the park every time he's been featured in a major segment.
Most of WWE's biggest YouTube draws appear to be heels from Raw, and now that Elias settled into a role as a solid upper midcarder, he could soon join that group as one of WWE's most must-see villains, as evidenced by his recent segment with Braun Strowman generating a very impressive 1.6 million YouTube views. At the very least, he is showing tremendous potential to a reliable star who will challenge for midcard titles and have a consistent and prominent spot on TV, and just by doing that, he will exceed any and all expectations anyone had of him when he first made his way to the main roster.
But the more that Elias appears in major TV segments, the more hated he gets, which should solidify him as a focal point of the red brand for the foreseeable future and presumably set him up for a ton of success in 2018.
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