Wrestlers come and go in WWE and whilst some are given major opportunities before they eventually walk away from the big time, some are never provided with many chances to prove themselves in front of the masses on TV. Some wrestlers have become huge stars from just a small moment of TV time, being given their chance to prove themselves, whilst others squander and do their best with just small segments here and there.

Right now the WWE's locker room is arguably bigger than it has ever been and because of that, opportunities are few and far between, despite the fact that they are running longer shows than ever before. With talent always looking to move up from NXT, wrestlers are under major pressure to perform with whatever chances they are provided. Which also puts pressure on WWE creative to put the most exciting stories possible forward.

Due to that, some wrestlers are totally taken from television, because they are not doing the job needed or not getting over with the audience, whilst others wrestlers are given major chances. This article will look at eight wrestlers who have been taken off TV in recent months, as well as looking at eight stars who are set to lose some TV time in the near future.

16 16. Recently Disappeared: Neville

Photo: WWE.com

Neville... the man that WWE has forgotten. It is such a shame that the King of the Cruiserweights is now no longer being used on television, as he really is one of the greatest wrestlers in the works, regardless of weight class.

The things that the former Cruiserweight Champion can do in the ring are breathtaking to see and the heel persona that he has created was really working with fans. Whether the fact he is on TV is his doing or WWE’s, the one that fans will agree on is a waste. Neville has all the talent to make a run on the main roster work, potentially as a strong mid-card talent, but it’s clear that his future doesn’t belong in WWE anymore, meaning fans will just have to get excited for a run on the indies from him

15 15. Will Soon: Sheamus

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Sheamus has had something of a career resurgence as of late. Though he has had a very respectable career, his recent run could potentially be called his best. After teaming up with the ever popular Cesaro to form The Bar, the duo have taken over the Tag Team division. The fans can't get enough of them!

But recently Sheamus revealed that not everything is going great for the Irish grappler. In fact he actually revealed that he is suffering from s form of spinal stenosis. It is surprising that WWE allows him to compete considering how serious the injury can be. He has shown that he does exercises to cope with the ailment, but this may end up causing him to lose TV time to avoid an unfortunate accident.

14 14. Recently Disappeared: Dolph Ziggler

The Showoff recently disappeared and is the most obvious person on this list as he was taken away from television as a champion in a decision to make a brand new storyline out of it. Whilst Dolph Ziggler will be returning at some point to likely feud whoever wins the United States Championship tournament, for right now. Ziggler is being given some much needed time away from TV.

Every talent eventually gets time from television, either through injury, for filming or because creative has no plans for them, but Ziggler has always been a consistent presence on TV and what should be positive has actually hurt him over the years.

13 13. Will Soon: The Brian Kendrick

Photo: WWE.com

During the beginning of WWE's push for cruiserweight wrestling, The Brian Kendrick was one of the main focal points and was given a run with the belt and plenty of opportunities on Raw and 205 Live.

However, as WWE desperately attempts to save the show, Kendrick has been used less and less as WWE focuses on main roster collaborations with the likes of Kalisto, Enzo Amore and Hideo Itami now being given more of a run. Given Kendrick's age, his time on television is likely going to be less, with his ability as a coach potentially something that WWE can now focus on.

12 12. Recently Disappeared: Paige

The return of Paige as the leader of Absolution was nothing short of awesome. The WWE Universe waited for what felt like an eternity for Paige to return. When she finally did come back, it was clear the company had big plans for her. They gave her a stable and it appeared she was headed back toward superstardom and the main event picture.

Instead the impossible happened. Tragedy struck (literally) when Paige took a bump at a live event. It was a kick that was unexpected and caused a serious neck injury. Her status was unknown until recently. Reports are swirling that Paige is done as an in-ring performer for WWE. Speculation has already begun about whether she will stay with the company of try to continue wrestling with another promotion.

11 11. Will Soon: Kane

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He might currently be involved in the main event storyline that will see him compete in a triple threat for the Universal Championship at the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV, but Kane's time on television does have an expiration date.

Whilst he is older, the Big Red Machine can still put on a performance Kane’s career in politics is in full swing right now and very soon the experienced wrestler will need to put his full attention into his campaign, which means he won’t have the time to commit to wrestling on a regular basis anymore. Whilst he might not retire just yet, this current storyline does feel like it’s setting up a perfect goodbye to Kane, with one final run at the top, putting over a monster of tomorrow

10 10. Recently Disappeared:  R Truth

Photo: WWE.com

It's been a while since we have seen the WWE veteran on TV and it is actually quite surprising that he has been around this long as it has been a long time since he did anything relevant to the program. Although his experience is something that the company probably appreciate, when there are so many good talents in NXT, it makes sense that he gets less time on television in order to let them flourish.

Truth hasn’t been used on Raw for some time now and it’s likely that most people haven’t even noticed his absence, which says it all. He has served the company well and done a good job every time he was given a chance, but that time has come to an end. Now Truth’s role is spent working on live events to work the live crowd and compete in mixed tag matches, with TV time coming very sparingly.

9 9. Will Soon: Goldust

Photo: WWE.com

R-Truth's former tag team partner may soon be following him on the road of disappearing from television soon as there is currently no real role for him on the show. Resigned to doing jobs for higher talent, Goldust's most recent role has been to help out the struggling 205 Live superstars by teaming with Cedric Alexander, it feels like creative are running out of ideas for the wrestling legend.

WWE did try to give him one final push with his heel turn on Truth that never amounted to anything and now that’s all over and he has slid back into his legend role, it’s likely that he will soon transition into other roles for the company in a similar way to Mark Henry, until an eventual Hall of Fame ring is placed on his finger.

8 8. Recently Disappeared: Dana Brooke

Photo: YouTube.com

Technically, Dana Brooke is actually getting more television time in her current Titus Worldwide role than she has been in recent months, but in terms of in-ring wrestling, Brooke has been taken away from the ring.

Brooke began to struggle making an impact when she was taken away from Emma and considering the fact she is quite green in the ring, taking her out of the limelight might be a decision that works out for the best in the long run. Now working with Titus Worldwide recording stats, Brooke is able to explore her personality and focus and maybe one day down the line return to an in-ring career.

7 7. Will Soon: Big Show

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The World's Largest Athlete is one of the biggest legends in wrestling and is arguably the greatest 'big man' in the history of the business and in 2017 he was given plenty of opportunities on Raw.

However, moving forward when he returns from his injury, it is unlikely that Show will be given the same amount of opportunities as he was previously. With Braun Strowman now taking charge as the main giant in wrestling. For Big Show, there could be one more run left for him, something that he certainly deserves, but don't expect to see him as frequently as in previous years.

6 6. Recently Disappeared: Mike & Maria Kanellis

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The power of love might be strong but it hasn't managed to set the world alight. When people heard about the potential signing of Mike Kanellis the wrestling fan community was buzzing about what they could bring to the table after being an entertaining act around the world.

However, for whatever reason after a very small push, WWE seems to have all but given up on them. Whilst Maria is understandably away due to pregnancy, the company has pushed Mike’s battle against addiction, something they could have portrayed on television to promote him as a top face. Ultimately, the biggest mistake WWE made was not putting Mike in NXT and giving him the chance to develop his character before a main roster push, but he has been used that badly that hitting the restart button with an NXT run might be the best thing for him.

5 5. Will Soon: Mickie James

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When WWE brought Mickie James back it was a big deal and could have led to a major push for the experienced wrestler who has done so much for women's wrestling, however, things haven't quite played out that way for James.

Since coming back she has been given a few opportunities but only sparingly, mainly been used to fill time and take the pinfall in order to protect other talents such as Bayley and Sasha Banks. Moving forward there are likely going to be more opportunities for other female talents over her and with other people set to be pushed from NXT, James could be the one to lose her spot.

4 4. Recently Disappeared: Sin Cara

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During the final months of 2017, it seemed that WWE has remembered Sin Cara was actually still part of the WWE roster and began using him again in a TV feud with then, US Champion, Baron Corbin. Sin Cara did a good job with what he was given and began to get over with fans and then in the next moment, he was gone, no longer even being used on TV for some reason.

Whilst he won’t be the next Rey Mysterio, he still has good wrestling abilities and the chance to be a solid mid-card hand if treated right. Given the lack of main roster crossover talents in 205 Live, the fact he hasn’t been out on that brand yet is a strange decision and 2018 could be the year WWE pulls the trigger on that move, giving him regular tv time.

3 3. Will Soon: The Ascension

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Right now, The Ascension is going through arguably their greatest run as a tag team on the main roster after struggling for so long, despite being one of the most dominant teams in NXT history.

Working alongside Breezango they have been able to show their comedic abilities and been granted TV time, yet WWE has begun to slow down on the push of Breezango lately, which means less time for everyone involved. Whilst Breezango will be okay due to their popularity and ability, The Ascension might not be so lucky, with their future on television being more questionable.

2 2. Recently Disappeared: Tye Dillinger

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The Perfect 10 has had a hard a difficult time adjusting to life on the main roster and hasn’t really had any meaningful feud to get stuck into since being called up at the Royal Rumble almost a year ago.

It’s a major shame that Tye Dillinger is being held back so much as he had gained an incredible amount of momentum before he left NXT that it seemed only big things were in his future. Yet for whatever reason, creative just don’t seem to have anything for him to do. He might pop up on television every now and then for a match or two but they are always meaningless and end in him staring at the lights, which isn’t how anybody thought things would go for him.

1 1. Will Soon: Zack Ryder

Photo: WWE.com

History would tell you that it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Zack Ryder disappear from television sometime in the near future. Anytime he is pushed or given a story, the minute it ends it feels like creative always totally pull him from TV in order to hit restart.

Right now, Ryder is stuck in a similar situation to where he has been so many times before, coming off the break of Hype Bros, it is clear that WWE doesn’t have any plans for him, pushing Mojo Rawley over him instead. The fact that WWE believes in Rawley over the incredibly popular Ryder is a strong sign that his future is not clear, so seeing him begin to lose some TV time wouldn’t be a surprise in the slightest.