Pro wrestling is a wild, ever-changing medium, with free agents, crazy booking, new promotions, hot angles, and real-life drama occurring on a regular basis. Whether it be WWE, AEW, New Japan, Impact, or any other promotion, there are more wrestlers that anyone knows what to do with nowadays.
With so much talent spread across a plethora of wrestling companies, the bar has been raised for those looking to leave their mark on the professional wrestling industry as a whole, even more so for those wanting a lasting legacy for years to come. Unfortunately, everyone cannot be relevant forever, and for some, the clock is ticking.
10 Carmella
After being called up from NXT during the WWE Draft in 2016, Carmella found herself on her own for the first time in a while. The Princess of Staten Island struggled for a bit to breakout on her own, but eventually found success as a heel with James Ellsworth as her lackey.
Controversially, Carmella would win the inaugural Women's Money in the Bank thanks to Ellsworth (and then by herself), and then would hold the briefcase for almost a year before cashing in on Charlotte Flair to win the SmackDown Women's Championship, then beating Asuka repeatedly in her defenses, before then losing the belt back to Flair. Since then, she hasn't been much of a priority in the company at all, and she hasn't improved at her craft. It is safe to say Carmella's time as one of the top stars in WWE is done and over with.
9 Master Wato
Having the unfortunate task of debuting during New Japan's early COVID-19, no-crowd arena shows, Master Wato returned from excursion during the summer of 2020 and immediately fell flat with fans. Being saddled with a ridiculous look, including bright blue hair and gear that looked like pajamas, Wato stood out like a sore thumb on a loaded NJPW roster.
In the two years since, Wato has failed to win any notable singles match given to him, and has often looked unimpressive during his big-time bouts. While he has captured the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, that appears to be his ceiling despite being so young. In terms of young prospects, Master Wato does not seem to be a strong contender for one to keep an eye on.
8 Alexa Bliss
A polarizing figure amongst WWE fans, Alexa Bliss made her main roster debut in 2016, being called up from WWE NXT before ever accomplishing much on the black & bold brand. From there, she had a meteoric rise, being pushed hard out of the gate, becoming a 5-time WWE Women's World Champion in the process, with a notable "reign of terror" during her time as champion.
Bliss has not held a singles championship since 2018, likely due to her injuries piling up and requiring time off. While she has still remained on WWE TV, her appearances are sporadic, and she very rarely wrestles in singles competition. Alexa is a surefire candidate for the WWE Hall of Fame, but unfortunately, her time as one of the biggest stars in women's wrestling may have come to an end.
7 Moose
In 5 years, the current Impact Wrestling World Champion, Moose, will be 42 years old. While he is currently having the run of his career nowadays in Impact Wrestling, it has taken quite a bit of time for him to get there. Likely dropping his championship to Josh Alexander at Rebellion 2022, Moose's time as Impact's top guy seems to be coming to an end.
While it has been great to see Moose's rise in Impact in recent years, it arguably should have happened sooner. Unfortunately for Moose, he does not appear to be getting better with age. After he loses his world title, he could very well slide back down the ladder in Impact with bigger heels like Honor No More and Bullet Club now taking over, causing his spotlight to dwindle.
6 Britt Baker
Another polarizing figure in women's wrestling, AEW's Britt Baker remains a hot button topic amongst AEW's fans and their biggest critics. Baker, while a great character, is not the best wrestler and has failed to elevate any of her opponents during her time as champion, while also under-delivering in her matches.
While Baker has become the face of AEW's women's division, that is something that is very likely to change in the coming months and years. With AEW building up young stars like Anna Jay, Tay Conti, Riho, Kris Statlander, and Jamie Hayter, investing in long-term projects like Jade Cargill and Paige VanZant, and adding new roster members, Baker's time in the spotlight will dwindle once she drops her title. It remains to be seen how she will factor into AEW in the long run, though she will never reach the heights of her World Championship run.
5 The Butcher & The Blade
With AEW's ever-expanding tag team division, The Butcher & The Blade have fallen off from where they once were. Whether it be due to The Butcher's injuries or touring schedule with Every Time I Die, the team has never managed to find major success within the loaded tag division.
While they likely will remain within AEW for years to come, this duo will likely be seen as the "good hands" of AEW, where they put on good matches but never get the championship during their time with the company, and likely will leave little long-lasting impact.
4 Tenille Dashwood
Breaking out after being released by WWE, Tenille Dashwood has spent time in both Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling, though she has failed to capture the singles gold that many assumed awaited her, after floundering in both her WWE main roster runs.
Unfortunately saddled with injuries and health issues, Dashwood's career trajectory has been all over the place for the past few years. The hype behind her has also faded in the years since, and she just feels like a regular person rather than the star she seemed to be during NXT.
3 Adam Scherr
Few men have fallen off harder than the former Braun Strowman, who went from a marquee match at WrestleMania against Goldberg for the Universal Championship, to being released and now attached to the controversial Control Your Narrative brand.
Once looked at as a future multi-time world champion, Adam Scherr's WWE career fell off hard, in a way that many would not predict before his release from the company. With a steep drop in popularity, rumors of him not coming to terms with Impact Wrestling, and now solely being involved with CYN, Scherr looks to continue his downward slope into obscurity.
2 Brandi Rhodes
Arguable the most polarizing name in women's wrestling aside from Charlotte Flair, Brandi Rhodes made her exit from AEW in early 2022, alongside her husband, Cody Rhodes. While Cody seems like a lock for arriving back in WWE, all reports point to Brandi not returning alongside him.
Whether she decides to continue wrestling on her own or moving into a new field, potentially acting, Brandi's wrestling career will be long forgotten by many by the time 2027 rolls around. Anytime she wrestled in AEW, she was met with extremely negative reactions by fans in the building and by those online, having not improved despite years of training.
1 Austin Aries
The less said about Austin Aries in 2022, the better, as the once extremely promising ROH and Impact star, has found himself in the news regularly, often for the wrong reasons. Whether it be posing with children with tinfoil hats on, admitting to misconduct on Twitter while also suggesting it is not a big deal, or sharing his often controversial opinions, Aries' star has fallen significantly.
Attached to the controversial Control Your Narrative (CYN) brand has only added to the issues that fans have taken up with Aries in recent times. While his time in Impact will be remembered fondly by most, the next several years of Aries' career will likely be forgotten by most when all is said and done.