The changes in the wrestling industry throughout the years have seen different types of performers excel with the progression of the sport. Smaller wrestlers clearly have it better as names like Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, and Seth Rollins would have tougher times breaking out in the Attitude Era or Golden Era many decades ago. The same story applies to the opposite side with talents that would have been better in the past.
We will look at the active WWE superstars that would have thrived in the past compared to their current roles. WWE uses them today, but there is a lower ceiling on their success. They had skill sets and assets that would have been more valuable in the past. Find out which wrestlers seem to have seen the business change too soon for them. These are five WWE women and five WWE men that are competing in the wrong era.
10 Women’s division: Mandy Rose
Mandy Rose may have been the biggest female star for WWE if she competed in the late '90s and early 2000s. The bombshell look, and presentation of her looks makes Rose an instant heel character. Ladies like Sable and Sunny, however, found face success with similar characters.
WWE has pushed Rose to an extent, as she’s still valuable today, but the ceiling is lower. Wrestlers with stronger in-ring skills like Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Nikki Cross among others are slotted above her. Mandy may eventually get her time at the top, but it would have come earlier in a prior era.
9 Male division: Lars Sullivan
WWE introduced Lars Sullivan with a huge push due to his look as a monster character. The massive size and ability to move around the dream would have made Sullivan a dream for WWE back in the '90s. However, his slower progression on the main roster doomed him.
Sullivan could not gain much momentum before an injury removed him from television. WWE hasn’t even bothered giving an update on Sullivan nor did they care to use him in the draft like fellow injured wrestler Jinder Mahal. Sullivan may just be in the wrong era.
8 Women’s division: Lacey Evans
The push of Lacey Evans has failed to get her over as a top heel in the women’s division. WWE tried pushing Evans to the top right away by having her feud with Becky Lynch and even main event a PPV in a mixed tag match.
Evans never came off like a credible threat to Lynch and fell lower down the card for a few months. WWE is trying to make her a bigger deal on Smackdown following the draft. Evans, however, rarely received a strong response from the card as her gimmick and lack of skillset has her outdated.
7 Male division: Authors of Pain
WWE has not used the tag team of the Authors of Pain in impressive fashion on the main roster. The duo of Akam and Rezar dominated the NXT tag team scene before moving up to Raw. Despite the short Raw Tag Team Championship reign, Authors of Pain fell off the WWE radar for months.
Recent vignettes have shown them getting a chance to talk and express their personas. There may be a chance for success when they return, but Authors of Pain just seem like they’d be a better fit in the '90s. Fans were more in awe of big men that could work as it’s more common and accepted today.
6 Women’s division: Aliyah
One of the ladies in NXT that would have been a far bigger star in a prior era is Aliyah. WWE tried presenting her as a star of the future on their Breaking Ground reality series. The look, youth, and personality of Aliyah all work to her advantage.
Unfortunately, the lack of in-ring skills plays the biggest role in the lack of progression. Aliyah has been in the NXT system for years without getting involved in the title picture or getting called up. It seems like the in-ring portion will hold her back in today’s climate of women’s wrestling.
5 Male division: Rusev
The heel act of Rusev as an anti-American heel would have been perfect in the '80s or early '90s. Rusev had the perfect look of an intimidating heel along with the ability to move around the ring. If he could go back in time, Rusev would have been the dream opponent of Hulk Hogan.
The skills of Rusev can still provide good matches today, but he’s never been able to get over the hump. Rusev has a ceiling that will always see him peak as a lower tier main eventer or upper tier mid-carder. The world title picture appears just out of reach for him.
4 Women’s division: Dana Brooke
WWE viewed Dana Brooke as a top prospect when adding her to the Performance Center. The fitness background Brooke was quite successful. Dana’s introduction to NXT would see her getting consistent television time as they always viewed her as a main roster talent.
The runs on Raw and Smackdown have disappointed. Brooke peaked in the role as Charlotte Flair’s sidekick and has not received consistent television time since then. The success of Dana would have been huge in prior eras since she has a great look and presence. Others just have more to offer in the current landscape.
3 Male division: Mojo Rawley
The NFL background of Mojo Rawley would have been enough to give him a huge push on the main roster. WWE placed him in NXT for a few years as he portrayed a partying face character. That act grew stale on the main roster and flopped right away.
Rawley turned heel and has yet to break out in any way. Teases of a new character in backstage segments ended without any explanation or payoff. Mojo doesn’t seem likely to get another chance any time soon. If only he wrestled a decade or two earlier, he’d have received a main event push to sink or swim.
2 Women’s division: Lana
Lana’s strong suits of having a marketable look and an acting background would have made her a massive star in WWE. The past era of women like Torrie Wilson, Stacy Keibler, and Sable would have seen Lana possibly pass them, given her acting history.
WWE is trying to rebrand Lana again with the new storyline dating Bobby Lashley. The angle is failing to gain momentum as Lana typically is not viewed with the same appeal from today’s fan base since she can’t work matches. Lana just missed the era of being a top tier female star.
1 Male division: Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley is the other half of Lana’s romantic storyline as WWE tries to give him a different presentation. The hope for him to make the main event picture has ended in disappointed during both of Lashley’s runs in WWE.
Lana joining him as a love interest is adding someone with stronger promo skills to his act. Lashley still likely will fall short of the world title picture given his limitations. WWE typically tries to push wrestlers that can thrive in all areas of the game while Lashley has flaws that were less important in past eras.