In the wake of some shocking releases, WWE is in position to push more talent to the forefront. Greg DeMarco has his Top 5–how does it compare to yours?

Releases are never fun in pro wrestling, as someone undoubtedly loved the performers that are no longer with their company. In just over 12 months, WWE has let plenty of talent go, from recent Universal Champion Braun Strowman to unknown NXT commodities. Favorites like The IIconics and Samoa Joe shocked the internet, and I was personally bummed by the releases of The Revival in 2020 and Andrade this year.

But with that comes opportunity, and here is my personal list of five (5) talents WWE can push right now. WWE is positioned to easily elevate nearly anyone in a 2-week stretch, so why not these 5?

1. John Morrison

Hidden between being The Miz’s hilarious sidekick and the gem that made Bad Bunny look like a million bucks, John Morrison is one of the most talented wrestlers in the entire world. Crazy to think the he–like The Miz–is a WWE product of Tough Enough, and he’s had an Impact in so many different companies.

But with The Miz on the shelf (but still appearing), the time is PERFECT to push Johnny Nitro Morrison Mundo to the top of WWE. Given the opportunity, I guarantee you he’ll carry the ball well.

2. Liv Morgan

Look, it sucks that she’s lost her soul sister in Ruby Riott/Heidi Lovelace. But when she made her return as part of everyone’s favorite Bobby Lashley/Lana storyline, Liv Morgan seemed ready for the spotlight. The storyline was cut short, and Liv ended up back in a tag team with Riott.

And it seemed to reignite her.

She has it all: the look, she can talk, and she is one of the most underrated in-ring performers in the women’s division. All she needs is the right storyline and she’ll have the audience hooked. I know that’s a tall ask, but give her something and she can make it great.

3. Shinsuke Nakamura

I know it sounds crazy to put a former Royal Rumble winner and WrestleMania world title challenger on this list, but WWE books in cycles, and ol’ Shin was in a down turn for a bit. The people are solidly behind him, a King moniker fits him, and Rick Boogs seems to be the perfect addition to this act.

He’s not unhappy in WWE, either. He likes where he’s at, but given the right push there is still plenty of money to be had with Shinsuke Nakamura. Let him go over Baron Corbin (and then slide Boogsey into that feud) and let Shinsuke get a proper run against Roman Reigns (or Apollo, if you need). Tons of potential is still there.

4. Shayna Baszler

I know what you’re thinking: “But Greg, she’s feuding with a doll!” No, she’s feuding with Alexa Bliss! Stop overcomplicating things.

But Bobby Lashley had a feud with Sami Zayn that featured men pretending to be women (and not in a good way), he was also part of a cuckold angle with Rusev and Lana, and he lost clean at both WrestleMania 35 (to a guy now down in NXT) and WrestleMania 36 (to a guy who just got released).

What’s Bob doing now?

That’s the point with Shayna. Fans online (that’s you, reading this) are far too quick to write someone off in the wake of bad booking. But if you stay ready, stay reliable, and stay interesting–when the opportunity comes you can knock it out of the park. That’s where Shayna Baszler is right now, and she’s could be pushed at a moment’s notice. So don’t sleep on this one–out of the 5 on this list, she might be the easiest “sure thing.”

5. Santos Escobar

We’ve got one woman and one man each from Raw and Smackdown, so let’s throw in a wildcard (bitches) from NXT in Santa Claus Ice Cream Bar (bonus points if you know the reference).

This guy singlehandedly made the Cruiserweight Championship valuable again, rejuvenated the career of Joaquin Wilde, established Raul Mendoza, and makes everyone he feuds with better. Hell, he’s the one who turned Karrion Kross babyface en route to Ticky Tocky regaining the NXT Championship!

Outside of the feud with The Undisputed Era that’s moot now, there is nothing left for him to do in NXT (except turn babyface and feud with The Way, which I’m gonna pass on) outside of a one-on-one feud with, say, a Tommaso Ciampa that is making me rethink this entire point right now.

Santos could be a great fit in either main roster brand right now, with potential feuds all over the place. Santos versus Kevin Owens? Sold. Versus Matt Riddle? Yep. Cesaro? Down. Randy Orton? TAKE MY MONEY.

Push Santos. That’s it, that’s the ending.