If there’s one thing WWE fans have become used to, it's that Vince McMahon will push folks they don’t want to see. It’s a constant in wrestling, someone shoved hard because they're liked backstage, but the fans don’t take to them well. Sometimes it can work; after all, 2020 had Roman Reigns finally winning the respect of fans with his heel turn and Drew McIntyre rising to the top as well. Yet it’s clear WWE still over pushes some folks a lot.
In some cases, it’s fresher faces who, for some odd reason, get pushes that they don’t seem suited for. Other cases are veterans who should be taking time away instead of nonstop main event runs. Then there are some who are pushed despite behavior that shouldn’t even leave them employed.
10 Robert Stone
Pushing a non-wrestler a lot can work at times, but Robert Stone is not a case. As a manager, he stinks as Chelsea Green fired him, and Aliyah has not been doing well as his charge. He was destroyed by Rhea Ripley in the ring and yet keeps getting TV time.
Maybe WWE is taking shots at Tony Khan via his act, or perhaps they think Stone has something fans don’t see, but the guy keeps getting pushed despite his “Brand” being one of the weakest in WWE history.
9 Retribution
In the annals of bad factions, Retribution is already rising. In any year, this pack of masked thugs attacking people would get bad press, but the timing of their debut was awful. Dominik Dijakovic, Dio Maddin, Shane Thorne, Mercedes Martinez, and Mia Yim are all talented wrestlers but weren’t served in this group, which tangled with the far superior Hurt Business and got too much TV time.
Revealing Mustafa Ali as the leader didn’t work either. The company keeps pushing them when most fans prefer this group just go away.
8 Velveteen Dream
WWE is notorious for dropping folks who get into bad PR in small ways. So for them to not only still have Velveteen Dream on the roster but push him so much is a bad look. The Velveteen Dream is a terrific worker, and having him challenge Adam Cole for the NXT title made sense on paper.
But after the allegations against him for dark actions were made in the summer, WWE still stuck by him and even gave him shots at the North American Title. That Dream gets pushed while guys who did far worse are fired seems genuinely unfair.
7 Randy Orton
This can be complex as Randy Orton is a well-established star. Yet his massive pushes in 2020 make fans wonder if WWE is leaning on veterans too much. The feud with the returning Edge was good, but calling the blow-off “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” was a bit much.
The most baffling move was Orton defeating Drew McIntyre for the WWE Title only to drop it back to him three weeks later in a confusing turn. Currently challenging the Fiend, Orton is good but remaining on top after so long robs more promising stars of a chance.
6 Nia Jax
Few workers have as bad a rep as Nia Jax. She has been known to hurt several workers with her moves (Kari Sane got a concussion so bad it led to her leaving in-ring competition) and a bad attitude to boot. Yet WWE keeps pushing her on, including winning the Women’s Tag Titles with Shayna Baszler.
All this after WWE mocked her status by “suspending” her for attacking an official. Why Jax not only keeps getting cut slack but pushes after her damage gives WWE a black eye.
5 King Corbin
Why WWE thinks fans love watching King Corbin remains absolutely baffling. He started the year in a feud with Roman Reigns “highlighted” by eating dog food, which was treated as epic by announcers.
He’s been in a mild slump against Riddle and others but now getting a renewed push with the Forgotten Sons as his lackeys. Despite how fans made it very clear they hated Corbin (and not in a good heel way), WWE seems intent on continuing to shove the “king” down their throats.
4 Riddick Moss
Here’s another case of a wrestler who clearly has Vince McMahon’s favor but is not exactly winning over fans. He was put on the main roster to aid Mojo Rawley and soon won the 24/7 Title for (by its standards) a decent length. Moss kept getting pushed in other bouts, including as a featured player on “RAW Underground.”
This despite not being able to cut decent promos or do anything flashy in the ring. It’s another case of a Vince favorite getting a push based on looks.
3 Humberto Carrillo
It’s not that Humberto Carrillo isn’t talented, he is. But his prolonged push this year when it was clear fans weren’t taking to him was annoying. He kept coming up short in challenging Andrade for the U.S. Title, and the feud with real-life cousin Angel Garza didn’t connect with good matches.
He was also pushed when aiding Rey Mysterio and later tagging with Aleister Black. It seems to have slowed but WWE trying to make Carrillo a new star only marred his run with fans.
2 Charlotte Flair
WWE has it in their minds that fans adore seeing Charlotte Flair on top all the time. That’s one thing for the main roster where she at least comes off a star. But what no one wanted to see was Charlotte going back to NXT and ending Rhea Ripley’s promising title reign. Trying to make NXT the Charlotte Show backfired with poor ratings.
Worse, Charlotte didn’t even lose the belt herself as Io Shirai pinned Ripley in a triple threat match. Charlotte winning a title immediately upon her return at TLC only added to the worry of fans.
1 Otis
At the start of 2020, Otis was in a decent storyline of romancing Mandy Rose, which had an okay payoff spoiled by having no crowds. He’s a funny guy and a good tag team worker. So having him win Money in the Bank was a strange move for WWE. Stranger was how Otis did little with it but used it as a comedy prop before losing it to the Miz after Tucker betrayed him.
This led to a weird program with Chad Gable and then teaming with Kevin Owens against Roman Reigns. WWE pushing Otis this much over better talent was one the odder moves of 2020.