WWE Superstars With Make or Break Year Ahead
So, it is time to put 2020 behind us and look ahead to a brand-new year as we welcome in 2021! Over the next few weeks, I am going to be focusing on blog posts centred around the new year and what we can expect from breakout stars to must-see matches and rivalries and we kick start the new season off by diving into a list featuring the stars who have entered a make-or-break year. After a rough twelve months full of incredible ups and worrying lows these six superstars come into 2021 with the feeling that the next twelve months could either make or break their WWE careers.
Otis
Otis had a remarkably interesting 2020. A romance angle with
Mandy Rose saw him become a popular likeable babyface. The storyline promoted
big numbers on YouTube and gave depth and new angles for both Otis and Mandy.
In the middle of the year, fans saw a huge shock victory for Otis when he became
Mr Money in the Bank and while he would go on to lose the briefcase to the Miz later
in the year this will go down as Otis’ biggest victory to date and possibly one
of the greatest of his entire WWE career. However, the highs and push did not
last all too long. Following Mandy Rose’s move to RAW and the split between
Otis and Tucker (something that I did not see coming at all) things began to go
downhill for Otis. TO be fair he has still been booked alongside big names and continues
to receive regular on-screen bookings but there can be no denying that fans
have lost a degree of interest in Otis in recent months and the hype has most
certainly decreased drastically. Entering 2021 I can’t see another big push
coming for Otis however, his recent tag team alliance with Chad Gable promises
a must-see matchup between the two down the line upon a split that could at
least highlight the strengths of the pairs wrestling abilities and at best
Otis will continue to be a consistent babyface for the blue brand.
Liv Morgan
I have been a big fan of Liv Morgan from the get-go and upon her return last year I was excited to see where things would go especially considering the rumours around a push and the attention put on her return; however, things have not gone quite to plan. A singles run did not go very far at all despite a couple of big victories and we continue to see the WWE make the mistake of simply not giving her enough time in the ring. Paired alongside Ruby Riott again there is most certainly hope. The Riott Squad is without a doubt the most consistent and legit tag team within the women’s tag division, but their booking is weak. Despite victories, they fail to receive title shots and in-depth storylines. In 2021 I’m hoping to see Morgan involved in longer singles matches to show her true skills and abilities but more than anything I’m hopeful that we get to see more storytelling, longer matches and a title run for Morgan and Riott for they could be a key factor in turning things around for the women’s tag team division.
Andrade
Andrade is yet another superstar I genuinely believe has it all. His in-ring skills are phenomenal and his ability to tell a story and convey emotion during matches is fantastic! His NXT run was brilliant, but the WWE has dropped the ball multiple times since the former NXT Champion made his way to the main roster. Now, it has been a while since Andrade was on WWE TV and with Zelina Vega no longer apart of the company I worry for the future of this talented young star. While his in-ring skills are undeniable he is a man who evidently needs someone to do the talking for him and give him that little bit extra to allow him to be a major standout star. Of course, there have been rumours of an on-screen pairing with his real-life partner Charlotte Flair which could result in something very original and fun to see this new year but it's clear that the wrong booking and storytelling for Andrade could result in him being stuck in a position that could be very difficult for him to get out of.
Mandy Rose
There can be no denying that Mandy Rose has amazing potential. Her look, move set, character and seeing how far she has come in a short space of time shows just what she can bring to the table. 2020 was a strong year for the former Tough Enough star working one of the best storylines for the women’s division that year against Sonya Deville as well as a romance angle with Otis which saw her go from heel to surprisingly very likeable babyface. During the later months of 2020 Rose went on to form another tag team alliance with Dana Brooke and while I would love to see more of Mandy on her I do feel as though this is a fantastic pairing. The two are naturals together and look fantastic alongside one another. I would love to see these two crowned tag team champions down the line but if they split at some point then it could put Rose in a tough position where she will need a huge singles push.
Kushida
I know so many love him but I have to admit that I haven’t been interested in anything Kushida has done since his arrival in NXT and I do worry for the months that lay ahead of him. While he did fit in some incredible singles matches during 2020 and clear character changes were effective, they just were not effective enough and he continues to go forgotten in a roster that is stacked. Struggling to standout and work genuinely interesting storylines he enters the new year in a difficult position and I honestly cannot see things changing. While I believe he will have more standout matches and shine in competition on NXT TV it will take more character changes and a very strong storyline to truly tur things around.
Aleister Black
I’ll admit that I never expected Aleister Black to have the WWE run he has been having. Despite his experience, brilliant character work and fantastic move set the company just have not been able to make it work. Of course, he too has been apart of incredible matches over the past twelve months against the likes of Murphy and Owens in particular but lengthy gaps off TV and no strong long-term storytelling have been a problem and the popular star enters a new year in a tough position. I and so many others of course want to see him do well. This is a man who screams WWE champion material, and we know he can work five-star matches but my faith in the WWE to make things work with him is ridiculously small indeed. 2021 could see Black go onto achieve huge things with so many must-see rivalries that could turn things around for him or we could even get to a point where we see him no longer apart of the WWE.
Of course, everything above is my opinion but if the past
year has taught us anything in the WWE its that these stars had the biggest ups
and downs leaving an unpredictable future for each name. As always, I would
love to know what you guys think so feel free to leave a comment below or tweet
me over at @TezangiVictoria telling me who you would have included in this list.
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