WWE has sat atop the throne of professional wrestling for decades, but AEW has managed to put together a product that may one day revolutionize the industry. These promotions may be rivals, but it is the fans who ultimately reap the benefits of such competition because both companies have rosters that are filled with extremely talented men and women.
Both WWE and AEW have large rosters, but that means that there are a lot of people in both companies who are vying for a top stop, and there just isn't enough time to give everyone a proper push or championship run. This means that several wrestlers in both companies become underutilized which is the reason why they become managers or simply disappear in the mid-card.
10 WWE: Peyton Royce
Peyton Royce was arguably the best member of The IIconics, but she and Billie Kay made a remarkable team none the less. Peyton was the most skilled of the two, and she has been praised for her work ethic, which is why WWE thought about giving her a major singles push.
Unfortunately, that push never happened and she was awkwardly partnered with Lacey Evans instead. Hopefully, WWE will revisit her push, or at least get her back with Billie.
9 AEW: Wardlow
Wardlow and Cody Rhodes met in AEW's first Steel Cage match last February, and many fans were pleasantly surprised by the match's quality. Since joining The Inner Circle, Wardlow has been competing on Dynamite and Dark more frequently, but he is still seen as MJF's manager/enforcer.
Wardlow competed in the Indies for years where he became a 3-time IWC World Heavyweight Champion before joining AEW, yet most of his AEW work so far has revolved around him giving MJF a ring.
8 WWE: Chad Gable
Chad Gable was an accomplished amateur wrestler before signing with WWE in 2014, and he has since won Tag Team Titles on NXT, SmackDown, and Raw. Gable is a gifted athlete, and it was an absolute travesty that Vince McMahon gave him that silly Shorty G gimmick.
Gable has the potential to be another Daniel Bryan, but WWE needs to give him a decent solo outing first, and it looks like they are giving him a slightly bigger role now that he has opened up The Alpha Academy.
7 AEW: Allie
Poor character development is just one of the ways AEW failed its Women's Division in its first year, and Allie was one of the women who suffered the most. She has spent the majority of her AEW run as The Butcher and The Blade's manager, but she also spent some time as QT Marshall's love interest.
Allie has been wrestling for over a decade, and she has championships in various promotions, including TNA where she became a two-time Knockouts Champion. She may have teamed with Brandi a few times, but that storyline went nowhere and she has barely competed since.
6 WWE: Andrade
Andrade began his career as a masked wrestler in the early 2000s, and he had a decent run in NXT where he held the NXT Title for 139 days. He was called up to the main roster in 2018, and since then he's had a single lackluster United States Title run.
He had several stellar matches with Rey Mysterio, which showed that he is an exceptional talent, but ever since that feud, he has had a failed tag team with Angel Garza and lost Zelina Vega who provided the mic work he desperately needs.
5 AEW: Brian Cage
When Brian Cage made his debut at Double or Nothing in May, AEW made it sound like a pretty big deal, and it was because Cage is a physical beast who has won numerous championships with a lot of other promotions.
It is true that Cage is the current FTW Champion, but AEW has acted as though the title is not even the least bit prestigious. Cage may have a 13-1 singles record with AEW, but it has amounted to nothing besides placing him in a Taz-led faction that will ultimately lose to Sting.
4 WWE: Aleister Black
Aleister Black held the NXT Championship for more than 100 days, but he has been completely wasted on the main roster, which is why many fans believe that he needs to return to the black-and-gold brand.
Black hasn't been seen since October, where he lost to Kevin Owens to end a feud that did not have much traction, to begin with. WWE does not have many dark characters, and Black fits the role perfectly, but he also happens to be incredibly athletic, which is why WWE needs to use him properly.
3 AEW: QT Marshall
QT Marshall has been wrestling for almost two decades now, and he has spent a lot of time as an enhancement talent in both WWE and ROH. When he first joined AEW, he assumed a backstage role, but he has stepped into the ring from time to time.
He may be 35, and he may have had quite a few surgeries, but QT can still wrestle, and he currently trains young wrestlers at the Nightmare Factory wrestling academy. Given his relationship with Cody and the fact that he is well respected, QT deserves to have at least one decent solo push in AEW.
2 WWE: Cesaro
Cesaro has been on the main roster since 2012, and over the past five years, he has shown the WWE Universe that he is a skilled and competent worker. He may be a 7-time Tag Team Champion, but in terms of his solo career, WWE has failed him in a number of ways.
He has never had a World or Intercontinental Title reign, nor has he ever held the Money in the Bank contract. He won the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and became a Paul Heyman Guy, and both accomplishments led to absolutely nothing.
1 AEW: Miro
When WWE announced Rusev's release, many fans rejoiced because they believed that his talents was being wasted, and those same fans wanted to see him sign with AEW so he could finally shine.
Since debuting on the September 9 episode of Dynamite, Miro has put together a 4-0 record, and he has been feuding with Best Friends, but for the most part, he just follows Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford around. Given how his WWE run ended, AEW needs to give him a big push this year to make sure he stays relevant.