The WWE has been on top of the wrestling world for the past two decades, ever since WCW folded, and although there’s always been the consistent faces at the top of the card (Cena, Orton, Batista, Triple H etc.), there has been a lot of turnover in talent, and they’ve now settled on what is perhaps the most talented roster in the history of the company. Unfortunately, no one beats Father Time, and over the next five years, you should expect to see a lot more changes in personnel in the WWE, whether it be due to age, lack of opportunities or poor booking.

So while some top performers will be leaving, others will be the new consistent faces at the top of the card, and today we are going to look at both sides of that coin, and explore 10 top stars from the current WWE who will be around in five years, and 10 that will leave for one reason or another.

(Author's note: This refers to people being regular on-screen performers, so someone under the "won’t" category may be backstage as an agent, but not on our screens, thus their spot on the list.)

20 Won’t – John Cena

We know John Cena has been the heart and soul of WWE ever since he debuted with the company 16 years ago, and although he promised the crowd that unlike The Rock, he was never going away, he’s beginning to do just that, to the point where in a recent interview, Cena claimed that missing a WrestleMania wouldn’t bother him too much anymore. Sure, he will be around in some capacity, but it’s likely to be less than two three big matches a year. With so many stars coming from NXT, that will leave him plenty of fresh matches in that limited time. Cena is never leaving WWE, but like The Rock, he isn’t going to be around very much, and that alone is worthy of giving him a spot on this list.

19 Will - Elias

When we saw Elias Samson in NXT, most people thought that while the character had potential, he just wasn’t good enough to succeed in NXT, let alone Monday Night RAW. But with a Vince McMahon stroke of genius, he sent him to the main roster, and a year later, Elias (now with no last name) is one of the most over acts in all of the WWE. Sure, he’s still got work to do before becoming a main event act in the WWE, but right now, he brings genuine heel heat that’s hard to find in wrestling these days, and when the character and the man’s skills develop together, he will be a megastar. That transition isn’t going to take weeks or months, but likely years, so five years from now, I imagine that he will be a main event player, still under the employment of the World Wrestling Entertainment brand.

18 Won’t – Bayley

When coming up from NXT, Bayley was one of the hottest young talents in recent WWE memory, but as many fans expected they would, the WWE have mismanaged her booking since arriving on Monday Night RAW, and despite the reasonable championship success she’s had, her character has just been terrible, and hasn’t gotten over. The fans just don’t care about her, and with so many people passing her over like Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax and Ronda Rousey, it’s unlikely they’ll ever be able to book her well enough to get her to the level she’s meant to be at, and it’s probably best if she moves on. Sure, she won’t have the platform that the WWE provides her, but she will be much more appreciated on the independent scene, and if she can go on a run similar to that in NXT, she could be back one day, but right now, she’s just being wasted in the WWE.

17 Will – Charlotte

Charlotte may be the daughter of one of the greatest wrestlers in history, and many people believe it was that relationship alone that got her into the WWE, but over the past 4 years, she has proven that she is by far the best female wrestler in the world, and she’s on course to become the greatest female performer in history, and the only way she can achieve that feat is if she stays put in the WWE. It’s not like there will be a problem with her booking either, as the WWE know how great she is, and manage to keep her in fantastic programs, and with so many talented girls down in NXT ready to break out, Flair will have plenty of stories and opponents to keep her going.

16 Won’t – Dean Ambrose

On the independent scene, Jon Moxley was making waves unlike any we’d seen in quite some time, and that’s due to just how electric and real his promos were. Fast forward six or seven years into his career, and Dean Ambrose is just a watered down Moxley. While he’s over, he is nowhere near as good as he truly should be. Sure, he’s a former WWE, Tag Team, Intercontinental and United States Champion, but it’s never felt like the WWE has been behind him at any point throughout that career, and with so many options outside of the WWE, he’s best to take his shot out in the wide open world of professional wrestling. The WWE can prevent this if they book him hot upon return, but they’ve stopped and started with him so many times, and I don’t trust them to keep it up, and you shouldn’t either.

15 Will – Braun Strowman

When Braun Strowman debuted as the Black Sheep of the Wyatt Family, people saw him as just another giant who couldn’t work, but once the brand split hit in 2016, Braun went on to change absolutely everyone’s mind, and he has now become one of the biggest stars in the entire company. Let’s not discredit WWE for their work in this process either, as they’ve booked him incredibly well, and with every amazing feat of strength we see, the fans get behind Strowman just that little bit more, and if they continue to treat him well, there’s no reason for him to leave. Roman Reigns may be challenging for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania, but it’s only a matter of time until The Monster Among Men is holding that top title, and when he does, he will solidify his place as one of, if not the greatest monster in WWE history.

14 Won’t – Cesaro

It’s been said so often to the point of cliché, but the WWE NEEDS to push Cesaro, as he is one of the most talented all-around performers to ever step foot in a WWE ring. No matter what they’ve given to him, he turns it into gold, from The Bar to Kidd & Cesaro to The Real Americans, he just has IT (yes, Vince McMahon, he does). The Bar’s time is definitely limited in the WWE, with Sheamus’ health not at its best, so Cesaro is eventually going to go solo again, and if the WWE don’t immediately push him to the main event, he needs to leave. With ROH and New Japan getting bigger, he has a great platform there to show just what a true star he can be, and with the connections to friends he has outside of the WWE, this is something that should definitely happen.

13 Will – Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura has been wrestling for quite some time, but he’s only been in the WWE for two years, and although he’ll be getting up there in age in five years, he will still have plenty of gas left in the tank, and if the WWE can book him the way that he should be booked, The King of Strong Style should still be at the top of the card. With all the guys coming through NXT, and all the performers on RAW he hasn’t faced, Nak should still have plenty of fresh matchups awaiting him, and although he’ll be winding down, he should still be as charismatic and entertaining as ever. With the fresh blood coming through in New Japan, there will always be the temptation to return there to finish his career, and that will likely come after his long run with the WWE, but one thing is for sure, Nakamura will still be with WWE in five year's time.

12 Won’t – Rusev

Over the years, many performers have managed to get over when WWE management didn’t want them to, and like Zack Ryder, Rusev is one of those men. But as we know, WWE managed to sabotage Ryder’s momentum at any chance they could get, and with Rusev being the most over performer in the company, it seems that they’re trying to do the same thing to him now. Rusev Day is chanted in arenas all around the world, including recently at a Ring of Honor show, but still, the WWE can’t even include Rusev in a United States title match at Fastlane that’s already cluttered and messy as it is, and eventually, he’s going to get sick of it. With Lana by his side, these two could do some serious damage on the independent scene, because he is a fantastic wrestler, and if the WWE do let him walk, it will be one of the biggest missed opportunities in the company’s history.

11 Will – Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens has quickly become one of the most accomplished performers in the WWE, winning the Universal, Intercontinental and United States titles, and although some fans are upset with the way KO has been booked, he’s clearly a huge part of WWE’s plans going forward, especially following the angle with Vince McMahon. The boss doesn’t take bumps for too many people, so allowing KO to headbutt him and bust him open proves the faith he has in him, and following this current partnership with Sami Zayn, expect him to big a big part of plans going forward. It’s likely he may be moved back to RAW, but whatever happens, expect KO Mania to be going on for at least another five years.

10 Won’t – Mickie James

When her career is all said and done, Mickie James will no doubt be regarded as one of the best female performers in WWE history, but unfortunately her last run hasn’t exactly shown her in that light, and with her getting up there in age and mileage on her body, she will no doubt have to walk away. However, someone who has been so good for so long would be a perfect fit as a trainer down in NXT, or even a backstage agent working with the up and coming female talent of today, but either way, James won’t be an active WWE performer for much longer. Before that time, I truly hope that WWE give her one last run at the top, because she thoroughly deserves it, and it will cement her as one of the top 5 women to ever step foot inside a WWE ring.

9 Will – Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss was stuck down in NXT for quite some time, and no one thought she had much potential, but when she was surprisingly drafted to Smackdown Live in the brand split, she began to take off, and nowadays, Little Miss Bliss is the top female performer on Monday Night RAW, and somehow, she’s still got plenty of improving to do. On the mic, she is absolute gold (although, she could learn more about being a true heel, i.e. getting her baby face opponent over, rather than diminishing them at every turn, and not letting them get up at all), but in the ring she is just average, and she will continue to improve over the next several years, all years that she will no doubt spend in the WWE.

8 Won’t – Bobby Roode

If you can believe it, Bobby Roode is currently 40 years old, and will soon be 41, and although he may look to transition into a backstage role when his career’s done, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll be seeing him as a regular performer on TV at 46 years of age. He’s quite a safe worker though, so there is always the possibility that he is still around, but you can’t imagine that WWE will be looking to keep him onscreen at that age, especially with all the matches and feuds he’s bound to have over the coming five years. He may currently be reigning as United States Champion, but he doesn’t have that much momentum behind him, and if the WWE can’t find a way to fix that, he may be gone sooner than five years. Appreciate Roode in all his glory now, because he won’t be around for much longer.

7 Will – Adam Cole

Many wrestlers these days work their way through the independent scene, looking to become the best wrestler possible, and they don’t think beyond that, but it’s clear that Adam Cole (Bay Bay) had a clear goal in mind, and that was one day to get to the top of the WWE, and alongside Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish in NXT, he’s certainly off to a tremendous start. He’s got ring presence that makes you take notice whenever he is on screen, and that will play huge when he arrives on the main roster, and if ReDragon stay by his side, we could be looking at a trio that are as successful as The Shield (although Fish & O’Reilly will likely stay together) in WWE. Sure, guys like Cody work for years in WWE only to leave and make bigger names for themselves, but Cole worked for years to get here, and he’s not leaving, especially when WWE know how important he is to the future.

6 Won’t – Randy Orton

Randy Orton has been in the WWE for close to 15 years, and while he’s still competing at a high level, it’s about time he moved on, or transitioned into a backstage role, and with his history of injury, there’s no doubt in my mind that in five years, Orton won’t be a regular on our TV screens. Sure, he may come back every now and then for big matches, but Orton has done just about everything you could want in the WWE, and there’s just no point for him to stick around much longer than that. He’s a no doubt, a first ballot WWE Hall of Famer, and at this point, if I was given the option to guess between Orton going into the Hall of Fame in five years or him still being an active performer, I’d chose the former, because his time is definitely wearing down.

5 Will – Finn Balor

Finn Balor is one of the most popular stars in the WWE today, but yet so many fans still feeling like he’s being wasted on the main roster, even though he was the first ever Universal Championship, and as he and The Demon character develop, there is no doubt in my mind that WWE will look to utilize him more and more. Recently on this site, we’ve posed the idea of a move to Smackdown, and perhaps a heel turn alongside his Good Brothers Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, and with plenty of time ahead of him, despite his age, these are all avenues that need to be explored. Simply put, Balor is talented, popular and has a phenomenal look, and if the WWE want to get behind someone for the next 5 years, then Balor is a top choice.

4 Won’t – Jinder Mahal

Jinder Mahal was nothing more than glorified enhancement talent for WWE for many years of his run, and it looked to be that way when he returned, but for some reason, the WWE wanted to push him as the WWE Champion for most of 2017. After that failed, it seems they’ve lost quite a bit of faith in him, and that will likely result in him leaving the WWE over the next few years. Sure, they are still trying to tap into that lucrative Indian market (the numbers reportedly went down over there during Mahal’s run at the top), but it’s just not worth the embarrassment of pushing Mahal, and they’re better off without him. With so many people ready to come up from NXT, it’s only a matter of time until Mahal fades away (and classifies himself as obsolete?), and at that point, it will be just easier to part ways rather than keep him around.

3 Will – Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins is one of the most accomplished and talented performers of this generation (or any other), but still many fans feel that he is being underutilized by the WWE, and this has left many people calling for him to leave and again join Ring of Honor, but that shouldn’t happen, because he will likely go down as one of the greatest ever if he sticks with the WWE. He can do it all inside a WWE ring, and that was proven with his gauntlet match performance on Monday Night RAW recently, and that proves the WWE know just how valuable he is to the company. We’ve posed the idea recently on the site that Rollins should be moved to SmackDown Live, and while that would definitely help reinvigorate the scene over there, it would do just as much for Rollins. If he can be given the freedom as a top babyface, he’ll certainly begin to live up to his potential.

2 Won’t – Brock Lesnar

This one is quite obvious, as The Beast Incarnate may not even be with the WWE by the end of 2018. With his lack of enthusiasm showing, it’s clear that Brock is on his way out, and that notion was only further fueled recently when he was seen hanging out with Dana White in Las Vegas, the same night of WWE’s Elimination Chamber show. He will be taking on Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34, and it’s obvious to all that The Big Dog will come out on top there, and even if the rumored Bobby Lashley feud does go again, we won’t be seeing Brock much longer. He will likely return to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but this upcoming match with Reigns, or a retirement angle following that may be the last time we ever see Brock performing in a WWE ring.

1 Will – Roman Reigns

You may hate Roman Reigns, or you may have been won over by his consistently fantastic in-ring performances over the last two years, but either way, you can’t deny that he deserves a spot in the main event scene in WWE, and he’s here to stay. Hopefully he hasn’t main evented nine straight WrestleMania events by the time 2023 rolls around. Knowing that Triple H will be in power by then, it’s very unlikely, but he’ll likely still be near the top of the card. Surprisingly, there are still many matches that we haven’t seen with Reigns (Nakamura, Cole, Ambrose, Black, Almas, Roode and others), so in five years time, we may still all be complaining about his position on the card, but he’ll still be around, putting on some great wrestling matches.