5 WWE Superstars who were underutilized in 2022

WWE had a solid year in 2022, especially in the second half, as many wrestlers fired by the company prior were reinstated by new management.

Karrion Kross and Bray Wyatt are among those that have benefitted from Triple H taking over. The Game even managed to salvage and give gravitas to certain wrestlers, including LA Knight, Finn Bálor, and Ricochet, among others.

Despite this, some WWE Superstars were rather under-utilized as well. It's not always the fault of the management. Sometimes, the wrestlers may not click, and they underwhelm overall.

Regardless, listed below are five underutilized talents of the company in 2022.

#5. On our list of underutilized WWE Superstars in 2022: Baron Corbin and John "Bradshaw" Layfield

Baron Corbin was probably best used by the company in 2022 because his strength lies in drawing massive heel heat and making his opponents look good in the process.

But we are talking about the wrestler who retired Kurt Angle, who holds the prestigious title as the last person to pin Roman Reigns in WWE today. How you feel about him personally depends on whether his gimmicks have worked with you over the years.

When the company hinted at an alliance between Corbin and former WWE Champion JBL, there was genuine intrigue surrounding it following a great albeit subtle segment on SmackDown. But since their first appearance on RAW, they haven't done much of substance.

JBL announces Baron Corbin is officially on Raw 👀

(via @WWE)
https://t.co/VxtfVjNVPQ

Personally, the JBL Poker Invitational provides fun segments that the company should consider milking further in 2023. Still, Corbin needs a legitimate challenger and a feud that stands out from the rest of the pack. Whether you like or hate him, the man usually does best with whatever the company offers him.

#4. On our list of underutilized WWE Superstars in 2022: Lacey Evans

Training like they won't. To do what they can't. 🧠🇺🇲🪖 @wwe
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#WakeUp #Work #WIN #TheMissionBegins #USMC #Marines #Smackdown https://t.co/3xbchRgYub

With Triple H in charge, there is always hope. Nevertheless, as 2022 draws to a close, one cannot help but notice how WWE mishandled Lacey Evans.

She was reintroduced on television, incorporating her real-life army background into her character. The Lady randomly switched from babyface to heel and back. For the most part, she was not even featured.

Lacey Evans has yet to win a world championship, but that could change in 2023. Her most significant work in WWE was a feud with Becky Lynch in 2019, which ultimately led to a mixed-tag main event at Extreme Rules pitting The Lady with Baron Corbin and The Man with Seth Rollins.

#3. On our list of underutilized WWE Superstars in 2022: Johnny Gargano

Despite the Chief Content Officer being high on Johnny Wrestling, the fact remains that the latter has done nothing of note after a tremendous return to the company in August.

He played second-fiddle to The Miz and Dexter Lumis in a feud that was a bit of a mixed bag altogether. Why is he aligning with Lumis in the first place? What happened to JBL and Baron Corbin's issues with Gargano? More importantly, does anybody care?

Johnny Gargano is one of the best wrestlers on the roster. Anybody familiar with his NXT days knows this. His one of the most notable feuds on the former black-and-gold brand was against Tomasso Ciampa. Honestly, professional wrestling is at its best. The company needs to find a way to insert Gargano into its significant plans in 2023.

#2. On our list of underutilized WWE Superstars in 2022: Elias

Another mishandled WWE Superstar, dare I say. At least the company did something with him this year. They tried.

Elias' twin brother Ezekiel showed up on RAW in a generic outfit that, for some reason, reminds one slightly of The Ultimate Warrior, minus the flare. He had a brief feud with Kevin Owens, of all people, immediately following the latter's WrestleMania main event against Steve Austin.

When The Game took over, one of the several wrongs he made right was canning the Zeke character and bringing back the guitar swinging Elias. He has been under-utilized since his debut on the main roster.

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With a thrown-together tag team that went nowhere, Elias seems to be floundering with no target in sight. He and Riddle didn't even get to challenge The Usos for the tag team championships.

The WWE Universe seems to connect with Elias, who has proved his worth as an entertainer with all his promo work over the years. His in-ring ability is reasonably good, albeit a tad on the lower end of moves, probably because they haven't explored with him properly yet. Here's hoping for a better 2023 for this talent. After all, what does WWE stand for?

Honorable Mentions on our list of underutilized WWE Superstars in 2022: Dolph Ziggler and AJ Styles

Ironically, both The Showoff and The Phenomenal One randomly tagged on the August 29 episode of RAW against The Judgment Day. This was a time both men were floating aimlessly.

Dolph Ziggler held the NXT Championship this year by defeating Tomasso Ciampa and the defending champion, NXT's star player Bron Breakker. His reign, however, only lasted for 27 days. When he returned to RAW and confronted Austin Theory, there was some potential there, but the company hadn't done anything about it.

Ziggler remains one of the most underutilized talents of WWE.

On the other hand, AJ Styles is a bit of a controversial pick as The Phenomenal One featured in prominent feuds against Edge and Judgment Day, even reforming the O.C.

But the truth of the matter is a wrestler with Styles' credentials deserves far better. He was on the losing end throughout the year, with his first singles victory since shockingly 2019, coming at Survivor Series WarGames, when he defeated Finn Bálor. No one knows why he was involved in the Miz and Ciampa's story with Logan Paul at SummerSlam. The company probably doesn't either.

Styles needs to get back to being the main event player, and probably another world championship run is the right way to go.

#1. On our list of underutilized WWE Superstars in 2022: Tomasso Ciampa

Ciampa was seen aligning with The Miz as his lackey since the main roster call-up

It takes two to create a work of art in pro wrestling to tell an enthralling story. In a previous entry, we talked about Gargano and Ciampa's feud in NXT; the latter deserves every bit of credit for making their story remarkable.

Since moving to the main roster in 2022, Ciampa has aligned with The Miz, which was more of an afterthought than anything else. It was one of the worst decisions the company has made this year. Triple H, however, is looking to reunite Ciampa with Gargano. For those unaware, both men were a tag team dubbed DIY during their NXT days before feuding with one another.

With that news, 2023 could see a resurgence for Ciampa, who is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with. Seriously, watch their Unsanctioned match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans in 2018.