4 underutilized WWE stars on SmackDown
WWE recently released several superstars from its roster on May 2, 2025. Despite slashing a sizeable part of its talent pool, Triple H and his team still have a lot of underutilized wrestlers.
In this article, we have discussed four stars who need more TV time on the Nick Aldis-led Friday Night SmackDown:
#4. Jimmy Uso isn’t getting a good look in
A prominent singles career was teased for Jimmy Uso when he made his comeback in September 2024 after being kicked out of the group by Solo Sikoa after WrestleMania XL. However, he got meshed in The Bloodline Civil War and has been left dry and directionless since Roman Reigns got his Ula Fala back.
He did an in-ring promo with LA Knight ahead of WrestleMania 41, saying he needed a shortcut to ‘Mania and wanted a shot at the US Championship. However, the subsequent episodes completely sidelined him, giving the primary focus to Braun Strowman and Jacob Fatu.
He also had a brief feud with Drew McIntyre, where he pulled off a sneaky win, but the Scotsman’s focus was quickly moved to Damian Priest. Now, his usual spot of a buffer against Solo Sikoa and his crew has been delegated to LA Knight. Thus, WWE needs to find a way to push Big Jim better.
#3. Candice LeRae has disappeared from WWE SmackDown
Candice LeRae was finally on the receiving end of some good television time on the blue brand around the end of last year. Playing a sidekick to Nia Jax, she actively tried to stop Tiffany Stratton from cashing in her Money in the Bank contract a few times in 2024. However, shortly after The Buff Barbie dethroned The Irresistible Force, The Poison Pixie slowly disappeared from WWE SmackDown.
She briefly held the WWE Speed Women’s Title. However, it is a non-televised show of the Stamford-based promotion. Moreover, since her former partner, Indi Hartwell, was released in November 2024, she doesn’t have a good spot in the tag team division either, as Jax appears to be focusing on her singles career again. Given her in-ring technical skills, the 39-year-old definitely deserves more time on the show.
#2. No sign of TheWyatt Sicks anywhere
The Wyatt Sicks created a huge impact as soon as they debuted in June 2024. The response of the WWE Universe was very positive, and the company had also marketed the eerie faction very well. The Uncle Howdy-led crew has its own webpage on WWE’s website called Kintsugi, which has several creepy video packages.
Moreover, they also received a unique push even without making appearances and via visual glitches and QR codes that hinted at their next move. However, since their loss to The Final Testament in December 2024, The Wyatt Sicks have practically vanished like they never existed.
Several reports said that Alexa Bliss would bring the faction back as its new leader, but it would appear that she has been assigned a new storyline alongside Charlotte Flair by the company.
#1. No space for Andrade on WWE SmackDown
Andrade enjoyed a seven-match feud with Carmelo Hayes in 2024. The rivalry also gave him multiple shots at the United States Championship held by LA Knight back then. The culmination of this three-way struggle saw The Megastar retaining his title at Crown Jewel 2024 in a Triple Threat Match.
However, the Mexican hasn’t received much television space on WWE SmackDown ever since. Shinsuke Nakamura arrived as the new big force to challenge Knight, and dethroned The Megastar to win the US Title for the third time. Andrade lost to the Japanese in a singles match after that.
While Knight reclaimed his title again ahead of WrestleMania 41, the former WWE Speed Champion seems lost in the background. He was recently paired with Rey Fenix in a match against Los Garza. However, the bout ended up being a stepping stone for the storyline involving internal tensions of Legado del Fantasma.
It will be interesting to see these superstars return to the spotlight on Friday Night SmackDown.
